How many times can food be reheated and what is the best way to do it?

Either the remaining portion of pasta or pizza, many dishes are not finished and are left for the next day. If you cook, you know the problem, the quantities are not always calculated correctly, nor is it in our power to know the appetite of the diners.

In addition, pre-cooking is very practical, you can prepare meals from today for tomorrow. But when it comes to reheating, a few questions arise: Is it easy to reheat any dish? How often can food be reheated? And which method is better?

It is important to know the answers to these questions because if food is reheated incorrectly, leftovers can cause a food poisoning.

Tips for properly reheating food

The vast majority of foods and preparations can be easily reheated. Some foods, such as pasta, potatoes or rice, are even healthier when reheated after being in the fridge, because the proportion of digestible carbohydrates is reduced and resistant starch increases which works in the intestine as beneficial fiber for the intestinal microbiota.

With the following basic tips, heated food will taste delicious and retain most of its properties:

Cool leftovers as quickly as possible (in less than two hours after cooking them). Store in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days. The golden rule is always heat above 70°C for at least two minutes to kill most of the germs.Reheat the pasta in hot water for it to take off.Frozen leftovers should be thawed properly in the fridge. Once thawed, prepare and eat within 4 days maximum. Leftovers that have thawed are not refrozen.Pizza stays crisp if you heat it in a pan without fat for a minute or two.Soups and stews often improve when reheated. because the flavor is fully developed. Put it on medium-high heat, stirring regularly. You can reheat them up to three times.

What foods cannot be reheated?

Mushrooms: The myth persists that mushrooms should never be reheated. But if you have prepared the mushrooms and quickly put the dish in the fridge after cooking it, you will be able to reheat it the next day without any problems. However, you should heat the mushroom dish over high heat and not reheat it more than once.Spinach: Many people don’t reheat spinach because it’s rich in nitrates that can turn into cancer-causing nitrites when heated, but this only happens if the spinach hasn’t been kept refrigerated. If you put the spinach in the fridge quickly after preparing it, you can heat it up in a saucepan and eat it the next day. You just have to be careful with younger children because they are more sensitive to nitrites than adults.Rice: Uncooked rice may contain the bacteria bacillus cereus, which can cause food poisoning. These spores are surprisingly resistant to heat and often survive cooking. After cooking it, be sure to put it in the fridge quickly, don’t let it sit too long at room temperature. Otherwise, bacteria can develop that are not killed when reheated.

How to reheat rice

In the pan: If the rice is stuck together, separate it with a fork. Add a splash of water, the one you think will be able to absorb the rice. Cover the pan and cook on low heat. Stir regularly.Baked: Put the rice in an ovenproof dish along with a little water. Pull it apart if it’s stuck. Add a little olive oil to prevent sticking and enhance the flavor. Cover the tray with a lid or baking paper. Cook at 150 °C for 15-20 minutes.

Meat and fish

In general, with plant foods there is less risk of food poisoning. With meat and fish special precautions must be taken. People who eat animal products can take into account the following recommendations:

Heat meat and fish: they can be reheated if they have been fully cooked beforehand and stored quickly in the refrigerator. On the other hand, when heating them you have to check that it heats up well on all sides. Don’t reheat them more than once.