54
votes
Accepted
Why is it faster to reheat something than it is to cook it?
"Cooking" is often a chemical process. Denaturing proteins, gelatinization, causing chemical reactions like browning, or even causing state changes like evaporation.
In many cases for these ...
- 77.2k
45
votes
Accepted
Why do we need to reheat food?
The primary reason for reheating is just that warm food is more pleasant to eat. How warm, that is a personal preference - and stirring or heating longer can ensure more throughout heating.
Reheating ...
- 566
21
votes
Accepted
Advice for making/keeping shredded chicken moist?
The first issue I see is that you are over cooking your chicken breast. 20 minutes in a pressure cooker is really over doing it. Even a little over cooking dries chicken breast. Chicken breast ...
- 69.1k
18
votes
Why do we need to reheat food?
You don't. Reheating food does not improve food safety, it is purely a matter of taste. Even "piping hot" is not hot enough to kill off any pathogens. If it's safe to eat warm, it's safe to ...
- 10.6k
15
votes
Accepted
Why does food cooked in the microwave heat inside-out?
Your microwave isn't exactly cooking your food from the inside out. Instead, what is happening is that some parts of your food that happen to be on the interior are being heated faster than those ...
- 950
15
votes
Accepted
Adding raw chicken to a meal that is being reheated
If a dish, any dish, leftovers or otherwise, has raw chicken added to it, then is cooked until said chicken is fully cooked, it is then safe to eat. There is nothing from what you describe that ...
- 3,012
14
votes
Reheating Hamburger Helper
I called General Mills, the makers of Hamburger Helper, and asked if there had been any changes to their recipes in the past 3 years. The representative (Thanks Kathy!) told me that the only recent ...
- 58.3k
12
votes
Accepted
When heating up a pizza, edges burn while middle still liquid
The key here is that you said you’ve thawed the pizza. Frozen pizzas are designed to be baked from frozen. The instructions on the box should reflect this.
- 3,800
11
votes
Accepted
Why can't you reheat pasta in a microwave, grill, or wok?
If you're going to reheat pasta, microwaving is a good way. Adding a few drops of water and covering helps the texture if it doesn't have sauce already on it.
You can actually do something close to ...
- 41.4k
10
votes
Accepted
Should I cover food while reheating it in a microwave?
You do get some reflection of microwaves off a glass or plastic cover (Table 1 here)
Material Reflection Transmission
Metal 0.88 0.00
Glass 0.38 0.60
...
- 11.7k
9
votes
Accepted
Reheating grilled hamburger patties
If you have a pre-cooked burger patty, I'd suggest heating it in a frying pan / skillet over a high heat, add a splash of water and then cover with a small heat-proof bowl (a cloche), or a lid on your ...
- 594
8
votes
Why can't you reheat pasta in a microwave, grill, or wok?
Uncooked pasta (fresh, partly dried or fully dried) needs to be boiled in water because it needs to absorb water in order to become soft.
Pasta which has already been fully cooked, ready to eat, and ...
- 201
7
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to reheat tea with milk?
The official answer from your health department is no, it's not safe. After four hours at room temperature, you have to pitch it.
That standard is a little on the paranoid side. Which is appropriate, ...
- 4,416
7
votes
Accepted
Can you extend shelf life by reheating?
What you're concerned with when it come to food spoilage is the toxins bacteria produce, not the bacteria. While heating it will kill the bacteria, the toxins are typically proteins which will not be ...
- 10.6k
7
votes
Why can't one reheat wok noodles?
The "do not reheat" is standard text on food that's already cooked (like these noodles) with the expectation you'll cook it again. So they expect you to reheat once by stir-frying, then not again. You ...
- 41.4k
7
votes
Advice for making/keeping shredded chicken moist?
Chicken breast is not suitable for making shredded meat. For that, you need collagen-rich dark meat, for example chicken thighs.
If you cook your chicken breast less, as moscafj suggested, you can ...
- 132k
7
votes
Accepted
I Need to Cook Duchess Potatoes but the Oven Cannot go Above 135C or 275F
You are missing an option, which is to let the meat rest before serving and bake the potatoes at the right temperature. Most meats, especially beef, become more tender if they have a chance to rest, ...
- 72.5k
7
votes
Was our chicken the correct temperature?
It's perfectly safe. If it's pre-cooked then it is safe to eat cold, hot or lukewarm. It's true that room temperature is the happy range for the microbes that cause foodborne illness to grow, but that ...
- 72.5k
6
votes
Accepted
What are good counter-top oven settings to reheat french fries soggy from refrigerating overnight?
They won't be as good as when fresh (of course) but generally:
You want the oven pretty hot. How hot depends on the oven, size of fry, etc., but a good first guess would be 425°F–450°F. On most ...
- 13.1k
6
votes
Accepted
Make a cheese sauce that doesn't go solid when cooled
Your sauce is thickening up too much because it's losing moisture. After you cook your cheese sauce to perfection and mix it in with your pasta 2 things are happening:
The sauce loses moisture due to ...
- 72.5k
6
votes
Accepted
Is there any way for me to reheat mini beef wellingtons without toughening the meat?
Very doable, you just have to fool around with them a little.
Watch the meat carefully, and check the internal temperature in several pieces with a meat thermometer, as they're heating. If you're ...
- 405
6
votes
Why is it faster to reheat something than it is to cook it?
This is because when you're cooking some foods you're not just heating it up. A lot of foods are boiled, not because they need to be heated up, but because they need to absorb water. We just boil the ...
- 191
6
votes
Advice for making/keeping shredded chicken moist?
First, I would recommend changing how you cook the breasts -- I usually poach breasts, starting it in boiling liquid then putting on a lid, turning the heat down to low and letting it sit for an hour.
...
- 77.2k
6
votes
Accepted
Can these Oktoberfest dishes be reheated without ruining them?
The potato salad, and the peppers and onions, are standard steam-tray fare. If you can, make them somewhat ahead of time and keep warm, covered, in a low oven. The brats can be treated likewise, ...
- 23.8k
6
votes
Is it OK to reheat my spaghetti sauce over & over?
Food safety wise, you want to minimise the amount of time the uneaten sauce spends in the "danger zone", 4-60 degrees Celsius. When you repeatedly reheat and chill food, every time it chills ...
- 10.6k
6
votes
Accepted
What would be the best way to freeze and reheat home-made pizza
Based on personal experience with both my own pizzas, made in a pizza oven and reheated in a regular one, and professionally made high-quality frozen pizzas from a wood-fired oven (Vicolo in San ...
- 53.9k
5
votes
Should I cover food while reheating it in a microwave?
I use the cover because it's easier to clean than the microwave if something splatters.
- 1,363
5
votes
Accepted
How do I reheat previously-cooked frozen sausage?
One option: reheat slowly in the microwave and until it is barely unfrozen enough to break apart. Then break it down into meal-sized portions, take the part you want for now and wrap the remaining ...
- 166
5
votes
How can I reheat Onion Bhajis without an oven or hub to make them crispy?
If the bhajis fit into the toaster slots, toaster bags should work. They are primarily intended for toasted sandwiches, but it they can contain melted cheese good I wouldn’t expect a bit of bhaji ...
- 2,960
5
votes
Can you extend shelf life by reheating?
The short answer is: no, you can't. In food safety, the times safe at a specific temperature range are cumulative, and nothing can "reset the clock". You only get the opportunity to keep it from ...
- 132k
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