# What is the best food to eat as leftovers?

> A few dishes lose everything overnight. Others quietly improve, and one gets eaten cold standing at the fridge.

*By YPB Team · Published September 5, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-food-to-eat-as-leftovers*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Pizza** — score 1000/1000
   The one dish a large share of people prefer cold, eaten standing at the fridge door.
2. **Lasagna** — score 600/1000
   Sets overnight into neat slices that hold their shape better than they did on day one.
3. **Fried chicken** — score 551/1000
   Cold from the fridge, the crust turns from crisp to dense and the seasoning comes forward.
4. **Beef stew** — score 551/1000
   The classic argument for cooking too much on purpose.
5. **Chili** — score 494/1000
   Widely held to improve on the second day as the spices settle into the beans.
6. **Shepherd's pie** — score 494/1000
   A tray dish designed to be cut into squares and reheated for as long as it lasts.
7. **Lo mein** — score 350/1000
   Takeout noodles that reheat unevenly and are still eaten straight from the carton.
8. **Spaghetti bolognese** — score 350/1000
   The sauce gains; the pasta loses. Most households accept the trade.
9. **Enchiladas** — score 350/1000
   Tortillas that have absorbed the sauce completely, which is either the best or worst outcome.
10. **Mac and cheese** — score 350/1000
   Reheats into something denser and browner, which a substantial minority prefer.
11. **Roast chicken** — score 257/1000
   Two more meals hide on the carcass, plus stock if anyone can be bothered.
12. **Pulled pork** — score 257/1000
   Keeps its moisture for days and turns into tacos, sandwiches or a fried hash.
13. **Brisket** — score 257/1000
   Smoked for twelve hours and sliced cold the next day without losing much at all.
14. **Fried rice** — score 257/1000
   The dish that exists because of leftovers, and works best when the rice is a day old.
15. **Curry** — score 143/1000
   A sauce that keeps thickening and deepening for as long as it sits.
16. **Meatloaf** — score 143/1000
   Its second life is a sandwich, which most people consider the point of making it.
17. **Pot roast** — score 143/1000
   Beef and vegetables that fall apart further every time the pot goes back on the heat.

Tags: food, cooking, dinner, leftovers