It's better when warmed a second time!

Earlier today, I found some leftover lasagna in the refrigerator, and, naturally, I warmed it up in the microwave. While I was eating, the lasagna tasted excellent. In fact, I thought it was better after I warmed it up than when it was first cooked. I also noticed this trend when I warm up leftover pieces of pizza (particularly Domino's).

In your opinion, were there any foods that tasted better after it was placed in the microwave than in the initial cooking? I'm excluding microwaveable TV dinners in the previous question since, well, they're supposed to be made for that purpose.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Yeah, I find it quite strange... just today I ate some leftover spaghetti, and after heating it in the microwave, I found that it did taste better than when it was made the day before. Pasta's like lasagna and spaghetti taste the best somehow.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Imo's Pizza.

I remember one time I ordered it, let it sit for an hour and then heated it in the microwave with american cheese slices and then ate it.

Imo's Pizza somehow tastes better reheated.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I don't like re-heating any food, to be honest. Just seems to make it mushy and not very appetizing. Instead, I eat all of my leftovers cold, and boy is it good. I even order extras just so I can be sure I'm going to have plenty of leftovers in the fridge if I'm ever in need of a delicious snack.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

My grandmothers chicken casserole tastes better when reheated. I usually take some home after holidays, and I make a meal out of reheating it.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I love pizza reheated and also love lasagna in the microwave. I find that meat and noodles taste so good when reheated. Actually, Kraft dinner isn't bad reheating either.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

The only thing that I can remember re-heating is spaghetti bolognese, and it didn't taste too good. It lost all the firmness out of the pasta, and the pasta as a whole tasted wrong.
I normally have my food cold if it has gone cold, or I will have pizza from the night before and not bother to heat it up again.

FELIPE NO

I can't stand reheating anything or eating leftovers at all, actually. Reheating food just makes it slimy and mushy and nasty.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I've always found spaghetti a little more enjoyable after microwaving it again. The sauce tends to become thicker when the dish is allowed to sit overnight, and I prefer it that way. Otherwise, I haven't encountered anything else that tasted better after reheating.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I think it's the sitting-overnight that does this. The food stays cold in the fridge and the flavors disperse more evenly as additional moisture slowly evaporates (or the food just dries up a bit more due to the humidity setting in your fridgerator, either or). Then when it's microwaved, the left over humidity/moisture in the food helps it steam itself in the heating process and the additional heated air circulating within the food makes itself more airy, fluffier, as well as helping the atoms activate and move around in the food thus dispersing the flavors around and enhancing the taste.

I *think* the above is the scientific explanation I saw once on Food Network.

However, I like my explanation better: When you're eating leftovers and are impatient enough to cook anything in the microwave, shouldn't ANYTHING taste better as you must be "too hungry to wait to cook anything new from scratch?"

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Reduce the heat on your microwave. I can't stand reheated pizza normally. I have to eat it with a knife and fork, because you can barely pick it up. I dropped the setting to 40%, increased the time a little, and it was perfect.

Bandwagon on the lasagna though. I think it's probably because it actually further cooks the cheese and sauce together, adding a slightly charred flavour. I find that's often the best part of pasta. Slightly-burned sauce.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Soups always taste better the next day. It gives the flavors time to mingle.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by AliceNWondrland

Soups always taste better the next day. It gives the flavors time to mingle.

I find that the same way with spaghetti sauce, leaving it in the fridge for a day lets the spices seep in more and warming it up on the stovetop is awesome! Leftover homeade pizza kicks ass in the microwave too!

How ya doing, buddy?

Most leftovers get mushy and not very appetizing when reheated in the microwave, though I've always love reheated pizza and breadsticks. Actually, I think most Italian foods (pastas, etc.) taste better reheated.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

You guys need to try reheated curry. I guess it just lets the curry soak into the meat more after all that time sitting in the fridge or something. And curry is already mushy so it can't get super mushy or something.

FELIPE NO

If you guys have never tried reheated beans with grated cheese on top and a little salsa servedwith tortillas you're sooo missing out. Menudo is also something that tastes better to me when warmed a second time but I have to reheat it for a few minutes longer on low power so that it doesn't get too hot and clump together.

As for other foods, bandwagon on the spaghetti here as well as some breadsticks and clam chowder.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I cook a lot of Cuban food, and it always tastes better after sitting in the fridge for a couple of days. All of the garlic gets soaked up more, and the meat, fish, or chicken just gets more tender and tasty. It sounds a little disgusting, but when the olive oil congeals on the top and leaves the vinegar, tomato sauce, or other ingredients free, the food soaks all of that up, and then reheating allows the oil to kind of blend the ingredients together better than they did during the initial cooking.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I've never really been a fan of reheating other than stuff like microwave dinners. But I do really like cold fries...especially McDonald's fries...don't know why, just taste great to me.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Encephalon

If you guys have never tried reheated beans with grated cheese on top and a little salsa servedwith tortillas you're sooo missing out. Menudo is also something that tastes better to me when warmed a second time but I have to reheat it for a few minutes longer on low power so that it doesn't get too hot and clump together.

Surprisingly enough, I had menudo for the first time in my life about 2 years ago, and I loved it. Took some home, reheated it for a couple meals later, liked it much more. Haven't had it since though. /sadness.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Sadness indeed.

Menudo is a heaven-sent gift to drunks since it's quite possibly the only food that can help cure your hangover THAT much faster. It's only apt that Mexicans invented it. Isn't Leon Mexican? I'm surprised you're not at his parent's house every Sunday morning! Everyone knows that menudo on Sunday mornings is as natural as breathing. =o

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I know, but when your first ever menudo is your boyfriend's abuelita's second cousin twice removed, great-tia Rosa's family legend menudo, the desire to find anyother around town just to pay to eat menudo seems moot point. No? =P

I was speaking idiomatically.

Some meat dishes naturally will taste better because the juices have been marinating in the fridge with whatever else you have on the plate.

I can never successfully reheat pizza - the crust always becomes tough.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

The trick to reheating pizza is to use both a microwave and a toaster oven. I tend to put two slices in the microwave for 20-30 seconds depending on the thickness and then load it into a toaster for about 5 minutes from 350-400°. That way, the inside gets warm from the microwave, the crust gets crispy, and the cheese on top starts to melt a little bit from the toaster. With this trick I generally find pizza to be even better after reheating than eating it fresh out of the oven.

As for other foods, there's usually tricks for heating them up. Heating for half the time and then stirring to ensure more even heating and adding a little bit of water on top so the surface won't dry out are two good strategies. It's pretty rare I'll find foods which I can't make at least as good the second day. The biggest difficulty I've had is reheating grilled foods. They tend to get a much different texture by the second day.

FELIPE NO

Since we don't have a freezer at our Uni house i find i had to cook allot of things, wrap them up in cling film and stick them in the fridge. Only works with some things though, I must admit I do miss chips. Re-heated pizza is dahm good though I tend to add extra cheese on top. Hot dogs taste good re-heated and put in sandwiches, as does lasagne. Lasagne sandwiches are soooo dahm good.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

leftover Apple Pork. mmmm... it probably tastes better the next day because it was sitting in the sauce over-night. yummy!

Jam it back in, in the dark.