Experts Reveal Why Certain Foods Taste Better The Next Day

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The Chemical Symphony Continues in Your Fridge

While you sleep, your leftovers are busy having a chemical party. Countless molecular interactions go into establishing the flavors of any dish at every point on its journey from the stovetop to your plate. But in a well-seasoned soup, fatty molecules and their admirers have a key role to play in achieving peak tastiness. The cooling process doesn’t stop these reactions; it actually creates optimal conditions for certain flavor compounds to develop and merge.

Yet something else we often don’t consider is that food continues to undergo chemical reactions even after the cooking’s done. Cook’s Illustrated conducted an experiment to try and understand why some food flavors notably improved overnight. Their findings revealed that proteins, starches, and other compounds keep transforming even at cold temperatures. This ongoing chemistry is what separates the foods that from those that simply reheat well.

Flavor Melding Creates Perfect Harmony

Think of freshly cooked food like an orchestra tuning up – all the individual flavors are present but haven’t quite found their rhythm together. When the flavors cool, they meld together to give the food a more round flavor that is very pleasing to the appetite. Time acts as the conductor, helping each ingredient find its perfect place in the flavor symphony.

Time gives the flavors in dishes a chance to meld, and refrigeration slows some of the chemical reactions that occur in foods, which could enhance flavor rather than degrade it too quickly. This slower pace of chemical activity allows spices and aromatics to penetrate deeper into proteins and vegetables. Another key to great leftovers may lie in aromatic flavors, such as garlic and ginger, which develop more fully over time.

The Umami Enhancement Effect

Here’s where things get really interesting for your taste buds. It’s not that there’s more umami in leftovers, it’s just that we are able to perceive it more as it’s more accessible to our taste buds. Umami is basically the function of free standing amino acids and we are able to taste the umami more in re-heated, leftover foods for two reasons. Firstly, re-heating breaks down the protein and releases more of the umami compounds from their structures, whether it’s the mushrooms, or tomatoes or even meat, and the dish will have a more rounded, savory mouthfeel.

Secondly, as we mentioned before, food that’s had time to sit has mellowed and seasoned and the flavor compounds have had a chance to mingle and fuse together. Umami compounds stand out more in this scenario since they are not competing with a harsh background of singular flavors and the food will taste more savory or umami-heavy in general. It’s like giving your food time to find its inner zen.

Protein Breakdown Releases Hidden Flavors

The proteins in your food are like treasure chests of flavor compounds, and time helps unlock them. Following the experiment, the magazine concluded that the soups and stews that had milk or cream experienced a breakdown of lactose into glucose, which tasted sweeter with time. Meanwhile, proteins in the meat converted into individual amino acids that acted as “flavor enhancers,” and the starches present in both flour and potatoes broke down into compounds that people reported as more flavorful.

Some flavor enhancement may involve the breakdown of proteins to release amino acids such as glutamate and small nucleotides that interact to enhance savory, meaty umami taste, or reaction of amino acids with sugars to produce new flavor molecules by the Maillard reaction (browning), which can occur when the leftovers are reheated. This process essentially creates new flavor compounds that weren’t there on day one.

Texture Transformation Through Temperature Changes

The magic isn’t just about taste – texture plays a huge role too. Yes, it can, at least a stew or a curry or a sauce can become thicker and creamier. When you heat a meat dish then cool it then re-heat it again, it will become more viscous because the fibers in the protein break down releasing the interstitial gelatinous material that’s in-between the cells – this gelatinous material is actually what’s holding the protein cells together in a piece of meat. Every time you heat and cool the protein, a little more of this material seeps out and thickens the surrounding liquid.

During storage, moisture within the dish can redistribute more evenly. For instance, baked goods or pasta dishes can prevent dryness and improve texture. This redistribution can make the dish more cohesive and flavorful in soups and stews. Think of it as your food finding its perfect consistency while you sleep.

The Science of Spice Distribution

Spices don’t just sit on the surface of your food – they’re constantly moving and mingling. Scientist Charles Spence explained that the taste factor is partly down to flavour dispersal, and the food’s moistness, which stops it from going all soggy and inedible. This dispersal process continues even at refrigeration temperatures, allowing spices to penetrate deeper into the food matrix.

