why do we heat leftovers?

Question

Let me clarify this. I am not talking about fowl or beef, where if left in the room temperature will lead to all type of sickness. I am referring to canned corn, soup, mashed potatoes, you get the idea. Nothing mammal in form, just vegetable or grain in nature. Is it a bacterial situation, or is it just more palateable. Your opinions please.

Answer 1

Depending on the preparation, sometimes heated veggies and grains have a different texture when they're warm vs cold that may be better one way over the other. Also, in soups and whatnot, if there has been any fat added to the mix, that will congeal and make it yucky if you don't reheat.

Answer 2

I think it is because after you cook a meal, it is warm or hot. When we heat leftovers, we want to see it as a meal that someone cooked, not some weird thing left in the fridge, so we heat it. Maybe it is also because then it would be like it was just cooked, not something we nuked.

Answer 3

To make things taste better, cold/cool/room temperature soup does not taste as good as hot♥

Answer 4

It is just more palatable. BTW some vegies like beans and other legumes and rice won't keep for long even in the fridge either.

Answer 5

I don't really like cold food. Actually the thought of cold mashed potatoes actually gags me! hehe

Answer 6

To be on the safe side, I wouldn't eat it. Cooked rice can go bad after a few days actually

Answer 7

Nah,
most people just don't like those things cold.

Answer 8

i think we just heat it because it taste better that way, i mean do you like cold food.