# Foods that are better stale **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 7, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039 "2014-08-07T15:21:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/21 "2014-08-08T20:38:32Z")
[QUOTE=BigT;17620177 Also, the yellow mayor above is correct about subs. Same goes for most tomato-y foods, even if you reheat them. Also, stale pizza is better than old but not quite stale pizza.[/QUOTE] “yellow mayor”😕 ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/22 "2014-08-08T20:39:28Z")
Licorice. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/23 "2014-08-08T20:40:52Z")
I don’t know if you could call it stale, but in my experiments at home, Chicago-style deep dish pizza is a lot better after it’s been in the fridge for a day or two after baking - the slices hold together better instead of everything falling apart when cut, and the flavor of the cheese becomes more pronounced. I’ve heard it said that chili improves after a couple days in the fridge, but my homemade batches have never lasted long enough for me to test that theorem. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/24 "2014-08-08T21:30:48Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > “yellow mayor”😕 > **[Mayor Quimby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_Quimby)** > > Mayor Joseph Fitzgerald O'Malley Fitzpatrick O'Donnell "the Edge"/"Joe" Quimby, nicknamed "Diamond Joe", is a recurring character from the animated sitcom television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in the episode "Bart Gets an 'F'". Quimby is the mayor of Springfield, and is a composite parody of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy and certain other members of the Kennedy family who have entered politics. > Joe Quimby is a parody of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy ... I don’t know if it’s actually stale but things like beenie weenies and spaghetti always taste better after a doy or two in the fridge so the flavors can really meld together. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/25 "2014-08-09T11:03:24Z")
Stale angel food cake, yummy! Okay, I’m weird. Fine. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/26 "2014-08-09T11:10:11Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Slightly stale challah bread to make french toast. Yep. I buy a loaf of French or Challah bread, slice into thick diagonal pieces, then bag and freeze it. Eventually it is forgotten until one lazy Sunday morning, mmmm. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/27 "2014-08-09T14:07:49Z")
Not quite the same thing, but who else likes (what to many people are) overripe bananas? You know, sugar specks all over and the skin getting thinner? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/28 "2014-08-09T14:45:07Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > [Mayor Quimby - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_Quimby) As it happens that isn’t where the nickname comes from but that said: Vote Quimby! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/29 "2014-08-09T18:16:20Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Stale angel food cake, yummy! > > Okay, I’m weird. Fine. Not so weird. I happen to have some going-stale Angel food cake right now that I was thinking of making French toast with tomorrow, with berries and sour cream on top. The crust is really good stale, though, isn’t it? Extra chewy. Oh, I kind of like “aged” fruit pie, too, as long as it’s been in the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![norvalnormal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@norvalnormal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norvalnormal)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/30 "2014-08-09T20:25:23Z")
Rye bread, in particular 1) the “Russian” sliced (“Pechters,” for example), with either caraway or dark I forget what they’re called seeds; 2) the dense, chewy, compact “health” loaves that sometimes contain no wheat, sometimes have sunflower seeds a/o whole rye kernels in the ingredients–add “healthy” peanut butter and man oh man … ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/31 "2014-08-09T21:06:44Z")
Takeout pizza and McDonalds hamburgers taste better after being refrigerated overnight. Part of that could just be the excitement of having food like that available for breakfast though. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/32 "2014-08-09T23:10:04Z")
Another vote for cookies, in particular ginger snaps and vanilla wafers. ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/33 "2014-08-09T23:26:09Z")
especially with the following … [spoiler]2 cups milk 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 4 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled 1/2 cup sultana raisins **Bourbon Sauce:** 2 egg yolks 1 stick butter, not margarine 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup bourbon whiskey **Yum, Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce!** [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/34 "2014-08-09T23:57:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Sattua > Another vote for stale popcorn. It’s the best popcorn. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes. In fact for years that’s about all I ate. The defense team was looking for you. [but maybe witout the username](http://theweek.com/article/index/233721/the-man-awarded-7-million-for-eating-too-much-popcorn) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/35 "2014-08-10T02:19:58Z")
> [@rsa](#): > > especially with the following … > > [spoiler]2 cups milk > 2 eggs > 1 cup sugar > 1 tablespoon vanilla extract > 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon > 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg > 4 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled > 1/2 cup sultana raisins > **Bourbon Sauce:** > 2 egg yolks > 1 stick butter, not margarine > 1 cup sugar > 1/3 cup bourbon whiskey > > **Yum, Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce!** [/spoiler] Oh yes. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/36 "2014-08-10T05:42:37Z")
A friend of mine once told me of when he worked in an ice cream factory. There was always an open box of ice cream sandwiches from which the employees could help themselves (presumably because it’s an easy way to stop employees from sneaking sandwiches from the boxes they were going to ship to customers). This friend claims that the cookie layers of a fresh-from-the-machine ice cream sandwich are crispy, and only go soft after a while. I couldn’t tell you if softer is better, but it certainly is more what one expects and looks forward to from an ice cream sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2014, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/37 "2014-08-10T12:24:47Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > A friend of mine once told me of when he worked in an ice cream factory. There was always an open box of ice cream sandwiches from which the employees could help themselves (presumably because it’s an easy way to stop employees from sneaking sandwiches from the boxes they were going to ship to customers). This friend claims that the cookie layers of a fresh-from-the-machine ice cream sandwich are crispy, and only go soft after a while. I couldn’t tell you if softer is better, but it certainly is more what one expects and looks forward to from an ice cream sandwich. I would imagine the goal is for them to be soft so they start crunchy and soften. If they started soft they would probably become mush. In other news, now I really want an Ice Cream sandwich. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/38 "2014-08-11T03:28:13Z")
Marzipan. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/39 "2014-08-11T03:31:51Z")
Circus Peanuts. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039/40 "2014-08-11T16:53:01Z")
I came in here to say Peeps! The manufacturer has changed the packaging over the last few years though, and it’s very tough to get the Peeps to go stale now without opening the package. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-are-better-stale/695039.md?page=1)