The science of the flavor changes has a lot to do with the fats that are in foods, which are called lipids, says Devin Peterson, PhD, professor and director of the Flavor Research and Education Center at Ohio State University. These lipid molecules act as carriers, helping fat-soluble flavor compounds spread throughout the dish. And allowing something such as curry to sit causes the oils and spices within it to continue to tenderize the meat, according to food science research.

The Role of Oxidation in Flavor Development

While oxidation often gets a bad rap in food science, it can actually improve certain dishes. The chemical reactions that make foods go bad also sometimes improve the texture and flavor. Oxidation, for example, occurs when foods come into contact with oxygen (think of a sliced apple that turns brown when you leave it out). Depending on the food and how it’s stored, oxidation could make foods mushy or taste rancid, or it could actually make the food taste better. (Onions, potatoes and broccoli are a few that will taste better left over.)

Some ingredients, particularly those in fermented dishes like kimchi or sauerkraut, continue to ferment and develop flavors over time. Mild oxidation can also occur, subtly positively altering flavors. The key is controlled oxidation at refrigeration temperatures, where harmful bacteria growth is slowed while beneficial chemical changes continue.

Which Foods Actually Benefit from the Wait

Not all foods are created equal when it comes to improving over time. According to reported research, curry, casserole, pizza, chilli con carne and spaghetti bolognese are commonly cited as dishes that . These foods share certain characteristics that make them prime candidates for overnight improvement.

Soups usually taste great on day two, red sauce only gets better with time, and chilis and stews are favorite foods to pack up to be reheated at work the next day. “Soups and chilis work the best the second day,” according to culinary professionals. “The flavors tend to blend. Once they relax and they have time to cool down, the flavors tend to mesh a little bit better.”

The Triple-Cooking Phenomenon

Some dishes benefit from what experts call the “triple-cooking effect.” “Everyone has heard of triple-cooked chips and, for certain dishes, it works the same way. A leftover lasagne is triple-cooked too – first the slow cooking of the meat (once cooked), followed by a long stretch in the oven (twice cooked), before finally the reheat (triple cooked).”

This multi-stage cooking process allows different chemical reactions to occur at each temperature phase. Each heating and cooling cycle breaks down different compounds and creates new flavor molecules. It’s like giving your food multiple opportunities to develop complexity and depth.

The Psychology of Better Leftovers

While chemistry explains much of the leftover phenomenon, psychology plays a role too. Perception might play a role in why some leftovers taste better, too. If you had a delicious dinner, that memory and the excitement of eating the leftovers for lunch the next day could influence how they taste. Taste is created in the mouth, but flavor is perceived in the brain, Crosby said.

While cooking is a science, taste is a multi-sensory and subjective experience. The way a dish is plated can impact how we perceive its taste, for instance. So in the case of next-day food, perhaps remembering how good that beef stew tasted the day before enhances our enjoyment. Sometimes anticipation really does make the heart (and stomach) grow fonder.

The Enzyme Activity Factor

Even at cold temperatures, enzymes continue their work in your refrigerator. Enzymes in the food can also continue breaking down proteins and fats, contributing to a more complex and appealing taste. These naturally occurring enzymes act like tiny molecular scissors, cutting larger compounds into smaller, more flavorful pieces.

Microbial fermentation involves a series of protein hydrolysis processes. Nature proteins have no bitterness of their own; however, after they are hydrolyzed, the hydrolysates present bitterness due to the release of peptides containing hydrophobic amino acids at the C or N terminal end of peptide chains. This enzyme activity continues slowly in refrigerated foods, creating new taste compounds that weren’t present when the food was first cooked.

The Maillard Reaction Extension

The famous Maillard reaction, responsible for browning and flavor development in cooked foods, doesn’t stop when cooking ends. While your meal is cooking, chemical reactions take place and produce flavor and aromatic compounds, which then react with the proteins and starches. After the food chills out in the fridge overnight and is reheated the next day, those chemical reactions continue to take place. In turn, you’ve got an even more flavorful meal the second time around.

These extended Maillard reactions create new flavor compounds at a slower pace, allowing for more complex development without the harsh notes that can occur during high-temperature cooking. It’s like slow-motion flavor fireworks happening in your tupperware container.