Why does beef that has been simmered for hours taste better as leftovers?

I’ve noticed that whenever I make a dish that is basically beef simmered for multiple hours, it always tastes better the next day. Examples of this have been phở (which is beef bone broth and brisket) and ragù pasta sauces (usually I use chuck). Why does this happen? Does something happen to the food when it sits in the fridge? Note that for both of these examples, I store the noodles separately from the broth/sauce, so it’s not like the flavor gets a chance to seep into the noodles.

Maybe it’s just a mental thing, but I’ve also noticed that this does not happen for non-beef dishes - for example my chicken phở and carnitas taste pretty much the same (or slightly worse) the next day. It also only applies to beef that has been simmered - stir fry dishes taste the same to me as leftovers. Is there a reason why I think specifically only slow-cooked beef (and not anything else) has this effect?

submitted by /u/cerealandmilf
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