Why do some leftovers suck?

Why do some leftovers get better with age, and others get worse?
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆-𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆:
-Bandonill EH, Corpuz GG, Ablaza MJ, Tibayan PA, & Soco OC (2012). Consumers prefer low amylose-low gelatinization temperature rice, freshly cooked or staled. Philippine Journal of Crop Science. agris.fao.org/agris-search/se...
-Lorenz BAS, Langen N, Hartmann M, & Klink-Lehmann J (2018), Decomposing attitudes towards food leftovers: Implications for general attitude, intention and behavior. British Food Journal 120 (11): 2498-2509. doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-08-2017-0430.
-Younathan, MT (1985). Causes and prevention of warmed-over flavor. In Proceedings of Am. Meat Sci. Assn. 38th Annual Reciprocal Meat Conf., Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, pp. 74-80. meatscience.org/docs/default-...
𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 (𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲) 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀:
-www.seriouseats.com/what-is-w...
-www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaaru...
𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰:
-Dr. Pat Silcock, Research Associate Professor and Manager of the Product Development Research Centre at the University of Otago, New Zealand
MinuteFood is created by Kate Yoshida, Arcadi Garcia & Bill Mead, and produced by Neptune Studios LLC.
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[@TheThunderStrikes]

Please keep this half reality half drawing vibe in minute food!

[@alemholas]

yea! Is a very nice style c:

[@maybeanonymous6846]

I love the style

[@tonimuellerDD]

Seconded.

[@WanderTheNomad]

I love how it keeps some of the branding as the other Minute channels, but also distinguishes itself by including reality too.

[@goldenvowel]

The water drop at 3:48 was so cute!

[@cebo494]

Pizza is an excellent leftover! You just have to reheat it properly. A dry frying pan is all you need. Just preheat the pan somewhat, and put the cold slice in with no oil. This even works with fresh pizza if it got a little bit floppy during delivery or if you just like a well-done crust. The only trick is that when reheating it from the fridge, you usually need to cover the pan in order to get some heat on the crust; I'll even go as far as to drip a little bit of water (a tsp or so) around the edges of the pan, not touching the pizza itself, to create some extra steam to melt the cheese. Creates perfect pizza every time, and requires no special equipment.

[@armadillito]

A little olive oil can also get good results

[@dustinjames1268]

I find cold pizza to be better than reheated pizza Maybe it's just me

[@cogspace]

@@dustinjames1268 It's definitely not just you. Lots of people love cold leftover pizza.

[@SmartyPoohBear]

Sometimes when I'm extra lazy, I would first heat up the pizza in the microwave to melt the cheese and warm up the toppings, and then finish off crisping the crust in the pan.

[@toolbaggers]

The trick is to have the not so good leftovers as a pizza topping.

[@cogmonocle2140]

Eating a plain, New York slice straight out of the fridge the morning after a party is a transcendent experience

[@lakrids-pibe]

I love cold leftover pizza. I was surprised to learn that some people don't.

[@Merennulli]

​@@lakrids-pibeIt's equally surprising to us that you can stomach cold pizza. I can reheat it in the oven, but cold feels and tastes slightly damp cardboard with weird clumps depending on the toppings.

[@One.Zero.One101]

Ok I'm gonna try cold pizza. Wish me luck!

[@Merennulli]

@@One.Zero.One101 Good luck. If you end up not liking it, you aren't even wasting pizza trying it. I find putting it on foil on a baking sheet in an oven at 350 for 5-10 minutes does a good job with turning refrigerated pizza back into a decent pizza. The sauce is dryer, but not by a lot, and the baking sheet re-crisps the bottom somewhat.

[@eduardos.c.desouza8895]

I literally never noticed a weird smell or taste to leftover chicken. Now I'm questioning reality.

[@jasonreed7522]

Its probably one of those genetics things where half the population thinks cilantro tastes like soap and the other half thinks its amazing. (Fortunately i am not in the soap half)

[@Necro_fury]

What comes to mind for me is the overcooked flavor that sometimes shows up in chicken/beef. Usually notice it most when boiled/steamed rather than a dry heat.

