Sometimes leftovers are better than first-run.

Saturday I filled the slow-cooker with a 3-pound chuck roast, some Yukon Gold potatos, and quartered Vidalia onions. I tiopped it all with an envelope of Lipton Onion-Mushroom Soup mix and water to half-cover, and cooked for about 6 hours. It was a good meal after lugging furniture to a third-floor apartment. Tonight we had the leftover roast on 3-cheese bread from Panera Bread Co., and it tasted much better, especially when washed down by most of a bottle of 2004 Villa Mt. Eden Pinot Noir Grand Reserve Bien Nacido Vineyard. This is the best PN I have yet tasted (not that I've had that many yet, but still...), maybe because it went so well with the beef. I think the next time I cook a roast, I'll just put the whole thing in the fridge and have it cold the next day, because I enjoyed it so much better cold.

I think lots of dishes benefit by sitting for a day or so before eating, like chili for example (the beanless variety) and onion soup with caramelized onions and the braciola we did the other day was better the second time around.

I agree with Shel. Casseroles, stews, curries, and lots of soups too, benefit from an extra day. That slow cooked pot roast sounds mighty good!

[Jenise]

I love leftovers. I don't know that I'm convinced that the food is actually better the next day, though, vs. me appreciating it more when I am being fed hungry vs. sitting down to a dinner I've just cooked (and am therefore somewhat sated by since I would have sampled amply during the cooking process). I do love many foods cold, though. Some I even prefer. These days when I bake a halibut roast I always want a big chunk leftover--that piece, eaten cold out of the fridge just squirted with lemon juice, is always better than it was at dinner.

Hey, welcome to the world of Pinot Noir. You are on a slippery slope here--the acidity and feminine qualities of the lighter pinot noir with food will soon woo you away from those huge petit sirahs you've been loving, or at least sell you on there being not just room but need for both in your life.

Say, speaking of your impending doom, are you planning a wine cellar in your new house?

There will be a wine cellar in the walkout basement, right beside the storm shelter. One must remember the important things, after all. Speaking of the house, we finally decided on a floorplan. Yea!!

Okay, but let's talk about the cheese bread from Panera. Is that not the best bread? A friend of mine bought it to accompany a lasagna she made for our book club. Unbelievable. (Otherwise, not really a Panera fan. )

We love leftovers, as well. Two nights ago, I made a beef short rib, poblano peppers, onion, garlic, fresh tomato dish. The short ribs were browned well, then braised in the roasted peppers and other ingredients. The second night, I removed the congealed fat on top, and we served it with a risotto and fava bean dish. Excellent. That was probably the last heavy meal of this type for a few months. Summer is here and we will be doing a lot of grilling outdoors. Even then, I make extra, because we love grilled cold veggies for lunch with a squirt of lemon.
Jenise, I agree with you about the cold halibut , it is yummy, as it most fish I have tried. Again, it makes a great lunch with fresh lemon. I never heat it because the microwave would cook it beyond what I like.

Carrie, that was the first time I ever had that bread, but it certainly won't be the last - until I figure out how to make it myself, and have the time to do so.

Some traditional stew recipes actually call for refrigerating for a day after making. The various forms of cole slaw benefit from it as well.

Some traditional stew recipes actually call for refrigerating for a day after making. The various forms of cole slaw benefit from it as well.

Ryan,
That's a very traditional French technique for certain types of slow-cooked stews. Coq au vin is the most famous example (keeping in mind that coq refers to a tough old rooster that needs the slow cooking treatment to become edible) but my favorite is salmis de cuisses de canard, which involves a 3-4 day long cool/cook cycle that results in a very rich, low fat sauce.

Mark Lipton