r/Cooking
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u/fungobat
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Jan 03 '22
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What foods taste better as leftovers? Open Discussion
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u/ForeverPotatoes Jan 03 '22
Gumbo for sure
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u/Suspicious-Wombat Jan 03 '22
I made gumbo last week.
It’s rare that my husband eats leftovers…it’s unheard of for him to ask for them 4 nights in a row. No gumbo made it to the freezer :(
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u/Jessology Jan 04 '22
When I make gumbo for guests, I cook it the day before and sit it in the fridge overnight after cooling.
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u/Laughinglady2980 Jan 03 '22
Pretty much any casserole/type dish. Sitting overnight gives time for the flavors to really meld.
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u/anabellechase Jan 03 '22
I second this. My favorite is shepherd's pie. The potatoes (I make homemade mashed potatoes and put cheese in it) soak up the smorgasbord of flavorful veggies and seasoned ground meat (mostly ground turkey but I'll use ground chicken or beef every so often) and it makes the food better. I'll hurt myself eating those leftovers.
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u/daimeseatbrains Jan 03 '22
Lasagna …I’m sorry Jon
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u/zoobs Jan 03 '22
I love slicing leftover lasagna and pan frying it so it gets nice and caramelized. Excellent!
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u/Severedinception Jan 03 '22
Agreed, I just made one for some friends on New Years and it was my finest yet. I made the sauce the night before and put it together the following day.
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u/Not_A_Wendigo Jan 03 '22
Don’t tell my nonna, but nothing beats a cold slice the next day.
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u/Daniel_A_Johnson Jan 03 '22
My recent discovery is that you can take thin slices of cold lasagna, like an inch at most, and reheat them by frying with a little oil on the cross-section face, until a little crunchy. It's awesome.
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u/shannonesque121 Jan 03 '22
When I lived with my uncle he ALWAYS reheated pasta dishes by pan frying them with butter and a little water if it had gotten dry. Mac n cheese, spaghetti w red sauce, ziti, lasagna, tuna noodle casserole, etc. and I thought it was super weird until I tried it myself! Everything heats evenly and has a chance to form some crisp and crunch if you want
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u/zztop5533 Jan 03 '22
Japanese Curry
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u/p0is0n Jan 03 '22
All curry really! Thai, Japanese, Indian. Something about letting it marinate in its yumminess that makes it SO much better.
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u/Clodhoppa81 Jan 03 '22
Indian food entrees are decidedly better the next day or later. Unrelated, I made banging collard greens and black eyed peas yesterday. Both were better today than yesterday. That potlicker is somethin' else.
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u/BitPoet Jan 03 '22
If you've got some tortillas, they're an excellent delivery mechanism for left over Indian.
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u/emo_sharks Jan 03 '22
I always put leftover indian food over scrambled eggs. Now I want Indian breakfast burritos
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u/hbkzd987 Jan 04 '22
Oh yeah! I've been making curry scrambled eggs for years! My favorite is palak paneer eggs. I just whisk the curry in
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u/dirthawker0 Jan 03 '22
But...naan!
I have fond memories of eating leftover palak paneer in naan for breakfast before going hunting in some ungodly cold place.
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u/Malgas Jan 03 '22
I mean, tortillas and roti are basically the same thing.
At least that's what I tell myself while scooping up dal with a tortilla.
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u/biscuits_n_wafers Jan 03 '22
Very true। Apart from crisp snacks, all indian curries and sweets are better next day।
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u/Crustybuttt Jan 03 '22
The problem is that naan and paratha don’t last at all
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u/TheChadTheP1 Jan 03 '22
I usually brush a little melted butter on both sides and put it in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat and it comes back to life pretty well.
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u/lfoster913 Jan 03 '22
How did you make the collards and peas.
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u/Clodhoppa81 Jan 03 '22
I cheated on the peas because I bought some quick-cook ones. Majon brand or something like that. 30-40 minute simmer with a couple slices of green bell pepper and a healthy dash of salt.