[@lakrids-pibe]

Neither have I. I also love leftover pizza. And cold coffee. But cilantro tastes like soap to me. Hahaha. Even I have limits.

[@jaycartwright1170]

it has a weird texture but it still tastes nice imo

[@Merennulli]

I wonder if you are refrigerating or freezing leftover meat? I always freeze and I don't notice it either.

[@lucyc5844]

Love the "Heating methods" wheel at 3:03 with "slapping", "radiation", and "dragon fire" as potential options.

[@Gregory_12]

Don't forget "fireball" and "Minecraft furnace"

[@riuphane]

I feel like the biggest key in improving your leftover game is learning how to reinvent or reinvigorate the ones that don't benefit from the extra time. My wife can't stand leftover Mac and cheese, but I find a small spoonful of sour cream gives it back its life and texture as well as giving it a nice change in flavor. And that leftover rotisserie chicken? Makes for amazing quesadillas! Most things just need a minor adjustment or a new use, like the tonkatsu example in the video

[@dijosto]

Oo i bet the sour cream makes it super good

[@alexandertownsend5079]

*takes notes

[@mirrikybird]

This is genuinely one of the best cooking channels, I really hope you find the audience to keep making these. I'm not sure if that will need more advertising on your other channels, or doing collaboration/spotlights with other cooking channels on yt

[@forestcityfishing4749]

Its just rehashed info she learned from other peoples work. AKA....leftovers.

[@jonahconner976]

Just like you said, leftovers become their own thing. So many foods around the world come from reusing leftovers. Pot pies, fried rice, and so much more! (Pretty sure foods like bao and empanadas come from stuffing leftovers into a dough)

[@callmemolls3646]

Currently watching while I eat my leftover curry, which gets better every day! Personally, this is my favorite of the Minute Science channels and I would love to see more. As a foodie and a scientist, you keep answering many of my cooking curiosities at a level of depth my science brain craves. I love it!

[@theman7349]

When you mentioned that some food do better when reheated in certain things or worse. That implies there's a perfect way to reheat food the proper way for a certain desired taste, texture, and toughness or softness. You guys should make a video about that.

[@sirlight4954]

Food science is definitely a hidden gem. Once I've read a sentence about it, I can't now just cook my rice without thinking abut which reactions will take place in it

[@KnowArt]

cold leftover pizza gotta be the best breakfast in the world

[@notfunny3397]

I personally love leftovers, can't really understand why some people hate them. I know some people who wouldn't eat leftovers cause "that's what poor people do" and they are too proud, so they would rather waste perfectly good (and tasty!) Leftovers

[@christosvoskresye]

Then there are those of us who have had a couple of really bad cases of food poisoning. When in doubt, I throw it out. I start to hesitate after about the 3rd day.

[@notfunny3397]

@@christosvoskresye I usually don't leave for food that long, usually only a day or less. My advice for not spoiling leftovers is to (re)cook it, above the danger the zone, for a little while before cooling it and placing it in the fridge, try not to touch the food with your hands, they are full of bacteria after all.

[@Zaxares]

That comment about "warmed over flavour" I found really interesting, because I'm one of those people that has never heard about it and right up until this video, had no idea such a taste even existed. Reheated food definitely does change in taste and texture, but it's usually something I can quantify easily, like "it's drier" or "the gravy has turned really liquid-y". The way it's described in this video ("damp dog hair"??) seems far more drastic than anything I've ever tasted.

[@notfunny3397]

@@Zaxares me too, usually it's just that leftover food tastes weirdly damp (if crunchy/fried food) or weirdly dry if left open in fridge. I intentionally chose not to read the parts of its "actual" taste/smell so I don't end up wasting food

[@chronictimewasterdisease]

"that's what poor people do" bruh poor people don't have leftovers

[@d_dave7200]

Love this. As a person who cooks in big batches that are eaten over days or even a full week, this is all very accurate. Being British by upbringing, a lot of the meals I cook are perfect for leftovers: stews, curries, pies with robust stewy fillings, etc. Probably why this system works so well for me. Also, I dread to think how much time I'd spend in the kitchen if I cooked more often. I cook relatively rarely (couple of times a week maybe), but often for 2+ hours due to the nature of these dishes.

