Leftovers... I can't be the only one, right?

Kain · August 2013

I cook enough (most of the time just SWMBO and me) to have plenty of leftovers. Maybe I'm crazy, but I more often than not actually prefer leftovers over food that just came off the grill. I love smokey flavor, and having time in the fridge seems to let the smoke and meat/veggies intermingle more and take them to 11. I tend to reheat leftovers in the oven to not dry them out.

Am I alone on this one?

TexanOfTheNorth · August 2013

I doubt it. I enjoy leftovers too! Maybe not more than when something is first prepared but, often just as much. Just depends on what the leftovers are. I'll often use leftovers to make something "else" or use them for pizza toppings.

robnybbq · August 2013

I can not stand them. never taste the same reheated. Most of the time I throw out leftovers.

Chubbs · August 2013

I am not a leftover person

Griffin · August 2013

Love leftovers. Somethings are better than others. lately, I've been cooking up big batches of chicken on Sunday for lunches throughout the week. Would like to do it with fish, but worried about how it will hold up.

michigan_jason · August 2013

I guess I am one of the few that are different here... I always cook more than needed (we almost always have people over) and I always give away all leftovers. The only leftovers I eat are Thai food and my moms baked mac and cheese, as I think they are both better the 2nd time around.

-KCCO

TexanOfTheNorth · August 2013

Griffin said:

Love leftovers. Somethings are better than others. lately, I've been cooking up big batches of chicken on Sunday for lunches throughout the week. Would like to do it with fish, but worried about how it will hold up.

Other than salmon I generally do not cook enough fish for leftovers.

TonyA · August 2013

The only leftovers that get consumed in my house is pulled pork and if there's london broil sliced it will make its way on top of a salad or into a quesadilla. I say I'll make chicken salad out of leftover chicken but it seldom happens. I do grill chicken breasts up front for the week for the sheriff and the kids' lunch.

If you spend a lot of time tending your smoker - you probably enjoy smokey leftovers because you aren't all up in smoke all day and desensitized to it.

SWVABeanCounter · August 2013

TexanOfTheNorth said:

Griffin said:

Love leftovers. Somethings are better than others. lately, I've been cooking up big batches of chicken on Sunday for lunches throughout the week. Would like to do it with fish, but worried about how it will hold up.
Other than salmon I generally do not cook enough fish for leftovers.

I use leftover salmon in salads quite a bit. My favorite is with ceasar dressing. Especially this time of year with fresh veggies from the garden.

Kain · August 2013

I should clarify that it depends on what it is: steak and seafood I enjoy more the first time around because reheating will overcook; wings, spatchcock, and anything low 'n slow are better the next day.

Question to those that hate leftovers: did you grow up eating leftovers? My mom hates cooking and it was mostly just her and me, so she'd cook in quantity and live on leftovers on off nights.

lousubcap · August 2013

"Left-overs, it's what's for lunch". Especially during the week-and always taste great-change it up a bit and enjoy.

fishlessman · August 2013

thanksgiving i cook two turkeys just to have one left over. why cook a small ham when i can cook a big ham. for sunday dinner i m ight cook 16 thighs just to eat one or two for dinner. ill cook meatloaf just for sandwiches for the week cause i like it better cold. was planning on some leftover spare ribs this week but ate the whole rack myself

whats better than eating cold spare ribs and cracking open a beer for a monday night supper

henapple · August 2013

Huge amounts of left overs just keeps me from cooking...

jaydub58 · August 2013

Really looking forward to leftovers from the roast pork I did Monday. Slice up a bunch, warm it gently, yeah!

Then more sliced up for cold sandwiches; finally, sliced and cut into strips for Chinese noodles.

Love leftover pork!

SmokeyPitt · August 2013

I definitely enjoy some things better as leftovers. I hate to admit it- but pulled pork is one of them. I like the taste of fresh pulled pork, but I think I like it a little better after it has been sitting in the fridge. I have had friends and family tell me the same thing. I made a couple of butts once for a get together and we all ate, and I sent lots home foodsaver bags. A few people told me they liked it even better after reheating.

