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You may know the importance of cooking food safely. But, if you want some tips on reheating food safely then keep on reading!

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Who doesn’t relish smoking hot food at the table? Reheating food is a daily task of most households. When the meal is overestimated and there are plenty of leftovers, we tend to store them in the fridge for the next meal to prevent food waste. Reheating food requires some precautions and it’s important to know them as a safety measure.

If you also reheat food to use it in another meal, it is crucial for you to know the right way to do it. I have some expert tips to provide you with the right methods and rules for reheating food. Therefore, you and your family can keep enjoying delicious food in a safe way!

11 Rules For Reheating Food

Cool it Down

Having leftover food is a regular occurrence in almost every house. The first rule is that before storing them in the fridge, you must cool them completely down for safer reheating later. To cool them faster, spread them in wider containers so that the steam can leave fast. If you want more in-depth and also additional information about food visit Conscious Eating.

Single Reheats only

No matter what, try not to reheat leftovers more than once! It makes the food a breeding ground for bacteria which leads to food poisoning. Not only that, multiple reheats diminishes the nutritional value of the food, making you gain very little from it.

To avoid reheating, you can try to make one-time healthy meals that give the most nutritional value. 

Serve Reheated Food Immediately

As a part of eating consciously, you need to know that cooled-down reheated foods grow massive amounts of bacteria in them. For this, the risk of food poisoning increases. Therefore, you need to serve and have the food while it is still hot.

Cut it Up!

Solids and big chunks of food, such as a whole turkey, chicken, or chunky meat in general, takes a long time to reheat. When you purposely increase the temperature to make them heat fast, the outside overheats while the inside stays as cold as before.

Hence, you should cut large pieces of food as a rule to avoid multiple reheating or unsafe meat.

Choose Between the Oven and Stove

For reheating food, you need to decide which method you’re going to use. Since you usually want curries and soupy meals to warm up evenly, then use the stove. Whereas dry and crispier foods, like french fries, are more suitable for heating in the oven or microwave to keep the texture of it.

Set and Check the Temperature

Reheating food means you are somehow cooking your food again! Hence, heating them at a stable temperature is important to prevent over or under-heating. Different foods take different times to reheat.

If you are using the oven, then pre-set the temperature to avoid overheating. On the other hand, if you are using the stove, then use a probe or digital cooking thermometer to monitor the food temperature.

Don’t Pile Food, Divide It

While reheating the food, clustering them on one another won’t distribute the heat evenly. As a result, you might need to heat them again and again. Therefore, you should spread the food evenly in the same thickness for effective heating.

Moreover, bear in mind that food of different densities and thicknesses shouldn’t be heated together. Eventually, they will take different amounts of time to heat up completely. That is why you should separate them according to size and density to heat up properly. 

Use Cling Film to Wrap Food in the Oven

Using cling film to cover your food before reheating will keep the food’s moisture intact and prevent over drying. This is especially important for foods such as grains or chicken relish when they have moisture in them.

Most importantly, be careful when choosing clingfilm. There are some brands that sell cling film made of toxic plastic or that are not heat-friendly.

Use Foil for Holding Moisture

There is a rule for using foil to reheat your food. Foils can’t be used in the microwave, but you can use them in the oven. Simply, foils do quite a technical job. It keeps the inside of the food juicy by retaining its moisture and the outside crispier. For a small tip, you can apply this rule while reheating your turkey to enjoy juicier meat and crispier skin.

Ice For Reheating?

What if you don’t want to over-dry last night’s fried rice leftover while reheating? For reheating grains, the ice rule plays a trick of keeping the moisture in them. Just put an ice cube in the middle of the container, heat it in the microwave and it will keep the moisture intact.

Moreover, you can add a bit of water instead. If you want to add a new flavor to your leftover rice, then add a flavored stock instead of ice or water. The stock will amp up the flavor and infuse in the grain as it heats through.

Check Food Label Instructions

This rule is applicable in terms of frozen meals. Most frozen foods come with special instructions from the manufacturer for heating and reheating. Also, you should follow instructions if you are reheating food ordered from outside. 

Summary

So, these are some of my expert tips and suggestions for reheating food. Though it may not seem like a big deal, if you don’t follow them, you are definitely gambling your family’s health. In the long-term, not reheating correctly might turn into a nightmare.

In summary, I would discourage multiple reheating and encourage making instantly consumable portions. You may think you’re getting all the nutrients from those veggies and poultry, but actually reheating is not benefiting you nearly as much. If you find yourself with leftovers again, take the right precautions and consider these tips when you’re reheating.       

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