Today I attended a friend’s annual grilled-pizza party. As I am every year, I was struck by how delicious the pizza was. I could have kept eating and eating it, but I stopped myself after half a pizza (they were about 12-inch personal pizzas) since I knew I could save the rest for leftovers. Leftovers are my favorite.
But even I have to admit that not all foods work as leftovers. In fact, there are some foods that are quite delicious when fresh, but they are significantly worse the next day:
- Some pizza: Pizza is an interesting one because some pizza works quite well as leftovers, well some really doesn’t. I personally don’t think that frozen pizza works as leftovers–you pretty much get one shot at it. And there’s a great chain in St. Louis called Dewey’s Pizza–it’s SO good fresh, but not so much the next day.
- Sushi: Obviously.
- Sub sandwiches with lettuce: Lettuce gets all goopy after sitting on a sandwich in the fridge for any amount of time. I’ve figured out the best way to revive the sandwich when I’m ready to eat it is to completely deconstruct it, toast the meet and bread, and use fresh pickles and lettuce if possible.
- Buffalo Wild Wings spicy garlic wings: I know, this is oddly specific. I used to go to B-dubs once every few months on the drive home from work on Tuesdays to pick up cheap wings. When they’re fresh, they’re awesome–that’s exactly how I want buffalo wing sauce to taste. But the next day, the sauce kind of evaporates and the meat gets stringy. It’s no longer the same.
Have you noticed this about certain foods that are really delicious when fresh, but not so much the next day?
Pretty much anything fried or anything that’s served crunchy. It never, ever lasts til the next day – much less through a reheat.
Agree with you on all points. However have you tried reheating your pizza in a frying pan? It’s so much better than the microwave.
I always use a toaster oven, which works really well. Though I like your idea too, especial with a cast-iron skillet.
I’ve enjoyed sushi even 36 hours afterwards.
(I used to get large quantities for free when a store was closing. Most of it was ABSOLUTELY fine the next day. As long as it’s kept in plastic to stop rice drying out, about 36 hours later seemed to be the point where it changed from being lovely to being ‘nice’.
Nice! Perhaps I’ve underestimated it. 🙂
French fries! What was once a glorious morsel of crispy goodness is now a sad, limp, stale ghost of its former self.
I’ve learned some french fries can be revived using the toaster oven to warm them back up and keep them crispy– but it’s tricky since too long and they become charred.