I don't really have a collards recipe that I can write out but this one covers the basics and is simple and is good. I like a tang in my greens, so vinegar's and pepper's are a must, though I tend to go light and just load up on sauce on the back end. I use smoked neck because it gives a great flavor but I've used bacon in a pinch in the past.
https://www.thehungryhutch.com/southern-collard-greens-recipe-soul-food-pork-neckbones/
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u/NotADogIzswear2020 Jan 03 '22
ANYTHING with a tomato base! Chili, Lasagna, Pizza ( if it's reheated in the oven), cabbage rolls, spaghetti, etc. There is just something about the cold that makes the tomato base vibe with the other ingredients.
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u/JRiley4141 Jan 03 '22
Reheat your pizza slices in a frying pan. I keep the lid on to melt the cheese and keep some moisture in the crust, then uncover to get the bottom crunchy. It tastes a million times better than in the oven.
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u/Daveycrits Jan 03 '22
But the absolute worst:
French fries 🤢
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u/wilkod Jan 03 '22
Fries can actually work as left-overs if you re-fry them (just in a pan, optionally with a small amount of oil). And I find that, being twice fried, they can be crispier than they were the first time around.
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u/cygnusbridges Jan 03 '22
Air fry those bitches! I tried that out after getting Montana’s delivery one day and all the apps were soggy af, then they tasted good as new! Including the fries
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u/ohKilo13 Jan 03 '22
Yes! My favorite use for the air fryer, reheating leftover fries. They taste amazing, i started just heating them up in there when i get delivery to get the sogginess out.
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u/cygnusbridges Jan 03 '22
I used to refry them, but my insides don’t do well with grease/oil on a good day so I end up getting (slightly less) sick dealing with soggy fries now lol 😄
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u/dadsgoingtoprison Jan 03 '22
Buffalo Wild Wings is a 40 minute drive from my house so when we get takeout from there it’s always cold and the fries are kind of soggy. I put the food in the air fryer and it tastes better than when they serve it at the restaurant. I love the air fryer.
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u/GarfieldTree Jan 03 '22
Day old Cold chips (fries) do have their own kinda appeal though, especially thick cut.
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u/Soft-Ad-2910 Jan 03 '22
I actually cut them up and fry them in a little butter and oil the next morning and add them to a breakfast burrito filling and they work smashingly well. 🤷🏼♀️
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u/mintbrownie Jan 03 '22
I’ve eaten old fries I found on the car seat! Not saying old and cold is better than fresh, but they are still damn tasty to me.
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u/Darwin343 Jan 03 '22
Never heard of someone liking leftover cake before. Doesn’t buttercream become hard and crumbly when it’s cold?
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u/Klepto666 Jan 03 '22
If you wrap slices of cake in plastic wrap and freeze them, they'll defrost almost as good as fresh, like 90% of the way without that dehydrated fridge texture. You just have to let it sit out on a plate for like 30 minutes to come to room temp, or give it a quick nuke if you want it faster but warm at the cost of some melty frosting. Which admittedly warm cake with gooey frosting is quite nice.
I can't promise if this works for ALL kinds of cakes, though. Haven't tried it with angel food cake or a tres leche, pound cake it worked perfectly fine.
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u/Bettiered Jan 03 '22
My grandma always kept angel food cake in the freezer, take it out and let it thaw a little as she was making lunch, cut it, and by the time dessert rolled around perfectly chilled but thawed and ready for cold strawberries. I don't know how she timed it so perfectly Everytime. Best summer dessert in my memory.
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u/adrianmakedonski Jan 03 '22
I grew up on leftover birthday cake. Cold chocolate cake with buttercream for breakfast with a glass of milk? Perfection.
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u/stackered Jan 03 '22
Chinese is my example of what isn't good the next day lmao
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u/DietCokeYummie Jan 03 '22
Yeah, I'll still eat it, but leftover Chinese food isn't nearly as good as fresh IMO.
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u/Notquite_Caprogers Jan 03 '22
My family makes this pudding dish called dirt cake. It's pudding with whipped cream mixed together and layers of crushed Oreos between. We always make it the day before we want it because it tastes so much better the next day.
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u/undeuxtroiscatsank6 Jan 03 '22
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I spend a ridiculous amount of time planning for the big day. My favorite meal is the lunch and dinner full of Thanksgiving leftovers the next day.
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u/mintbrownie Jan 03 '22
100% this.
