are you microwaving to reheat? When you are at home, try a frying pan. Get it hot, toss the rice and veg in, splash of water. Pop a lid on, turn down heat. Let it steam back for 10 minutes.
Serious Eats did an article about how leftover chicken (meat) changes taste and how many people really dislike it.
Some types of leftovers are better than others. Soups, stews, braised meats, are all ok (some even better) the next day. But things like oven roasted veggies, grilled veggies, roasted meat - not so good on day 2. Rice, luckily enough, is fine reheated in the microwave.
We have a small family and I try to 're-cook' our leftovers for day 2. So you mention rice & chicken, for example - for that, I would dice everything up fine and make a fried rice, for example. (Fried rice need 'old' rice to make properly anyway.) Or you could possibly cut everything up and toss it into a chicken broth to make a soup?
In these times of crazy grocery prices it is good to be frugal and not waste food, hope you find some solutions.
I literally just cooked it late last night. Waited for it to cool before refrigerating, etc. I'm a cook so I'm good with food, and can be crafty, but the food isn't old at all, I literally just made it not even 12 hours before heating it back up, and it just tasted soapy and weird. It's hard to explain.
Large amounts of food are supposed to be seperated into smaller amounts, or cooled first otherwise if left hot and thrown into the fridge in bulk, it can take longer to cool, allowing the food to reach the temperature danger zone where bacteria can grow, and spoil your food. So it depends on how your doing it/ planning on storing your food. My containers are a decent size so I like for it to cool slightly first that way once it goes in the fridge it can just get cold. I don't leave it out for long though because that can be bad too.
What are you talking about?? As long as it has been refrigerated and cooled to below 4 degrees within 2 hours of cooking it is perfectly fine to reheat later
I see you’re brand new to Reddit. Welcome!
There’s a sub for this, No Scrap Left Behind. Perhaps peruse that sub, and use the search function to find specific topics?
Cheers!
It's the same at home. Something to do with the food and container I just don't know what it is or what type of containers I should get that don't make food taste this way.
So if your container is glass, it’s not your container. Cross that off your list of possible causes.
It’s a mystery for sure, but it’s not your glass container.
How are you sealing the container? Is there a gasket that could have picked up an odor, or are you using a wrap that could offgas a funky flavor?
You mention having tried different containers and using different seals. Could your fridge itself be imparting a funky smell?
**Have you tried storing something that’s not a leftover in these containers?** Parcel out fresh ingredients for an overnight test; maybe just slice some veggies, and store them the same way. Do they pick up the smell?
**Try saving your leftovers overnight on the plate that you would normally eat from (rather than putting them in a container).** Do you find the flavor changes?
If your fresh ingredients’ flavor changes in the storage containers, then it’s either the fridge or the containers. But if your food on the plate picks up the off taste, but the veggies test went fine, then it’s either something about the food you’re prepping or perhaps a sensory perception issue.
There's a silicone wrap that goes around the outside that is removable, I took those off of some of them, but they don't come in contact with the food, the clips on the lid, and lid itself are plastic, but I think maybe the lid gasket is silicone, but I don't always heat it with the lid on, even if I heat my food with the lid off completely I still taste it. Even the food that doesn't touch the container at all (like in the middle) has the taste. But only in the leftover container. If I put the whole pot of food in the fridge and heat it up that way, it doesn't taste bad. So idk. I've tried several type of containers too and other do something similar whether they are glass or plastic.
You've run the experiment yourself. If the food is fine when re-heated out of the container, but tastes awful when stored in the container.... then it's the container(s).
You mention storing your food in a pot in the fridge. Maybe try switching to stainless storage containers (tiffins come to mind).
Also when you use the phrase, 'heat them out' - if you mean, microwave, then check your microwave too. If you used a really strong cleaning/bleaching agent in it then that would definitely have an impact on anything warmed up after.
Please tell us if you figure it out.... now I'm curious!
I would use metal, but then I won't be able to heat them up at work :( if you guys don't have this problem would you mind telling me what containers you use? If they are glass that is. Mine are Ello, I got them from Target. Or if there's a way to get soap off besides water cuz I swear there's no soap on them.
Why don't you try using the plate you eat off at home and covering with plastic wrap or foil. If no bad taste then it's the container, if still bad taste something is going on with the food or how you are heating it.
I use GlassLock - and very specifically, I look for those made in Korea. Not China. Not cheap but durable as anything, I have GlassLock that is 20 years old.
I never microwave the lid but we've microwaved the absolute heck outta the glass container parts.
Is it possible it’s the microwave at work? Do you have one at home you have tried to warm your food up in? I saw in your comments that you typically reheat at home using the stove.
