As temperatures rise, refreshing and appetizing cold dishes become popular again. But if you make too much, can you save them for the next meal? Stir-fried dishes left overnight in the refrigerator are still edible as long as they are thoroughly reheated. However, overnight cold dishes should be thrown away without hesitation.
This is mainly because leftover cold dishes are inevitably contaminated by bacteria even when refrigerated. Furthermore, they are typically not reheated before being eaten, which can easily cause digestive discomfort.
Stir-fried dishes are different. They are generally reheated after being taken out of the refrigerator, which can kill some of the bacteria that have grown in the leftovers, making them relatively safer.
In addition to cold dishes, green leafy vegetables should not be left overnight. Leafy vegetables contain high levels of nitrates. If cooked and left for too long, bacteria will break down the nitrates into nitrites, which are carcinogenic and cannot be removed by heating.
Compared to green leafy vegetables, gourds, root vegetables, and flowers have relatively lower nitrate levels, with gourds being the lowest. Therefore, if you buy different types of vegetables at the same time, you should eat the leafy varieties first, such as cabbage and spinach. If you plan to cook extra food to reheat the next day, you should try to choose gourd vegetables.