I made fried rice a few days ago. It was good. I had leftovers the next day and it was better. I had leftover again a day after and it was even better (spices and flavours developed and it became more savoury). Presumably this will continue until it spoils, hence the title.
Confession. I thought of this while in the bath, not the shower.
A childhood friend of mine’s mother was from New Mexico, and around Christmas she would make this dish that was increasingly smaller tortillas stacked until it looked kind of like a Christmas tree. There was stuff between the layers, but there very top layer was, like, a solid inch of salt. They’d have it every night for a week or so, and as it sat and was reheated, the salt would slowly dissolve down to the bottom layers. As the salt diffused, the dish would get better each day.
Although he was my best friend for three years (I met him in HS), and practically lived at his house, I was never there for Christmas because we were always traveling to see my extended family, so I never got to experience this. He was absolutely fanatical about it. I always wondered, why not just salt the layers appropriately to begin with? But apparently the process was part of the magic and made the end effect better?
Anyway, when I think of dishes that get better with age, that’s the first thing I think about. Even decades later.
I need a link to this dish.
I have no idea what it was called! It was long ago, in a city far, far away. Said friend went off and became a cultist, and we lost touch.
I think it was originally a Mexican dish; maybe some kind soul will chip in with the answer.
You dare dirty these sacred grounds with a bath thought? Disgusting. Ptew!
MODS MODS MODS MOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDSSSSSSSS!!!
I feel much shame. Soaking in my own filth. :(
But I always finish with a shower.
Lead with a shower then have a clean bath?
Shower bath shower.
Yeah if you make lasagna it’s usually the best like 2-5 hours after being done. If kept in the turned off oven it stays nice and warm but solidifes just right
Don’t eat lasagna that’s been between 40° and 140° F for more than 4 hours!
= 4.4 °C - 60 °C
I have been doing it for 10 years and never got sick
Shit I leave food out for a day sometimes, it’s cool. The art of iron guts.
Yeah, I mean there’s only one hour of real danger there and those are the food service rules, so they’re going to be as strict as possible. They also teach that prepared food can’t be served after a week in the fridge, even though it often lasts longer before spoiling. I personally don’t enjoy puking and shitting my brains out, especially as a direct result of my own avoidable actions, so I play it safe.
Why?
It allows harmful bacteria to reach infectious levels, it’s true of most foods and isn’t exclusive to lasagna
Starchy foods. Rice is particularly prone to this
And most meat dishes, egg dishes, pretty much anything containing dairy, most raw/cooked produce and produce-containing dishes, opened canned goods, etc, etc. Way more than just “starchy foods”
You’re absolutely right. It just doesn’t apply so much to foods that are naturally antimicrobial, i.e. foods super salty and/or acidic (or super basic in theory, but I can’t think of any examples).
Whatever’s between milk and Pepto Bismol I guess
Ah that was my guess
Danger zone. Easy way to get sick.
Are we supposed to immediately freeze leftovers? I thought a night in the fridge was totally fine.
If your fridge is warmer than 40°F, it’s not working properly. Commercially, prepared food is acceptable to use/sell for a week in the fridge before it has to be thrown out. Practically, this time is often longer, but a week is the safest bet.
If your fridge is warmer than 40°F, it’s not working properly.
My fridge literally has a setting for 6°C (42.8°F). I usually keep it at 4°C, which is still warmer than 40°F. I don’t know anyone who keeps their fridge colder than that.
4°C is 39.2°F, which, at least in the imperial system, is less than 40. And yeah, different governments have different regulatory standards, this is very very very common. Certainly the difference between 40° & 43° is less crucial than the difference between 40° & 100° and of course all foods (and the bacteria involved in their spoilage) are different (some things are considered safe up to 45°F for instance), but you have to plan for the worst-case scenario to be safest. And as I’ve said elsewhere, this is the industry standard, which is naturally (in America at least) driven by fear of liability litigation more than science, so it’s bound to be stricter than is perhaps normally necessary.
Pro tip: Cook your rice with a bouillon cube.
Agreed. I always use chicken or veg broth.
Stews and chili, too
Most Asian food somehow becomes even better when you reheat them next day.
Please search reheating rice and b. (bacillus) cereus.
Be serious
Ok. But I refrigerate my leftovers.
Of course that prolongs spoilage, but it’s advised to still only keep rice a couple of days max. It’s quite common so worth taking cereusly
It’s not fast enough! Must flash freeze! Get moar liquid nitrogen!
If only refrigeration existed!
Does it instantly turn or does it follow a normal distribution of taste vs time where there is some value of time that produces a perfect taste but below or above that value is suboptimal? Because for me I find there is a peak waiting time for spaghetti and bolognese of about 2 days after preparing it where the tastes have blended perfectly but if I go three days the taste isn’t as great but hasn’t spoiled.
I’ve never seen it drop. Better, better, better, spoiled.
Leftover chicken wings are great too
I add to the list pizza and my house favorite: New Year’s Day pork leg.
I mean I love me some next day cold pizza, but I consider it a totally different dish from a fresh pie. Unless you didn’t mean cold?