[@Kmosely42]

200% on doing something special with the leftovers. Turning yesterday's fajitas into the next morning's heuvos rancheros is just divine. Leftover fried chicken goes great as a garnish on almost any pasta dish (esp. with cheese melted on top). Loved the video and how informative it was for sure. 😁👍

[@OphiousModder]

Beautifully articulated video!

[@ZaneShadowcast]

Thanks for mentioning that "rancid" flavour from meat. My friends thought I was crazy saying reheated meat tastes different.

[@ugrclt]

Amazing content! Always highly captivating. Can't wait for the next one

[@AgentM124]

Thank you for this amazing episode.

[@LanggerDangger]

I've learned so much from this channel. Things I've been implementing every day.

[@HexHare]

I love how informative these videos are

[@BennoWitter]

I like eating cold Pizza the next day. I don't know what it is, but as long as there is enough cheese, it's delicious. Some foods, like German potato salad need to stay in the fridge overnight to improve. Fries on the other hand go bad as soon as they are half cold.

[@pohjanvanamo]

I was looking someone else to like cold pizza too, thank you! Next day, straight from the fridge 😅 But only something like pizzeria pizza, if it's like supermarket pizza, then it's not as good. As if those aren't completely different things anyway xD

[@mdhebert]

I love this channel. Please don't stop!

[@bobbybain2576]

This is one of my favorite channels on youtube, I hope you guys don't stop making these

[@247krisisheretoo]

Please keep providing me content like this. Minute Foods has improved my cooking already and I thought I knew everything I could about the basics!

[@roy4173]

Please keep making great videos! I'm very interested in learning how to cook better, and it sounded like you were considering if this channel was worth continuing. Please do! I've learned so much from your videos!

[@dr.kraemer]

this channel is great, there's nothing else like it. I hope you keep making new videos for a long time.

[@pavelmedbery3055]

Interesting stuff. Love these videos, hope to see more.

[@danevati]

You guys are absolutely amazing.

[@nafisislam8013]

You are awesome! I was exactly seeking this! Science in food and cooking in an illustrated way! Thanks a lot!

[@roccothegoldie9380]

These videos are probably some of the best on KZbin lol

[@Telar-The-III]

Really good advice and generally also a good way to make people see leftovers as ingredients for new dishes

[@antonellaregueira4618]

I absolutely love this channel ❤️ keep it up

[@MinuteFood]

I'm about to dig into some leftover stew now! What are your favorite (and least favorite) second-day meals?

[@TheTheRay]

I'm surprisingly fond of leftover hamburgers. Something about the softer and more compact texture is satisfying. Fries on the other hand...

[@TheCroczilla]

I actually have a hard time thinking of something that I dislike in leftover form. The idea that leftover fish or fried foods are supposed to be gross is news to me honestly. But I usually find that any dish that has a prominent sour/fermented ingredient (think kimchi or sauerkraut) are usually better in leftover form.

[@brothermine2292]

It's all good to me. The trouble is, in my household it's rare that food isn't completely consumed the same day it's cooked.

[@OpoOnTheGo]

Leftover cachapas are the best. I like foraging one from the wild before the shops close in the early AM. Waking up to half of a corn pancake is magical

[@basieluxanno7909]

mostly I cock that amound that I want to eat (maybe some more potatos, to have a snack for the film night) but I rehaet the most is vegetables and best left over is a leftover sandwich 😇

[@JetBlackLi]

:0 Super insightful! I hope this channel blows up. It really deserves the attention. Keep up the great work!

[@xDORANBOLTx]

I said it once before and I'll say it again TOTALLY UNDERRATED CHANNEL DEFINITELY NEEDS MORE SUBS.

[@simobonev4511]

This video is exceptionally good

[@drgeniusphd]

i love this channel so much ill die if you stop making these

[@richardvictoria626]

As someone with sensory issues with food such as texture and all. This has clarified allot for me and will help me manage my leftovers better and portion food better too ty

[@mohammedmulla]

Love you guys! Please carry on making videos ❤️

[@ancientswordrage]

I love this channel!

