There are three cardinal rules one must follow to live in peace at my parents’ house: the last person to enter the home at night must always remember to put the alarm on, weeknights call for family dinners — no exceptions — and leftovers can only be kept in the fridge for a maximum of 48 hours (although they realistically must be consumed within a day of being cooked to guarantee they won’t end up in donation packages or the trash).
About that last point: Although it is permissible to reheat any pot just once, each leftover food must abide by a different set of standards, according to my mother. Eggs, for example, whether hard-boiled, fried or baked, should always be eaten immediately. Fish and chicken should never really be reheated but can acceptably be consumed cold within 12 hours of preparation. Stews and soups enjoy the longest shelf life in my family’s fridge alongside the Iranian dishes that my mother cooks to celebrate the Sabbath each Friday night. Believe it or not, we’re allowed to eat those foods until Monday night!
In my own household, which I share with my husband and daughter, leftover rules also apply — albeit not as strictly, and they’re not entirely similarly to the ones that regulate life inside my childhood family home.
The firm guidelines about what we can and cannot eat at home have always led to moderately heated discussions between my mother and I — and still do now, although we cater to our separate households. “I made that on Monday!” she’ll tell me by way of a reprimand while I indulge in some leftover chicken breast in her kitchen on a Wednesday. “And so?” I usually respond mischievously.
My mother’s opinions about leftover food — or my own, for that matter — aren’t rooted in science or nutritional facts but, rather, our very own instincts, gut feelings and experiences. A bout of the stomach flu following the consumption of a frittata might have contributed to her feelings about leftover eggs, for example. A childhood spent in Iran, on the other hand, has undoubtedly shaped her opinion on the safety involved in eating Iranian staples for relatively longer periods of time.
Heated conversations about the topic don’t seem to be unique to our family. In my quest to learn about the average person’s feelings toward leftover foods, trying to dissect their arguments without necessarily concerning myself with the nutritional value of reheated dishes (or lack thereof?), one recurring thought reigned supreme: People have very strong opinions about leftover foods.
Overall, my unscientific research points to the idea that the heartier and more flavorful a dish, the more beloved it is as a leftover. Many of the folks I spoke to actually argued that the kinds of substantial foods that have defined cultures for ages and the recipes that have been passed down for generations might taste even better the next day.
“Hate [leftovers] unless it’s Persian food,” one Twitter user wrote to me.
“Ghobeli!” another social media personality (well, my sister) enthusiastically replied to my general query, calling out a traditional Persian dish made with chunks of meat, carrots and white rice. “The ghobeli is usually cooked separately and then mixed when served,” my sister explained. “The next day, it’s all mixed up already so the flavours have time to come together.”
When asked about the clear appeal of leftover Iranian food, a group of my 30-something friends delved deep into the matter at hand on Twitter. “The taste of the food just comes out more the next day, it’s got that soul food vibe,” said Roxanne Calderon, a project development coordinator who lives in Manhattan.
The deepness of flavours seems to resonate across other cuisines as well. “Brisket! In sauce! It’s so much better the next day because the sauce soaks into the meat overnight,” a Twitter user who goes by Taylor Not-So Swift told me. “It overmarinates and it is delicious.”
Indian food, considered by many to be similar to Persian fare, seems to elicit the same kind of response. “All the curry based food tastes delicious the day after,” Twitter user Pungui Muller wrote to me. “Also: fruit cobblers, grains, Thanksgiving dinner, soups, chilli.” Again, hearty foods.
The type of cuisine at hand isn’t the only thing to provoke interesting reactions. The idea of being able to enjoy a full meal without having to cook is clearly an appealing one. “Eating leftovers on a Monday night is the best way to make any Monday less Monday-ish,” another Twitter user wrote. “No cooking, no cleaning.”
Others yet called out potential waste as a good enough reason to eat
leftovers. My dad’s friend Kam, a self-described “king of leftovers” who regularly meal-preps, laid out the argument logically. “It is extremely important not to waste food and be thankful for what you’re eating,” he said. “There are many people that would beg for that piece of meat, and you’re just throwing it away? It’s also a waste of money. If you don’t want leftovers, don’t buy extra food.”
One more thing he constantly thinks about: “Discipline. It’s important to organise and plan how much food you need without creating leftovers.” In other words, think of cooking as a springboard to a more organised lifestyle.
It turns out that conversations about trying to stay away from certain leftovers are just as passionate. “Fries can’t be revived,” Sam Eshaghoff told me on Twitter. “Dressed salads lose their crunch by the minute.”
“Some foods are just better fresh than as leftovers,” New Yorker Rachel Nabavian told me. “Sushi, most salads, chicken, leftover fish — they don’t taste good. Overall, I eat leftovers because I don’t want to waste food but they’re not necessarily my favourites.”
Speaking of sushi: The Japanese fare was squarely in the no-can-do leftover category for most people.
“People don’t know that sushi rice is often the most important element of good sushi,” Megan Nabavian, a New York-based administrative fashion executive, told me. “And leftover sushi has crunchy gross rice. It just ruins the experience.”
Although most folks I spoke to told me they would certainly eat leftover pasta —whether cold or reheated — a day or two after originally having cooked it, they all mention a change in taste and texture of the noodles. The type of sauce the pasta is soaked in also seems to be important when opting whether to eat it or not. “I hate leftover fettuccine Alfredo,” said 21-year-old Emily Hakimi, who is currently studying to become a nurse. “The oil separates from the cream and the cheese, and the pasta is just not what it used to be.”
Discussions about the topic would be incomplete if not including one of America’s favourite leftovers: pizza. Out of the dozen people queried, virtually all of them professed their undying love for pizza in any which way: fresh, reheated, cold.
“People reheat their pizzas at home so the [food] actually ends up with more direct convection from the heat source,” Eshaghoff wrote on Twitter. “The result is an inevitably toastier crust and super melty cheese. The molten cheese on crunchy bread is just a satisfying texture to bite into.”
I shall quote myself in opposition to Eshaghoff’s — and, well, the rest of America’s — outlook. Whether it be my Italian heritage, an undying love for a fresh pizza pie or the rules instilled in me by my mother’s odd-but-acceptable leftover policies, a cold or reheated slice just doesn’t taste as wonderful as the original thing. How can one know how delicious a fresh pizza is and agree not to always have it at its best?
Alas, will I eat a cold pizza or a reheated one? I’m human, so ... probably. Will I enjoy it? Possibly. Will I reach for it over a fresh pie or a freshly cooked slab of fish? Never. My mother, on the other hand ... she serves her household reheated pizza once a week. We all have our own standards now, don’t we?