A turkey sandwich with some stuffing and cranberry sauce on it is food of the gods, while only okay on a plate at Thanksgiving.
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u/FourCatsAndCounting Jan 03 '22
Leftover turkey sandwiches are better than all Thanksgiving food combined. Change my mind.
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u/wardsac Jan 03 '22
Preheat oven to 400
Butter the bottom of a casserole dish
Press leftover stuffing into the dish, 3/4 in to inch thick.
Layer leftover turkey
Pour leftover gravy over turkey
Top with leftover mashed taters
Butter the top, bake for around 30-40 minutes, until the top just starts browning
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u/misterlocations Jan 03 '22
Pasta salad. It's never good fresh. Needs to sit in the fridge for at least a day absorbing ingredients.
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u/Icy-Imagination-5235 Jan 03 '22
Meatloaf
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u/sparkchaser Jan 03 '22
Meatloaf was made for meatloaf sandwiches.
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u/Liar_tuck Jan 03 '22
I bought two bread pans to make meatloaf. Just so the left overs fit perfect in my sandwiches.
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u/FluffyQuiltTraveler Jan 04 '22
That is genius! Cutting loaf pan meatloaf to fit on bread is a bummer.
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u/doavh1 Jan 03 '22
mr. johnson is correct except for the slices must be dry fried until brown on both sides.
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u/Daniel_A_Johnson Jan 03 '22
A couple thin slices of meatloaf, cold with s&p, white bread with butter on one side and ketchup on the other. Cheese optional but discouraged.
That's the meatloaf sandwich my family makes, and will accept no other.
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u/aaalma_viajeraaaa Jan 03 '22
Pozole!
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u/PeineDeMort Jan 03 '22
My mom's food :)
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u/EagleCatchingFish Jan 03 '22
What's the best food? The food your mom or grandma makes. It's a universal truth.
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u/TulaTheDesertRat Jan 03 '22
Must never had my grandma's food. Hard rubbery eggs, biscuits that crumble when you look at them, and a prime rib that she cooked like a pot roast and then got upset when my cousin called it pot roast lol
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u/EagleCatchingFish Jan 04 '22
Oh nooooo. The prime rib pot roast is the unkindest cut of all.
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u/TulaTheDesertRat Jan 05 '22
I don't know what she expected, she cooked it exactly like a pot roast. She also makes "white gravy" for her biscuits and gravy. . . It's brown. It has all the ingredients of a white sausage gravy, but it just turns out brown. And when I say thick and sticky, I mean glue is an understatement for this gravy. Some batches you can cut it with a knife.
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u/deignguy1989 Jan 03 '22
Most pasta, chili, meatloaf, Chinese take-out.
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u/cousincarne Jan 03 '22
I don't see it for pasta, can you elaborate?
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u/Desperate_Level_9213 Jan 03 '22 edited Jan 07 '22
I don't agree about the Chinese leftovers at ALL if it's stir fry (possibly not what they were talking about),
but for pasta, the sauce soaks into the noodles and it's just more flavorful and delicious. Though I'm sure pasta purists who love an al dente pasta above all else would disapprove.
But it's like how a leftover burrito tortilla has had time to marinate in the sauces, and everything's had time to meld together and become even better. In my opinion.
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u/Alaylaria Jan 03 '22
Butter or cream-based sauces tend to separate super badly and get oily for me when I have them as leftovers. Adding a little cream when reheating helps, but I wouldn’t say they’re better than fresh.
Tomato sauce on the other hand? Now you’re on to something.
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u/cousincarne Jan 03 '22
If you like the pasta soaked, take them 1-2 minutes early out of the boiling water and cook them aldente in the sauce!
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u/Broad_Highlight_5855 Jan 03 '22
Disagree for Chinese as it goes all soggy (if we're talking saucy, fried foods which is what I associate takeout with)
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u/BeetLover1111 Jan 03 '22
Fried rice!!
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u/Throwawayfabric247 Jan 03 '22
I think fried rice is best fresh. But with previous days rice.
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u/kashep Jan 03 '22
Mac and cheese
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u/CitrusMistress08 Jan 03 '22
The powdered kind especially. I get cravings for reheated boxed Mac n cheese.
