Most housewives prefer to cook dishes for several days - there is no point in standing at the stove once again if you can immediately cook a large pot of soup. And this is logical, but there is one caveat: improperly heated food immediately loses its taste, and can also seriously harm health. Novate.ru tells what mistakes lead to such an outcome.
Error 1: Not heating enough
Sometimes there is simply no time to wait for the preheated food to cool down, so they put it in the microwave for just a couple of minutes, during which it has time to warm up slightly. However, this is a big mistake. According to experts, food must be heated to 73 ° C so that bacteria have no chance of surviving. It's worth using a cooking thermometer to see if it's hot enough.
The food should be scalding hot, so reheat the food until steam comes out. Serve as soon as possible - you can get poisoned with meat forgotten for 40-60 minutes.
Mistake 2: warming up several times
It is better to reheat the leftover food once. Reheating increases the risk that the stomach will not digest food. In addition, the nutritional value will be significantly reduced and the taste will deteriorate. If you are not sure that you will be able to master the pilaf that is in the pan, do not put it all in the pan. It is better to put on a plate the amount that you will definitely eat and send it to the microwave.
Mistake 3: Reheating All Food One Way
It's good to have a microwave at home, in which you can reheat almost any dish, from stew to a bowl of soup. The process itself takes a minimum of time, and the food does not lose its taste. However, what if there is no microwave oven? Heat liquid dishes, such as soup, borscht on the stove, but products that should remain crispy (potatoes with a crust, fried chicken), send to the oven. In this case, the dishes will better retain their texture. The most important thing is to preheat the oven to 170 ° C before placing a mold or baking sheet with a cold dish in it. If you send food from the refrigerator to an unheated oven, it will heat up very slowly, and bacteria will take advantage of the moment and begin to multiply.
Mistake 4: We chill the finished dish for a long time
After the cooking process is over, cover it with a lid and leave for a couple of hours. After the pan has cooled down, immediately send the food to the refrigerator, otherwise bacteria will begin to multiply there. If the pot of borscht or pasta is very large, divide the finished dish into containers to cool it down faster.
Mistake 5: reheating large chunks
Here the question of time is already acute: if you have 15-20 minutes in stock, you can heat large pieces of meat in the oven or in a pan. They will be slower to reach the desired temperature due to their size, so you have to wait. But we advise you to cut the dish into small pieces of the same size so that they heat up evenly and quickly. This way you don't have to put off your breakfast or dinner on the back burner.
Mistake 6: reheating meat with a side dish in the same container
At the same time, you can only reheat dishes with the same density in the oven or in a frying pan. A large piece of pork will take much longer to reach the right temperature than, for example, green vegetables. To prevent the greens from losing their beneficial properties and turning into porridge, warm up the dinner in several stages: first send the meat to the pan, and after a few minutes put the vegetables.
Mistake 7: Unevenly spreading the dish
You've probably noticed that when we put porridge or pasta on a plate in a slide, the food heats up unevenly: while the bottom of the dish is already hot, the top is barely warm. To prevent this from happening, lay out the food on a plate in an even layer - the thickness should be the same over the entire surface. And only after that put it in the microwave to warm up.
Mistake 8: warming up without water
After the next exposure to high temperatures, the dish may simply dry out, losing its softness and juiciness. To prevent this from happening, add a small amount of broth or water to it. You can also use an ice cube life hack - toss it into rice or buckwheat before putting it in the microwave. This simple trick will keep the beans moist.
Mistake 9: Don't use film and foil
If you first cover the dish with cling film, and only then put it in the microwave, it will turn out to be more tender and juicy. Just before doing this, you must read the instructions on the film box. Some wrapping materials can melt, ruining your dinner completely. Also note that it is better to take a deep container for heating food - the film should not come into contact with food while in the microwave.
If you decide to reheat food in the oven, use foil instead of cling film. It will perform the same functions - it will keep the food juicy. To keep the crust crisp, do not cover food too tightly - there should be space between the foil and the meat / fish. In this case, the steam will escape to the outside, and not settle on the surface of the dish.
If you are reheating a purchased dish, be sure to read the recommendations on the package. Some products cannot be sent to the microwave again, while others need to be reheated at a strictly defined temperature.
How to Reheat Specific Foods
• Pasta - it is better to reheat it with the sauce in the microwave oven, spreading it evenly on a plate. To prevent the dish from losing its juiciness, cover the container with cling film and cook for three to four minutes at 50% power. If there is a lot of sauce in the pasta, it is better to reheat them on the stove in a frying pan.
• Pizza - Usually, once warmed up, pizza is barely half as tasty as fresh. This is because in most cases we do everything wrong. Try reheating an Italian dish in a dry skillet, preferably cast iron. Just preheat the pans and place the pizza slices on the bottom. The cast iron surface will allow the dish to warm up evenly, but still leave it crispy. Keep the pizza on the stove until the cheese melts and the sauce is hot.
• Lasagna - In the case of this dish, it is best to ask the oven for help. Cover it with cling film and set to reheat at 160 ° C. A few minutes before taking out the lasagne, remove the foil to create a crispy crust. If there is no time for such manipulations, reheat food in the microwave under cling film.
• Fish - When reheated, fish can easily overcook. If your dish is breaded, send it to the grill (temperature - 63 ° C). As for white fish, it is better to reheat it in foil in the oven or in sauce on the stove to keep it juicy.
Also pay attention to the article Fishmonger: 9 tips to cook fish like in a restaurant