They can be, ya. Of course IF there’s any chance the food may have germs in it, then it should first be heated to at least 165 degrees. THEN they can be eaten cool if you like. ('Leftovers are sometimes the best things in the fridge !)

Do you only eat pizza and chili? Meat and cheese based meals specifically have that advantage you mentioned because of the greasy fat factor… but I would always warm up leftovers like chicken soup, vegetable casserole, curry, stew, etc. Maybe try eating less greasy food?

Also, a big benefit to heating up meals you didn’t mention is to kill bacteria. It’s safer to eat food after it’s been briefly brought up to temperature, especially if it’s been stored slightly longer than ideal.

absolutely agree, my favourite food is also a cold meal (naengmyeon; literally means cold noodle in korean)

Sometimes if I have left over lasagna I’ll reheat it ,but if it’s not fully warmed up I still happily eat it. So I feel like you’re somewhat correct. I think it depends on what it is you’re eating

I partly agree, certainly that if you have to wait for the food to cool down so it doesn’t burn your mouth, that’s not an enjoyable experience. I mostly like cooked food to be lukewarm (but only some things are enjoyable to me actually cold). Also I don’t like hot drinks, even in winter.

To me, cold meals taste much better compared to hot meals.

Cold foods and drinks actually limit the flavors you can taste in food. The temperature of foods change the sensitivity of taste receptors (primarily for sweet, salty, and umami flavors), the amount of/intensity of aromatics released by the food, and the textures of fats, gels, and syrups.

It is all down to preference, of course. But if you prefer the flavor experience of chilled foods that are normally served hot, then you likely prefer foods that are less/more subtly sweet, salty, and savory, and more sour and bitter. You likely do not care as much to the aromatic smells of food that accompany and enhance/alter the flavors of food. And you probably prefer the firmer, thicker textures of foods that would usually be softer and thinner with heat.

The downside with foods being cold, health-wise, if you do like things to be sweeter, for example, is that you need far more sugar to get the same sensation of sweetness from a cold food (like ice cream) than a warm food (like pie). Same with saltiness. A cold soup needs more salt than a hot one, usually.

Alternatively, warm fatty foods spread fat-soluble flavors across the tongue while cold fatty foods usually block taste receptors more while providing little flavor itself. So if you’re cooking for the purpose of eating the food cold, maybe you’ll use less fats and save yourself some calories/cholesterol and also get more flavor in that form factor at the same time.

When I was in Malaysia years ago the street cafes would sell you a sort of cold gulash/curry. It was a shock at first, but quite delicious. However, back home in Scotland I am not eating cold curry.

Hot food makes me nauseous pretty much every single time. I crave cold food.

Hey a real live psychopath 👋

I agree sort of. I like eating food hot, but I don’t usually reheat leftovers. The exception to that is soup of any kind including chili for me.

Also I don’t prefer fries cold as someone else said, but otherwise most things are about as good either way if they started out hot.

An actual unpopular opinion with more upvotes than downvotes? Pinch me

I appreciate you posting this.

Temperature is actually an important part of culinary art. Serving something at the right time to be at peak flavor, texture, and Temperature is important.

That being said many foods can and are appreciated at different Temps. Some foods containing those fats thinned by heat are meant to be enjoyed cool (cookies and cakes with a high butter content fornexample) in other contexts.

As a consumate omnivore, eater, and foodie please by all means enjoy.

To those who haven’t tried give it a shot. Brisket and it’s fat hit different cold and is enjoyable in a new way. For those that like cold foods try warm sweets.

As a final comment you do you boo boo, but when someone prepares and serves you food try and appreciate it the way they intended, they’ve worked hard on it. They’re trying to share something special with you and it’s worth a shot if you care (restuarants are not necessarily held to this, if you’re paying you have every right to say no fucking way) and try to share your experiences if you can.

Wow, I hate this.

Hot things must be hot. Fats must be above room temp or the taste is muted.

Fridge temp anything meant to be eaten warm is depression on a plate.

…though, chocolate belongs in the freezer.

I have to upvote as this is definitely an unpopular opinion

I’m ambivalent about the warmth of food. I don’t really care if it’s warm or cold for the majority of things and as such usually eat things cold right out of the fridge if they’re leftovers. Cold chicken, cold noodles, cold soup. Doesn’t bother me, but it does bother my family that I couldn’t care less.

I cook a decent amount of the time though and absolutely love roasted chicken and veggies, which mostly gets eaten fresh out of the oven. In event of leftovers, yup, cold limp carrots and slightly stodgy roast potato chunks( though I will put some sauce on that last one)

There’s certain things that I will never eat cold, like nachos. Eating cold shredded cheese is a deal breaker in my house