13 Leftovers That Taste Better Cold
Yeah, we know: We told you how to reheat everything from pasta to pizza to pancakes. Some things are just better when they're hot. But not everything! Some foods—even if they were served fresh out of the pan or the oven the night before—are even better when they're cold. And it's these things that give us that little snacky pleasure: a piece of steak plucked from the fridge and sprinkled with flaky sea salt; fried chicken that makes up in cohesiveness what it lacks in hot crunch; lasagna eaten out of the pan by the spoonful. No, it's not a precise science—you might even disagree with us. But there are just some leftovers that taste great out of the freezer, pulled from the refrigerator, or eaten after it's been sitting on the counter for a while. Here are 13 of our staff's favorites.
1/13Easy Steak Sauce with Seared Hanger Steak
"Steak. Love the texture when the intramuscular fat solidifies, you can eat it with your hands, and flaky Maldon sea salt just does wonders even for crappy London broil." —Scott DeSimon, deputy editor
2/13Central American–Style Fried Chicken
"Fried chicken, room temperature. You can eat it as quickly as possible since it ain't hot. I always burn my mouth cause I can't wait. But the outside batter sticks to the meat so it doesn't peel off as easily. You get all the batter and meat in one bite. It becomes one." —Andrew Knowlton, restaurant and drinks editor
4/13"Thin Mints. Something happens to the cookie—it takes on a flakiness it doesn't have when room temp." —Dawn Perry, senior food editor
Alanna Hale8/13Mapo Tofu
"When I have a bad day, there's nothing I want more than mapo tofu that's heavy on the ground pork. But I like it even more cold, for breakfast the next morning, when the spice jolts you awake and the texture of the tofu almost makes you feel like you're eating oatmeal…just a way spicier and worse-for-you version." —Carey Polis, senior web editor
One Good thing by Jilee12/13"Frozen Reese's peanut butter cups." —Cristina Martinez, production director
Misha Gravenor Photography13/13"A day-old burrito out of the fridge." —Mike Ley, deputy art director