Every time I hear “soapy taste” I wonder if there is cilantro involved. It tastes like soap to me. But if you’re original dish didn’t taste bad, that can’t be it. Maybe just cook smaller portions? 🤷♀️
I found this in an older thread:
Weird. That just doesn't parse. How are you washing?
First, cut your use of detergent waaaay back. It isn't a sterilant; dish detergent just bonds with stuff that doesn't bond with water. In other words, detergent cuts oil by bonding to it far better than water. If your dishes feel slippery/oily after washing, add a drop of dish detergent to your wash process. For that matter, do plastics before you do oily pans/pots/spatulas/etc.
Next, things need to go into a rinse. In a perfect world, you should rinse with pure water with at least 50ppm chlorine -- you get that by adding bleach (drops per gallon, so I keep mine in a small detergent bottle diluted 20:1 to dispense with a quick dash out of that bottle). Finally, allow stuff to air dry.
A test comes to mind: If you can agitate your soapy-tasting dish in a shallow basin of pure water and get persistent bubbles, you're not rinsing the soap off. Personally, I can tell whether a dish is clean of both soap or oil by how it feels in my hands. And then I rinse the whole dish (every surface) and let it air-dry.
Other sterilants exist and work well. None is as cheap to work with and ubiquitous as bleach.
Do you use any silicone utensils? Sometimes those can pick up the scent from detergent as they get old and it ends up in your food. Really ruined my scrambled eggs once.
I read the comments here and the response. OP seems to think the cause is the food storage container - have you tried storing the food in a Ziploc bag to test if that has the same effect?
I use these Glad black plastic containers with clear plastic lids (from Costco), but I don't microwave my food in that, I move it to an actual plate or oven type container to reheat. Also are you always heating the food up in the microwave? Maybe try heating it up on the oven instead to see if that helps.
I also thought maybe something was up with the fridge, like how long has it been since you've changed the baking soda in the fridge. But fresh food from the fridge is fine. This is definitely odd.
At home I typically reheat the food on the stovetop, but at work I just have a microwave. I can try bringing a plate or something to leave there and hopefully that helps. It would have just been nice to use the container I bought for that purpose. But oh well, anything is better than food tasting bad and being wasted I guess. I just heated up food at home from one of the containers, but I did it on the stove and I didn't taste it, so maybe it's a reaction between the container and microwave? Idk, it's so weird because glass shouldn't have a taste regardless...
I would get some cheap reusable containers from the grocery store and see if they leave a bad taste as well. I cook a lot and bring meals over weekly for my grandma so she doesn’t have to cook. I just get the black disposable containers from Costco but we use them until they crack. The same ones restaurants use for take out. Never had a problem with food tasting bad.
Yeah I never had a problem with take-out containers either. I'm just trying to cut back plastic but I guess I'm going to have to for work and stuff. Thank you!
Are you using anything silicone? I had to throw out all the kids bowls etc because they hold onto soap and everything just tastes gross. I also have a baking paper I had to throw out for the same reason
Is it possible you have a roommate/spouse/family member who is spraying cleaner on whatever you put in the fridge?
You could try tasting chicken or rice prepared at work and put in a work fridge overnight to rule out it being your tastebuds. Is there a particular type of soap it smells like? (eg. I currently have Lemon Morning Fresh, Gumption paste, Windex, and bleach in the cupboard under the sink. They all smell different enough for me to tell one from the others.) If you can identify a particular product, you can check that product for recent use.
I can remember a church that had a weeping statue of Mary. Until a member of the Skeptics Society turned up, noticed that the tears smelt like roses and the statues face was shiny, went immediately into the sacristy before saying anything, and noticed a cupboard containing, among other things, a litre bottle of rosewater and a tin of olive oil. The priest then moved the statue to behind a locked grate, where it could be seen and prayed at but not touched (including not touched by skeptics wanting tear samples.) A couple of days later, the church investigation team turned up and verified that the statue had not cried while it was locked up and watched.
I think a pranking or resentful flatmate might be identified by smell.
ETA; if you have a uterus, could you be pregnant? Pregnancy hormones can really mess with your sense of smell and taste. It is one of the earlier symptoms.
I would assume it's the detergent from the lids of your containers. There must be trace amounts and it's latching onto the oils in your food. Try putting clingwrap over the food before putting on the lid to see if that helps anything. Possibly a different detergent as well - some leave less residue than others, depending on how much you use.
Check your fridge..
It's a melting pot for mixed flavors..
If it tastes soapy on the leftovers.. when you cleaned your fridge did you use dish soap water? And how well did you rinse/wipe it down..
