Science and psychology of "warmed-over flavor"

[IowaGirl]

I have learned over the years that hubs and I will reliably eat one meal of leftovers within the next day or three, but we rarely will eat two meals of leftovers, no matter how tasty. Just too much of a good thing.

If there's a third meal's worth of leftovers (or possibly a fourth if I make a big batch o' soup), I usually vac seal and freeze these extra portions.

I also have learned I prefer meat leftovers to be warmed just enough to take the chill off. Meat that's hotter than that seems dry and not as tasty to me.

[dubob]

A pulled pork cook will leave leftovers for the two of us that will make excellent lunch sandwiches for weeks afterward - vac sealed and frozen of course. And lets NOT forget about leftover ribs & brisket - oh my! 😁

[Jfrosty27]

I love leftovers. My wife rarely touches them. (More for me) I have fun trying to get creative with them. I always come up with something tasty.

[barelfly]

Like Troutman, I usually make enough of dinner for leftover lunch the next day. Or, cook enough chicken to last a few days to be served in various ways - mainly over salad. And if that is the case, I don’t reheat the chicken. I have become better at vac sealing food whenI cook large batches for freezing. That has helped preserve, as the article states.

Overall, I don’t mind leftovers, but the one thing that I will not or prefer not to eat as leftovers is when I make Paella. There is something to the dish that just doesn’t taste great the day after. But, usually, everyone eats the Paella day of so there isn’t much for leftovers.

thanks for sharing the article!

[Troutman]

Yea gotta agree with dubob, we often plan for leftovers. Say we're cooking grilled chicken on a Saturday evening, I'll actually cook 4x the amount so we have left over chicken for several days afterward. Certain foods do well with leftovers, others don't. I know a perfectly cooked, medium rare steak just isn't the same the next day. Still tastes alright but the re-heat invariably over cooks the meat.

It's an interesting topic though, thanks for posting. I agree with the writer that a lot of it is simply in our heads.

[dubob]

Ever wonder why some people won't eat leftovers?

Nope; never!

There isn't a week goes by in this humble abode that leftovers aren't consumed with gusto. Who doesn't enjoy next day pizza? Or thinly sliced, left-over steak fried up with some eggs over easy and hash-browns?

[IowaGirl]

Ever wonder why some people won't eat leftovers? Or why some meat dishes don't taste quite the same the day after they are cooked? It could be related to a phenomenon called "warmed-over flavor" (WOF).

I enjoyed reading this report from Serious Eats about WOF at https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/08/...cken-meat.html. Here are some key points from this report --

"Food scientists have devoted years of research to determining precisely what alchemy occurs in leftover food to give it WOF, and how to prevent it from happening in mass-produced meat products, like deli meats....

"...home cooks have a more limited range of options to slow down WOF-inducing reactions. The best way, according to Decker, is to take a page from the industrial playbook and limit cooked meats' exposure to oxygen as soon as feasibly possible. You don't have to take your dinner guests' plates while they're still eating, but you might pack the leftovers tightly in heat-safe containers after everyone is served. If you're especially sensitive to warmed-over flavor, you may even consider investing in a vacuum sealer of your own....

"Flavorful sauces are another potential solution, since they create a barrier to air, which will slow down WOF-forming processes—especially in soups, stews, or curries in which smaller morsels of meat are fully submerged.... As an added benefit, a punchy sauce will help mask any WOF when you reheat the leftovers the next day....

"The most universal finding from our taste-testing was more philosophical than anything else: When you put a bite of food in your mouth and critically scrutinize it for any funky flavor, more often than not, you're going to find it....

"...it's a challenge to eat leftovers with WOF. He employs a technique called "planned-overs," a one-two punch that incorporates both careful planning of meals and thinking ahead to how their leftovers can be applied to tasty new dishes. Because flavors tend to be less pronounced in cold food, try second-day meals that avoid the microwave to keep WOF under the radar....

"...if he knows that a particular meal won't be good the second or third time around, he makes an effort to adjust the recipe so that it feeds the number of people he's serving and no more. With no leftovers, there's no need to worry about WOF...."