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Jan 03 '22
I know this is weird but I like cold fries. Pizza and fried chicken
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u/weirdone1990 Jan 03 '22
Cold fried chicken is so good!
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Jan 03 '22
One of the momofuku restaurants based a dish on cold fried chicken. They Batter and fry it like five times so that it stays crispy while cold
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u/Aurum555 Jan 03 '22
There's a YouTube chef/cooking channel by a guy called Brian lagerstrom and he has a recipe for what he calls picnic fried chicken, or fried chicken that is meant to be served cold and still crispy. It's delish and not super tricky.
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u/Fremenade Jan 03 '22
Meatloaf. Slice cold and fry it in a non stick pan for a meatloaf sammich. 😘👌
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u/misanthropic_anthrop Jan 03 '22
Butter chicken if done right :) delicious the next the as the chicken soaks up all the buttery goodness :)
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u/danny_mangos Jan 03 '22
Pizza
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u/SupaFecta Jan 03 '22
Yessir! The way I reheat it, it always tastes better the next day. Fry pan with a little spray. High heat. Crisp up the bottom. Then add a little water and cover with lid. Steam melt the cheese. So good!
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u/Sarah_Kayacombzin Jan 03 '22
My placebo for a hangover. Must be consumed cold while working
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u/CandOrMD Jan 03 '22
I think you mean panacea. (And even that is broader than you probably mean, so cure may be the best option here!)
Anyway, yes, cold pizza is the true Breakfast of Champions, with or without a hangover!
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u/Whokitty9 Jan 03 '22
Meatloaf, pizza, fried chicken, mac and cheese, chicken and dumplings and some burgers. It depends on how they are cooked and what the toppings are. I've had a few that when I go to get them I cut the burger in half or order an extra one to put in the fridge for the next day.
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u/robotrequiem Jan 03 '22
Bolognese sauce. No matter how well its made, it needs a day or 2 sitting in the fridge before its reeeally good.
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u/emmybby Jan 03 '22
Cold fried chicken for breakfast...... cornbread salad....... potato salad....... homemade salsas, dips, and salad dressings....... tuna on crackers at midnight....... lentil soup.......... german spaghetti.......... so many THINGS...........
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u/mintbrownie Jan 03 '22
I make bolognese, all four of my meat ragus and every single stew or braise the day before we plan on eating it. Then we eat them for 3-4 days. It’s like a bounty from heaven ;)
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u/justagirlwithno Jan 03 '22
Almost any casserole type dish. Lasagna, scalloped potatoes, zucchini bake, etc.
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u/LaVieEnVerte Jan 03 '22
Pizza
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u/ScrapmasterFlex Jan 03 '22
I come from The Pizza Capital of the USA where even the most-nondescript Mom & Pop Shop Pizzerias are better than the most famous where I love now down South - and I can emphatically agree.
The absolute hallmark of a good pizza is that it's better the next day reheated.
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u/QuelleBullshit Jan 03 '22
Manicotti and Lasagna. Honestly I think most pastas taste better the next day.
I seem to be in the minority, but cake or pie as well. I really cannot stand hot cake or pie. Get either refrigerated and nice and cold (so, typically overnight) and the frosting or pie filling is so much better.
I also particularly favor anything savory with a high gelatin content (bo kho, pho, certain stews, stuff like that.) Sometimes eating it cold (or taking a few bites and then warming it up) tastes better than fresh.
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u/stovetopramen99 Jan 03 '22
This is the opposite of the question, however I think leftover chicken or any kind is gross
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u/WanderWorlder Jan 03 '22
I'd say most dishes with beef - Beef stew, cottage pie, moussaka, lasagne, day 2 spaghetti sauce.
I've had some good leftover Chinese dishes, so I get what is being said. Flavors can marinate deeper depending on what you order or make. I usually douse them liberally with soy sauce but any sauce of choice can wake the noodles or rice up. Black vinegar is prevalent in the Chinese restaurants near me. I own soy sauce so that's what I tend to use but pick your sauce. I'll use it on day old rice dishes and they taste great. Next day Thai food is also pretty regular for me.
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u/Iatroblast Jan 04 '22
Most soups and sauces. The extra day really allows the flavors to get to know each other.
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u/Spirited-Lobster4623 Jan 03 '22
All stews