[@aditya95sriram]

Awesome video! Thanks guys :)

[@Itsfinelaa]

Why this channel doesn't have a million subscribers you guys deserve a million subscribers. The first reason the content is informative and useful. Secondly, the art style is pleasing.

[@mapleman95]

Love your videos!

[@naughtynedflanders434]

There's also the thing about crystallisation of starches when you put it in the fridge causing staling

[@Aloddff]

So true! I only tend to think about it affecting bread, do you know if it’s noticeable elsewhere?

[@sarajamal799]

love this channel keep it up !

[@feyh]

Please keep making these videos!

[@bbeerrnnii1]

Please keep doing these videos!

[@hitaishibarai9062]

Amazing video as usual.....

[@NakNak241]

Great episode

[@dakshsaroha7447]

Love the channel

[@ashnikchauhan9103]

Subscribed. Keep cooking it up!

[@tawsif4590]

These channels are severely underrated

[@travisretriever7473]

Re: the favors, Oh, I've never wasted food, and not only am I subbed (with all notifications bell clicked), but I also have watched and liked each of your videos at least once, and probably commented on some, if not most or all of them. I like this channel.

[@The_NSeven]

Love this channel :)

[@abdillahfamilychannel8418]

As Indonesian, I love this channel. Even some food doesn't exist here. Thank you!

[@Aura_Mancer]

I loved the video! Gummy left over pizza reheated in a microwave is like, the best Saturday breakfast after lazy Friday Pizza!

[@cemotazca8628]

Love your videos ❤

[@jskullheisenberg5227]

I love these videos and I love food and science! Keep it up please! I would love to find a job related to food science!

[@HelPfeffer]

I love what you cook up

[@Lovehandels]

(wave) Hello minute food! I love your other channel and I love food! This is perfect!

[@stevenvlaminckx3500]

Great video! I've always wondered why my pasta sauce tastes even better the next day. :)

[@semicognitive]

Such good stuff everytime 🎉🎉

[@ryanquan1447]

Love this channel, entertaining and informative! Can you do a video about fermentation? :)

[@xCptKramerx]

Leftover potatoes (of any variety) are fantastic. It's also supposedly more healthy, because the second heating breaks down the starches further than a first one.

[@armadillito]

Agree that they’re great! But breaking down starches further would surely be less “healthy” as you can then metabolise them faster?

[@flamingpi2245]

@@armadillito The starches actually get less broken down Resistant starch

[@aajjeee]

Its healthier because the starches are retrograding ie getting un cooked as it sits

[@soniashapiro4827]

I like this new channel.

[@roccothegoldie9380]

Great vid

[@BluishGreenPro]

I’m pretty careful about what I buy / cook, but as a result, I’m proud to say I almost never throw away food; maybe once or twice a year

[@notfunny3397]

I think you should maybe shout out this channel a few more times in the minute earth channel. Some people might just have missed it

[@CompBioQuest]

Love it!

[@younscrafter7372]

Can we please appreciate the "ways to warm food up" wheel? It's got everything from a Minecraft furnace to slapping

[@ETBrenner]

Lots of good tips in here. FYI I frequently make extra of a meal for on-purpose leftovers, that I then mix and match for future meals. For example, a meatloaf makes for great sandwiches the next day; beans can become the foundation of future "bowl" meals with the addition of various toppings.

[@anthonycasiday2875]

this is a really good informative video. I am not a fan of some of these other drawn-out, seemingly payed by the minute, ones that are everywhere nowadays

[@LimeyLassen]

People think I'm strange but I love cold spaghetti sauce. Cold sausage soaked in tomato is so good.

[@lyrablack8621]

Love this

[@acerIOstream]

Thanks!

[@TiagoDvl]

I love this channel gooddamn

[@elkwolf2888]

An indepth guide for what you can make with various leftovers would be helpful and likely popular. For instance I didn't know you could make fried rice with dried out rice.

[@marcuscook3852]

It is the ONLY rice you should use for fried rice, any decent cook knows that.

