Cleanup, leftovers, and what freezes (and what doesn't)
Ok so everybody's eaten, the plates are a mess, and this is the part where most classes just kind of end. Not this one. Cleanup and leftovers are their own skill and honestly they're where I've made the most dumb mistakes, so let's go through it while it's fresh.
First thing, while the counter's still a disaster: separate what's actually spoiling fast from what'll hold. Salsas with raw onion and cilantro in em are on a clock, maybe 3-4 days in the fridge before they start tasting tired. Anything with avocado in it, even less, a day or two tops before it browns no matter what you do. The pork, cooked and seared, is good for 3-4 days refrigerated and its actually better on day two once the char's had time to sit into the meat. Corn on the cob, once it's got the cream and cheese on it, eat that day. Doesn't reheat well, gets weird and separated.
Here's the thing about freezing. People want to freeze everything because it feels responsible, like you're being smart with your time. Some of this stuff freezes great. Some of it does not, and I learned that one the expensive way.
Al pastor meat, cooked, freezes fine. Portion it flat in a bag, get the air out, 2-3 months in the freezer no problem, and it reheats in a pan with a splash of water or the marinade juice if you saved any. What does not freeze well: the marinade itself, uncooked, sitting there waiting for you to get around to using it. I made a big batch once thinking I was setting myself up for a whole month of easy dinners, real proud of myself, planning-guy fully in charge. Found it in the deep freeze eight months later. Freezer burned, separated, garbage. The planning part of me wrote a check the follow-through part never cashed. So now I just cook the meat the same week I marinate it. If I want it later, I freeze it cooked.
Salsas mostly don't freeze well either, especially anything with raw tomato or tomatillo in it — the texture goes watery and weird when it thaws, and cilantro turns to sludge. If you made too much, your best move is just eating it over the next few days on eggs, on rice, on whatever, not trying to bank it for later.
Tortillas freeze fine actually, that one's easy. Stack em with a piece of parchment or wax paper between each one so they don't weld together, bag em, freezer. Thaw at room temp for twenty minutes or just warm em straight from frozen on the dry pan a little longer than usual.
On cleanup itself, a couple practical notes. If you charred anything on the burner tonight — corn, poblanos, onions — your stovetop's gonna have some carbon buildup and that's normal, just don't let it sit overnight, it comes off way easier while it's still a little warm. And if you're washing a cast iron pan you seared meat in, no soap, just hot water and a scrub, dry it right away. Dry air up here actually works in your favor for that part, it dries fast, just don't skip the step or you get rust spots by next weekend.
One more thing on limes since we're wrapping up and I keep harping on em. Squeeze any extra lime wedges you've got over the leftover corn or the leftover meat before you box it up, not a ton, just a little. It keeps things brighter for the next day since the acid fades over time in the fridge same as it dies with heat in the pan. Small thing, makes a real difference reheating tomorrow.
I'll tell you the lime thing runs deep for me because a few months back I had some Primary kids on an activity day and I taught a couple of em to squeeze lime over their corn as a treat, thinking it'd be a nice little moment. One kid decided lime wedges alone were the treat and just ate straight lime the rest of the afternoon. Face all screwed up, kept going back for more. His mom texted me that night. I apologized. Still worth it though, kid was having a blast.
Last practical note — label your freezer stuff. Date and what it is, on tape, on the bag. I say this because I'm the guy who didn't do it and paid for it. Future you does not remember what "meat, red bag" means three months from now.
Before next time: if you froze any pork tonight, go check on it in about three months and actually use it, don't let it become a science experiment in the back of the freezer like mine did.