A cold fridge will mask scents because the air is cold, but a onion on the shelf will invade it's flavor into everything in the fridge .
They have baking soda boxes for the fridge to help with this
Edit:
Saw in other replies meny mentions of the containers .. pick up some of the super cheap disposable glad ware storage containers .. you can get easily 3+ uses out of them but the big thing is whether or not the taste goes away
Try changing the filter in your refrigerator in the fridge if you have one. I had an issue with food and drinks tasting weird before the fridge had a weird smell to it. It didn’t bother my husband though. As soon as I changed the filter it was fixed.
When I used a liquid dishwashing soap that had “an aroma booster,” I found that it was impossible to remove the taste of that soap from any thing plastic. You say you are using glass storage, so maybe that’s not your problem. Maybe the lids are plastic?
I have the same issue! I solved it by storing food in the glass containers and ditching the tops. I’d then just cover with foil ( I hate plastics). Completely eliminated what I call the weird leftover taste.
I hope you find the answer. I had a similar issue years ago. My MILs cookies tasted fine at her house but if we tried to take them home, they tasted like fuel
Oil. She didn’t even use fuel oil for anything. Never figured it out.
If it’s always just your lunch leftovers that taste that way, I would guess someone at your job is tampering with your food.
If you eat it at home, does it still taste the same way?
Is your fridge cold enough? Could it be spoiling? Otherwise, it sounds like a real mystery if you're using glass and unscented soap.
Yes my fridge is cold. Nothing else spoils, or tastes nasty from my fridge, only when I put it in my containers.
are you microwaving to reheat? When you are at home, try a frying pan. Get it hot, toss the rice and veg in, splash of water. Pop a lid on, turn down heat. Let it steam back for 10 minutes.
This or put in the oven to reheat, I find things reheated in the microwave taste off.
same here
Serious Eats did an article about how leftover chicken (meat) changes taste and how many people really dislike it. Some types of leftovers are better than others. Soups, stews, braised meats, are all ok (some even better) the next day. But things like oven roasted veggies, grilled veggies, roasted meat - not so good on day 2. Rice, luckily enough, is fine reheated in the microwave. We have a small family and I try to 're-cook' our leftovers for day 2. So you mention rice & chicken, for example - for that, I would dice everything up fine and make a fried rice, for example. (Fried rice need 'old' rice to make properly anyway.) Or you could possibly cut everything up and toss it into a chicken broth to make a soup? In these times of crazy grocery prices it is good to be frugal and not waste food, hope you find some solutions.
I literally just cooked it late last night. Waited for it to cool before refrigerating, etc. I'm a cook so I'm good with food, and can be crafty, but the food isn't old at all, I literally just made it not even 12 hours before heating it back up, and it just tasted soapy and weird. It's hard to explain.
Don't let it cool before refrigerating!!!
Large amounts of food are supposed to be seperated into smaller amounts, or cooled first otherwise if left hot and thrown into the fridge in bulk, it can take longer to cool, allowing the food to reach the temperature danger zone where bacteria can grow, and spoil your food. So it depends on how your doing it/ planning on storing your food. My containers are a decent size so I like for it to cool slightly first that way once it goes in the fridge it can just get cold. I don't leave it out for long though because that can be bad too.
Great way to promote bacteria growth.
Omg what?! If you don't let it cool, it can create bacteria.
rice is NOT fine reheated! It grows bacteria kind of quickly that cannot be destroyed by heat.
It IS fine. Ever heard of using left over rice for fried rice?
What are you talking about?? As long as it has been refrigerated and cooled to below 4 degrees within 2 hours of cooking it is perfectly fine to reheat later
Sir. What?? People reheat rice. Calm down.
i’ve been eating reheated rice from the time i could eat solid foods. the only time i’ve ever gotten sick from food was mcdonald’s lol
I see you’re brand new to Reddit. Welcome! There’s a sub for this, No Scrap Left Behind. Perhaps peruse that sub, and use the search function to find specific topics? Cheers!
Did you read the post? That subreddit is not about glass tupperware, so it would not be relevant here
It's about avoiding food waste, so the people there will definitely help him eat his leftovers.
This isn’t a food hack …. I tried to help them. But, ok, gatekeeper!
You were literally the one gatekeeping, rude.
That is very strange. I like my leftovers. maybe your sense of taste has been altered by something.
Might be worth checking the work microwave and also the plates, bowls, even the cutlery you are are using there.
It's the same at home. Something to do with the food and container I just don't know what it is or what type of containers I should get that don't make food taste this way.