[@tonedeafmessiah]

I have stopped using KZbin and now only really consume videos from the platform via third party platforms, usually with adblocking involved. I dislike the affect Alphabet's monopoly of tech is affecting society. Having said that, this video got me to log back in, like, comment and subscribe to your channel, simply to give you an algorithm boost. It's been so long since I logged into youtube the whole website looks completely different. All this is to say, what you're making is great and I really appreciate it. Keep it up, and good luck with your channel!

[@flashminat0]

I hope you grow big

[@KuruGDI]

Warming Sushi in the microwave? .*flips card*: Straight to jail, right away!

[@MelissaFlaquer]

Commenting for the algorithm but also to say that soup always tastes better the day after

[@andrewmorrison7074]

My family had always been an eat the leftovers kind of family. My dad took leftover to lunch for work every day but Monday, and sunday dinner was often either leftovers or a free for all, clearing up any stuff that hadnt been eaten throughout the week by my father. Kept that system going with me when I moved out, and it's great. I find its hard to properly cook for just 1 person, so I effectively cook every meal for 2, and eat the leftovers for a different meal lol

[@whimbox9648]

The key is in how you reheat different leftovers - fries, pizza, egg rolls, crunchy things go in the air fryer for 5 minutes. Noodles, rice, bread thats gotten a little dry gets a little water dropped on it or covered in a damp paper towel and microwaved. Almost good as new, pure science. Fruits and veggies a little on the older side go in a shake 🤝

[@josipj705]

and old veggies are great roasted/put in fried rice

[@nickythehickey]

i always reheat pasta in the microwave with butter instead of water. basically as good as fresh pasta imo

[@One.Zero.One101]

This is the way.

[@blackmetalden]

The best left over is always pot roast, re-heating the fat somehow just makes it so much better than the first time.

[@MinuteFood]

Yep, that's the effect of gelatinization! Amazing, isn't it?

[@rafaelperalta1676]

Leftover Filipino adobo and stews taste divine after a while. Yum!

[@sjenkins91812]

I support anyone who promotes creative uses for leftovers. 👍

[@roundabout5593]

Subscribed!

[@aclevermtgpunthatsactually5010]

I LOVE UR VIDEOS

[@Valery0p5]

Glad to know it's not just me that loves pizza on the day after, and now I know why! Our parents were masters of managing food in this way, in an era without refrigeration...

[@ShaunBMcKinnon]

I 100% agree with this video! My wife and I eat leftovers for days, then make another larger meal. My teen daughter doesn’t like it, she’d rather eat a TV dinner. I’m trying to teach her that it’s a waste of money to not eat the cooked food in the fridge. Hopefully she will get it when she has to buy her own groceries!

[@doxielain2231]

You 'reheated" sushi, you monster. Also, I love this channel

[@ankokuraven]

cold fried chicken is great. its best when its still got crisp to the outside though. depending on the given batter, how you store it, or how long its been, that may change. if you don't believe me, next time you have popeyes, leave a piece out uncovered just long enough to hit room temp to try. go from there at your preference.

[@roccothegoldie9380]

Pls don’t stop making these

[@CobaltArcher]

Equilibrium! Shoot I never thought of that, it makes so much sense though.

[@travisretriever7473]

For pizza, if you don't have an air fryer, I recommend heating it up in a skillet on the stove.

[@constexprDuck]

I like the content! Some of the sound settings give me weird fingernails-on-blackboard-reactions. Anyone else get this? This is the only channel where I have to turn off the audio.

[@pattoukun]

i do love the chanel because i love science and i reallly loooove cooking for example the last video was sooooo mind blowing that change the way i look a food al togheder

[@flyingace1234]

Funny thing you show rice when talking about food drying out. Letting cooked rice dry out a bit in the fridge is the trick to making good fried rice.

[@alexandertownsend5079]

One simple thing you can do to keep foods from drying out when reheating them is putting something over them to trap in moisture. For example, say you made a casserole or a hot dish the day before and you want to reheat it. You can serve yourself up a plate, pop it in the microwave for a minute or 2 with another plate placed upside down over the food. It works amazing. The plate on top gives the water vapor coming off of your food during the reheating process, something to condense on. The condensed water vapor will then fall back into your food rehydrating it as it cooks. Water cycle for the win.