You Should Serve Leftovers at Your Next Dinner.
Pre-Snacks are a godsend during the holiday entertainment season, but for some reason this isn’t the default method for special occasions. This is as it should be: the daytime hearty stewing is not only easier for the owner, but actually tastier than fresh from the oven.
Some dishes just taste better as leftovers , and in true Cook’s Illustrated fashion, their science editor decided to explain why . It turns out that in many cases, stews and stews don’t finish cooking until they’re cold. Tons of flavor-enhancing chemical reactions continue after you put out the fire: even more lactose in milk and cream is converted into sweeter glucose; spices continue to infuse everything they touch; vegetable starches continue to break down into sugars; any sharp harshness from alcoholic ingredients disappears completely. If the meat is allowed to cool completely in the stewing liquid, the cooking process is completed in the most gentle conditions, and excess fat can be easily removed.
However, not all recipes are suitable for the second or third day. A good rule of thumb is that the richer, fattier, and more complex a dish, the better it tastes after it cools. However, keep in mind that delicate ingredients will not withstand gradual cooling. It’s best to add parsley, lemon zest, blanched asparagus, or kale with ribbon to a preheated dish just before eating.