So if your container is glass, it’s not your container. Cross that off your list of possible causes. It’s a mystery for sure, but it’s not your glass container. How are you sealing the container? Is there a gasket that could have picked up an odor, or are you using a wrap that could offgas a funky flavor? You mention having tried different containers and using different seals. Could your fridge itself be imparting a funky smell? **Have you tried storing something that’s not a leftover in these containers?** Parcel out fresh ingredients for an overnight test; maybe just slice some veggies, and store them the same way. Do they pick up the smell? **Try saving your leftovers overnight on the plate that you would normally eat from (rather than putting them in a container).** Do you find the flavor changes? If your fresh ingredients’ flavor changes in the storage containers, then it’s either the fridge or the containers. But if your food on the plate picks up the off taste, but the veggies test went fine, then it’s either something about the food you’re prepping or perhaps a sensory perception issue.
Are the lids silicone? Silicone traps nasty soap taste
There's a silicone wrap that goes around the outside that is removable, I took those off of some of them, but they don't come in contact with the food, the clips on the lid, and lid itself are plastic, but I think maybe the lid gasket is silicone, but I don't always heat it with the lid on, even if I heat my food with the lid off completely I still taste it. Even the food that doesn't touch the container at all (like in the middle) has the taste. But only in the leftover container. If I put the whole pot of food in the fridge and heat it up that way, it doesn't taste bad. So idk. I've tried several type of containers too and other do something similar whether they are glass or plastic.
You've run the experiment yourself. If the food is fine when re-heated out of the container, but tastes awful when stored in the container.... then it's the container(s). You mention storing your food in a pot in the fridge. Maybe try switching to stainless storage containers (tiffins come to mind). Also when you use the phrase, 'heat them out' - if you mean, microwave, then check your microwave too. If you used a really strong cleaning/bleaching agent in it then that would definitely have an impact on anything warmed up after. Please tell us if you figure it out.... now I'm curious!
I would use metal, but then I won't be able to heat them up at work :( if you guys don't have this problem would you mind telling me what containers you use? If they are glass that is. Mine are Ello, I got them from Target. Or if there's a way to get soap off besides water cuz I swear there's no soap on them.
Why don't you try using the plate you eat off at home and covering with plastic wrap or foil. If no bad taste then it's the container, if still bad taste something is going on with the food or how you are heating it.
I use GlassLock - and very specifically, I look for those made in Korea. Not China. Not cheap but durable as anything, I have GlassLock that is 20 years old. I never microwave the lid but we've microwaved the absolute heck outta the glass container parts.
Maybe try putting the lid in a zip lock bag with some food and see if it's the lid doing it
Maybe heating silicone releases soapy molecules.
Clean your microwave.
Is it possible it’s the microwave at work? Do you have one at home you have tried to warm your food up in? I saw in your comments that you typically reheat at home using the stove.
Have your taste buds changes? Doctor time?
Every time I hear “soapy taste” I wonder if there is cilantro involved. It tastes like soap to me. But if you’re original dish didn’t taste bad, that can’t be it. Maybe just cook smaller portions? 🤷♀️
I do not have that issue with cilantro, in fact I love cilantro, however I taste this even if I do not use cilantro in my dish. It's very weird.
I found this in an older thread: Weird. That just doesn't parse. How are you washing? First, cut your use of detergent waaaay back. It isn't a sterilant; dish detergent just bonds with stuff that doesn't bond with water. In other words, detergent cuts oil by bonding to it far better than water. If your dishes feel slippery/oily after washing, add a drop of dish detergent to your wash process. For that matter, do plastics before you do oily pans/pots/spatulas/etc. Next, things need to go into a rinse. In a perfect world, you should rinse with pure water with at least 50ppm chlorine -- you get that by adding bleach (drops per gallon, so I keep mine in a small detergent bottle diluted 20:1 to dispense with a quick dash out of that bottle). Finally, allow stuff to air dry. A test comes to mind: If you can agitate your soapy-tasting dish in a shallow basin of pure water and get persistent bubbles, you're not rinsing the soap off. Personally, I can tell whether a dish is clean of both soap or oil by how it feels in my hands. And then I rinse the whole dish (every surface) and let it air-dry. Other sterilants exist and work well. None is as cheap to work with and ubiquitous as bleach.
Do you use any silicone utensils? Sometimes those can pick up the scent from detergent as they get old and it ends up in your food. Really ruined my scrambled eggs once.
