The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →In a blinded test of four dishes, only day-old butter chicken was preferred over its freshly made counterpart more often than chance would predict. The result does not show that leftovers generally taste better: some dishes were distinguishable after a day, but that difference did not reliably mean people preferred them or liked them more.
What the study tested
Russell Keast and coauthors compared fresh and day-old beef lasagne, butter chicken, dhal and apple crumble. The version 1 preprint, posted on 31 July 2026, is labelled not peer-reviewed by Preprints.org.
For the day-old samples, the researchers prepared food 24 hours in advance, stored it at 4 °C, then reheated it to a target of 40 ± 5 °C. Freshly prepared samples were served alongside them under blinded conditions in sensory booths at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. Sixty-five participants completed two sessions, each containing three kinds of assessment: a same-different task, a paired preference task and a liking task.
Which day-old dishes did people prefer?
Butter chicken was the only dish for which participants preferred the day-old sample above chance. They chose it in 83 of 130 observations (63.8%); the authors’ model estimated a 0.64 probability of choosing it (95% confidence interval 0.56–0.71, p < 0.001). These figures come from the authors’ single version 1 preprint, not an independent replication.
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| Dish | Day-old sample chosen | Evidence of a day-old preference? |
|---|---|---|
| Butter chicken | 83 of 130 observations (63.8%) | Yes; estimated probability 0.64 (95% CI 0.56–0.71), p < 0.001 |
| Dhal | 55 of 130 observations (42.3%) | No; p = 0.084 |
| Beef lasagne | 64 of 130 observations (49.2%) | No; p = 0.876 |
| Apple crumble | 66 of 130 observations (50.8%) | No; p = 0.862 |
The counts describe observations in the study, not necessarily unique participants: the same 65 people took part in two sessions. The other three results did not show a statistically significant preference for the day-old samples.
Could participants tell fresh and day-old food apart?
Yes for dhal, butter chicken and apple crumble, according to the same-different analysis; the analysis did not find evidence of discrimination for beef lasagne after accounting for repeated responses. Detecting a difference is not the same as preferring one sample.
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- Fits Everyday Meal Routines: Ideal for weeknight dinners, relaxed weekend cooking, or family meals, this meal kit offers a simple way to prepare a warm and creamy curry without gathering many ingredients. It works well for home cooks who prefer dishes that are comforting and easy to serve. This mild curry chicken style dish supports versatile and routine cooking needs.
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Dhal showed the largest reported discrimination effect: participants gave a “different” response on 83.1% of trials where the samples actually differed, compared with 55.4% of trials where they were the same. The authors report an odds ratio of 3.96 (95% CI 2.10–7.44, p < 0.001).
Did day-old food receive higher liking ratings?
No statistically significant fresh-versus-day-old liking difference was found for any of the four foods. That does not prove the versions were equally liked; the authors caution that a non-significant finding is not evidence of equivalence. Apple crumble received higher liking ratings overall than the savory dishes, regardless of freshness.
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The three measures answer different questions: discrimination asks whether samples can be told apart; paired preference asks which one someone chooses; and liking asks how much a sample is liked on its own. In this study, some samples were distinguishable, only butter chicken had a significant day-old preference, and none showed a significant day-old liking advantage.
Why might butter chicken have stood out?
The authors suggest that the dish’s sauce, spice and fat could affect how storage and reheating change its sensory balance. They also discuss aroma interactions, moisture redistribution, starch behavior and warmed-over flavor in meat. These are possible explanations, not mechanisms demonstrated by this experiment: the researchers did not conduct volatile-compound analysis, texture profiling or descriptive sensory profiling.
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How far can the result be generalized?
The finding is limited to 65 participants recruited around one university, four selected dishes, one refrigerated overnight storage protocol and one reheating and serving procedure. The foods differed in composition and structure. The study also did not measure participants’ baseline liking, familiarity, hunger or prior beliefs about leftovers.
Participants were not told which samples were fresh, but the experiment did not manipulate what they were told about food freshness. It therefore cannot establish how knowing that a dish is leftover affects enjoyment. The authors summarize their findings this way: “These findings show that the next-day effect is modest, food-specific and dependent on the sensory outcome measured.” That is the authors’ conclusion in a preliminary, not peer-reviewed preprint—not proof that leftovers in general taste better.
Quick Recap
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