Like @fishlessman I eat lots of things cold. Spaghetti, leftover Chinese, beef, salmon, etc. I grilled chicken breast on Monday night and ate one cold right out of a zip-loc bag on Tuesday. I guess it seems odd but we eat "cold cuts" all the time so I don't see much difference. My wife thinks I am odd, but many things are better cold than reheated.

Just to clarify- pulled pork is not one of the things that I find can be enjoyed cold

. The fat usually re-coagulates and must be melted again.

Ragtop99 · August 2013

We plan most meals with the idea of having leftovers, either for lunch, or a for a second dinner. Sometimes it is enough for two full meals (e.g. whole turkey). Other times leftovers from two different cooks become the third meal. Some things are good leftover when carefully reheated and just get eaten the way they were cooked. Others morph into stuffing for burritos or adders into pasta, salad, or pizza toppings.

U_tarded · August 2013

i do a batch of chicken every sunday night for lunches through the week. I usually just salt and pepper it so it can go on a salad, a sandwich, in an omlette etc. Other than that we don't make a ton of food because its just 2 of us. Pulled pork is about the only cooked meat we will freeze.

fishlessman · August 2013

some things you just need leftovers for, pulled pork for abt's, a smoked ham for maybe ham and potato au gratin, smoked turkey and duck for the gumbo, how do you make a descent lobster roll without some precooked lobstah. then theres all those deli meats if you have a slicer, sliced meatloaf, sliced pastrami, sliced ham, sliced roastbeef, sliced roast pork. i guess those arent called leftovers,....ummmm....precooked items

)

fishlessman · August 2013

imagine the horrors of eating this saterday night

then having to choke this down on the boat sunday afternoon

Eggcelsior · August 2013

I greatly enjoy leftovers. Like you said, flavors intermingle and become more pronounced the second time around with many dishes. There are certain things I never reheat, like fish and shell fish. If it is something like steak, I typically slice it up and make a pan sauce to warm it in. I repurpose everything else. This saves time during the week. For example, I used pork chops I grilled on Sunday in a stir fry last night. Good stuff with fresh vegetables from the garden and wild rice.

Trini_in_Ottawa · August 2013

Love the leftovers personally - I agree that it seems that there is more smokey flavour - this could be due to the fact I am not bbqing just before eating the leftovers

Spaightlabs · August 2013

fishlessman said:

imagine the horrors of eating this saterday night

then having to choke this down on the boat sunday afternoon

Looks like you got some lobster in your mayo...

Eggcelsior · August 2013

Trini_in_Ottawa said:

Love the leftovers personally - I agree that it seems that there is more smokey flavour - this could be due to the fact I am not bbqing just before eating the leftovers

This is part of it. You get "numb" to the smoke flavor while standing next to the Egg.

fishlessman · August 2013

Spaightlabs said:

fishlessman said:

imagine the horrors of eating this saterday night

then having to choke this down on the boat sunday afternoon

Looks like you got some lobster in your mayo...

sometimes i just eat mayo straight from the jar

after a jar of mayo is opened, is the rest leftovers

)

SmokeyPitt · August 2013

I'm envious of the Lobstah rolls. The price of lobster down here, I have to spend about $20 to make one sammich like that.

fishlessman · August 2013

SmokeyPitt said:

I'm envious of the Lobstah rolls. The price of lobster down here, I have to spend about $20 to make one sammich like that.

its down below 4 bucks a pound up here right now, someones making a killing getting lobsters out of newengland. with the low prices alot of the lobster fisherman are selling direct from there houses to make ends meet. im betting further up its less than 3 bucks a pound

Kain · August 2013

Trini_in_Ottawa said:

Love the leftovers personally - I agree that it seems that there is more smokey flavour - this could be due to the fact I am not bbqing just before eating the leftovers

Y'know, I never thought about it like that, but it makes perfect sense.

Man, I miss inexpensive lobster. We celebrated our anniversary last year in Portland, ME and gorged ourselves silly on fresh lobstah for 1/3 the price of it here in DC.