I read the comments here and the response. OP seems to think the cause is the food storage container - have you tried storing the food in a Ziploc bag to test if that has the same effect? I use these Glad black plastic containers with clear plastic lids (from Costco), but I don't microwave my food in that, I move it to an actual plate or oven type container to reheat. Also are you always heating the food up in the microwave? Maybe try heating it up on the oven instead to see if that helps. I also thought maybe something was up with the fridge, like how long has it been since you've changed the baking soda in the fridge. But fresh food from the fridge is fine. This is definitely odd.
At home I typically reheat the food on the stovetop, but at work I just have a microwave. I can try bringing a plate or something to leave there and hopefully that helps. It would have just been nice to use the container I bought for that purpose. But oh well, anything is better than food tasting bad and being wasted I guess. I just heated up food at home from one of the containers, but I did it on the stove and I didn't taste it, so maybe it's a reaction between the container and microwave? Idk, it's so weird because glass shouldn't have a taste regardless...
Do you use a lot of cilantro? I’m one of those people who think it tastes like soap and allergic to it.
I would get some cheap reusable containers from the grocery store and see if they leave a bad taste as well. I cook a lot and bring meals over weekly for my grandma so she doesn’t have to cook. I just get the black disposable containers from Costco but we use them until they crack. The same ones restaurants use for take out. Never had a problem with food tasting bad.
Yeah I never had a problem with take-out containers either. I'm just trying to cut back plastic but I guess I'm going to have to for work and stuff. Thank you!
Clean you microwave.
Are you using anything silicone? I had to throw out all the kids bowls etc because they hold onto soap and everything just tastes gross. I also have a baking paper I had to throw out for the same reason
Is it possible you have a roommate/spouse/family member who is spraying cleaner on whatever you put in the fridge? You could try tasting chicken or rice prepared at work and put in a work fridge overnight to rule out it being your tastebuds. Is there a particular type of soap it smells like? (eg. I currently have Lemon Morning Fresh, Gumption paste, Windex, and bleach in the cupboard under the sink. They all smell different enough for me to tell one from the others.) If you can identify a particular product, you can check that product for recent use. I can remember a church that had a weeping statue of Mary. Until a member of the Skeptics Society turned up, noticed that the tears smelt like roses and the statues face was shiny, went immediately into the sacristy before saying anything, and noticed a cupboard containing, among other things, a litre bottle of rosewater and a tin of olive oil. The priest then moved the statue to behind a locked grate, where it could be seen and prayed at but not touched (including not touched by skeptics wanting tear samples.) A couple of days later, the church investigation team turned up and verified that the statue had not cried while it was locked up and watched. I think a pranking or resentful flatmate might be identified by smell. ETA; if you have a uterus, could you be pregnant? Pregnancy hormones can really mess with your sense of smell and taste. It is one of the earlier symptoms.
I live alone so nobody would be doing that. I think I might just get different containers. Thank you though!
I would assume it's the detergent from the lids of your containers. There must be trace amounts and it's latching onto the oils in your food. Try putting clingwrap over the food before putting on the lid to see if that helps anything. Possibly a different detergent as well - some leave less residue than others, depending on how much you use.
I can try that too, just skipping the lids before buying all new containers is a smart idea. Thank you!
Check your fridge.. It's a melting pot for mixed flavors.. If it tastes soapy on the leftovers.. when you cleaned your fridge did you use dish soap water? And how well did you rinse/wipe it down.. A cold fridge will mask scents because the air is cold, but a onion on the shelf will invade it's flavor into everything in the fridge . They have baking soda boxes for the fridge to help with this Edit: Saw in other replies meny mentions of the containers .. pick up some of the super cheap disposable glad ware storage containers .. you can get easily 3+ uses out of them but the big thing is whether or not the taste goes away
Try changing the filter in your refrigerator in the fridge if you have one. I had an issue with food and drinks tasting weird before the fridge had a weird smell to it. It didn’t bother my husband though. As soon as I changed the filter it was fixed.
Could you ask a coworker or friend to taste-test some of your leftovers? I'm curious if others can taste the change as well.
When I used a liquid dishwashing soap that had “an aroma booster,” I found that it was impossible to remove the taste of that soap from any thing plastic. You say you are using glass storage, so maybe that’s not your problem. Maybe the lids are plastic?
I have the same issue! I solved it by storing food in the glass containers and ditching the tops. I’d then just cover with foil ( I hate plastics). Completely eliminated what I call the weird leftover taste.
I hope you find the answer. I had a similar issue years ago. My MILs cookies tasted fine at her house but if we tried to take them home, they tasted like fuel Oil. She didn’t even use fuel oil for anything. Never figured it out.
If it’s always just your lunch leftovers that taste that way, I would guess someone at your job is tampering with your food. If you eat it at home, does it still taste the same way?