I can’t physically eat leftovers

[IsItMeOrThemBeingKnobs]

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I physically cannot force myself to eat leftovers.

I always have the best intentions of meal prepping/cooking more for lunches and then when it gets down to actually eating that stuff it turns my stomach. I end up having to give extra to DH.

Does anyone else get this or am I completely U and weird?!

I am the same! I have to really really fancy it to be able to stomach it. I’m also a bit funny about food prepped in advance, like for a packed lunch

I don't think it's U or weird. I can eat leftovers as long as they haven't been stored in plastic - hate things stored in plastic (e.g. bowls, tubs, clingfilm). Foil/metal/ceramic/paper I am fine.

If the food has been properly prepared and stored there is no real/ logical reason to feel like this. However if you know this about yourself why keep preparing it only to not eat it?

Depends what it is. Bolognese is great the next day, eve better than the day it is made......roast chicken thighs, no, I can only fresh from the oven

It's strange.

I can eat the same dish for 3/4 days. Saves a lot of time and money.

Yeah IMO it's a bit off when people are starving over the world and your safe to eat and probably tasty food isn't good enough for you just because it was cooked yesterday or whatever. I do find it a bit weird.

Bit like people who only drink bottled water. Safe from the tap (and how lucky we are to have safe drinking water freely available) and tastes fine, but that's STILL not good enough.

All leftovers? What is the problem exactly? Maybe rebrand them - they are not leftovers they are a pre-prepared meal!

It is quite weird, but the answer is simple: only cook one meal’s worth of food at a time.

Very odd. Why would it turn your stomach?

Yes you are weird. Plus making a lot more work for yourself because you never benefit from 'cook once, eat twice'.

Do you never eat anything like a shop bought sandwich, lasagne or other ready meal?

Because they've all been prepared, wrapped up and left for a day or so before you eat them, just like food you've made yourself.

I love leftovers. All the cost and Effort already expended.
Perfect.

As long as they still look ok I can eat leftovers. If they've been hacked at by everyone and left out for hours then no.

This happens to me with some leftovers (I have ASD, I think it's related) but if I freeze the leftovers, or make it into another dish (i.e. leftover chicken goes into a chicken and mushroom pie) it's fine. Would either of those work for you?

Yes, that’s weird and illogical. Can you try forcing yourself to try a few bites and then gradually work up until you just get over it? Like exposure therapy

I think it's more likely to be a psychological aversion with a physical reaction.

I grew up on leftovers (slight excergation), I am only child and had a solo mum so there was always food left over. Often on a Friday mum would pile up the plates with the left over veg / meat from the week, it was like a smorgas board😂 If we had left over pasta / stirfry / pizza etc it would be used for lunches. A lasagne would last us three meals..

Personally, I dont really see the problem, sometimes it was a bit bizarre eating food from different meals on one plate but its better than nothing, especially when money is tight, if it wasnt leftovers it probably would have been beans on toast.

Yeah I think it probably is psychological, but the minute I take a bite I’m adamant I’m going to throw up. I really wish I could eat them, trust me I understand the privilege that comes with even having leftovers, I just wondered if anyone else experienced it/if there was some way I could force myself to like them!

It’s also predominately meat. Like I can eat leftover veg/salad without any real issues but anything like spag bol makes me feel like I’m going to throw up.

I reuse any leftovers I can and usually cook double what we need and freeze half.

I love a bit of cold curry the next day. 😀

I used to run a restaurant. My food hygiene is excellent and i fully understand the proper way to refrigerate food etc. I'm a great cook. But can I bring myself to eat my own (delicious) left overs? Absolutely not!!! I can cook/reheat them for my husband and kids, for friends and family because I know they are safe and delish. But I can't heat them up for ME. But that left over take away pizza the day after a night on the booze? Even left over takeaway special fried rice (!) I'll eat that cold out of the fridge and not think twice 🤷🏼‍♀️😂

I wouldn't survive with that outlook. I rely on leftovers so that I don't have to cook as often.

I genuinely really wish I could eat them for this reason! It would save me so much time and effort if I could force leftovers down!

Vaguely disordered

Instead of them being 'leftovers', can you consider them a new meal? For example if you make a bolognese and have left over meat, then use the leftovers for a lasagne? Or rice from the night before into a nasi goreng?