Reheating food might be easy. However, how enjoyable the food remains determines how you reheat it and most importantly the equipment you use in reheating the food.
So what equipment should you use to reheat food?
Depending on the type of meal you want to reheat; it could be frozen, leftover, or even smoked meal.
You could reheat your food with a pan or pots. You could reheat your food with a microwave oven or gas or electric oven. A lot of people now use rethermalizer to reheat food.
Whichever equipment you choose to reheat your food would equally affect the outcome of food. After all, it is reheating and not cooking.
In this guide, you will learn how to use these pieces of equipment to reheat your food and what to do to avoid leaving your food in a danger zone.
Let’s get started
Contents
How do you know the equipment to reheat your food?
As stated earlier in this guide the equipment you would use would depend on the meal you want to reheat.
Most certainly you might not want to warm all meals in the microwave or oven unless you want to achieve a different sight or taste with it.
You can use a microwave to warm foods that have some relatable amount of moisture in them so it does not burn or overcook.
More so, you would want to reheat the food evenly.
For meals that do not have enough moisture and you do not want to be too soft, you can use your pan close attention to it.
For your smoked meal, you would want to reheat the same way, so it would be best you use ovens. However, if you want to reheat any other way, then you can do it, provided it soothes your needs.
You could use a microwave or pot or pan to reheat leftover food.
And then for extremely frozen meal rethermalizer could help it pass the danger zone safely.
It is important you know what temperature is best to reheat your food.
What is the safest temperature to reheat food?
- For cooked food-you should reheat your cooked food at least 165°F
- If you must reheat a ready-to-eat meal then 140°F is ideal for it.
- For leftovers- you can safely reheat leftovers to 165°F.
So if you are reheating your meal in the oven set it to reheat at 325°F. If you doubt the temperature then check the food with a food thermometer to make sure the food reaches 165°F.
If you are reheating with the microwave, you would have to stir and rotate the meal now and then to maintain even heating.
So let’s see how to reheat food with these pieces of equipment.
How to reheat food with kitchen equipment
Let’s have a list of this equipment again
- Pan
- Microwave
- Oven
- Rethermalizer
To reheat with a pan
If you are reheating with a pan certainly would take place on a stovetop or gas top. Depending on what you want to reheat, you should try to season the pan or add some water so it doesn’t burn.
Put the meal in a pan selecting the medium heat. Add some water to keep the pan from drying out and at worst burning the food.
Find a lid to cover the pan so the moisture remains in the pan. By the time the food generates enough heat, it begins to sizzle in the pan. Taste the food to make sure it is evenly cooked.
To reheat with microwave
Even the food in the microwave requires moisture to heat food. You can learn more about how the microwave heats the food in it.
If the food is frozen, find the defrost button and let the food melt for some time.
Add some water if you must. Then you can reheat the food for as long as you want it. Always rotate the food to achieve an evenly reheated meal that is safe to it.
To reheat with the oven
You already know the meal you want to reheat using the men. So arrange the items you want to reheat on a tray. Ensure the tray is heat-safe.
You must not add water, but if you must then do. Set the oven to preheat to at least 400°F then carefully place the tray in the oven.
Rotate the food in the oven and make sure you wear protective before approaching the oven.
When the food is warm to your taste, turn off the oven and enjoy your meal.
To reheat with rethermalizer
These appliances work differently and so do rethermalizer.
Rethermalizer uses a hot water bath to reheat the food item evenly. The appliance ensures that food is reheated properly and carried through the danger zone of 41°F to 135°F.
More so, you’ll use less energy with a rethermalizer than you would by defrosting food.
Set the equipment to the desired water temperature it will in no time reheat the food. Some rethermalizer comes with a lid that covers the water tank to heat. This would make you achieve more in less time.
These are ways you can reheat your food with different pieces of equipment.
How many times can you reheat food?
We advise you to not reheat leftovers more than once. As you may know, the quality of your food decreases as you reheat it now and then.
So in other words, if you over reheat it you would utter the taste of your meal which affects how enjoyable it would be.
What if you intend to eat the food again?
If you want to eat the food again then you should not reheat the whole of your food.
You can always put them in the fridge and warm them when you are ready to eat. If the food is frozen being it is out the night before the next day.
It would melt take the amount you want to reheat to avoid uttering the taste.
Read: Skillet You Can Put In The Oven
Conclusion: What Equipment Should You Use To Reheat Food?
Hopefully, you now know what equipment you should use to reheat food.
Reheating is a lot easier knowing the best equipment to use for it and now you know how to use this equipment, be sure to enjoy your meal as though you just cooked it.
Try not to overheat your food. So you do not utter the taste.
Whether you use a pan, microwave, oven, or rethermalizer, we hope that you do so effortlessly.
Good luck reheating your food with your equipment.
Read: How Long Will Food Stay Warm After Crockpot Is Unplugged?