You Simply Must Stop Using the Microwave to Reheat Leftovers - CNET

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A reliable microwave isn't without purpose: softening butter, defrosting a portion of frozen breadstuff that's destined for the toaster oregon rapidly reheating beverage that's gone cold. But successful my kitchen, the uses are fewer and acold between. Before I get excessively precocious connected my horse, fto maine marque it wide that I adore shortcuts. Look nary further than the stack of meal kit boxes folded neatly successful my recycling bin for proof. But room ratio can't travel astatine the disbursal of sensation and texture.

The microwave earned its spot arsenic a room staple mostly connected speed-heating and cooking, but the results -- often chewy, overdone oregon unevenly heated -- permission overmuch to beryllium desired. There are amended ways to reheat astir immoderate benignant of nutrient and astir of them instrumentality the aforesaid magnitude of clip and effort arsenic the microwave.

If you similar your wings crispy, your meat tender and your noodles with bounce, see sparing your next prepared meal oregon sheet of past night's dinner from being nuked to decease and effort these superior ways to reheat each benignant of leftovers.

For much connected microwaves, we recovered retired wherefore pasta condiment always explodes successful the microwave and outlined the five things you should ne'er enactment wrong one.

Microwaves are atrocious astatine reheating astir food. There, I said it

The microwave is the appliance astir commonly employed to reheat leftovers, but I'd besides contend that it's the worst. Aside from foods similar soup, plain atom oregon mashed potatoes, thing that comes retired of the microwave is astir surely going to person a grade of rubberiness that it didn't person erstwhile it went in.

"But it's truthful overmuch faster!" you say. Is it though? Most of the methods outlined beneath instrumentality little than 2 oregon 3 minutes. Plus, microwaves are prone to messy explosions. If you person to cleanable your microwave aft reheating food, it's decidedly not a time-saver.

The air fryer cooks astir arsenic accelerated arsenic a microwave and, successful my opinion, overmuch better. Adding an aerial fryer to your room whitethorn consciousness similar an upfront cost, but these budget-friendly superconvection ovens are the best, archetypal measurement towards amended leftovers. Plus, they'll save wealth connected your vigor measure implicit time.

Food type: Noodles, pasta and atom dishes

Best method: Nonstick skillet

This wide-ranging class of classical takeout cuisines includes Italian pasta dishes, Indian curries with rice, Thai, Vietnamese and Korean noodles and Chinese stir-fries. Really we're talking astir immoderate crockery featuring a starch similar atom oregon noodles with diced vegetables, macromolecule and a sauce. The 1 happening they each person successful communal is that they're champion reheated successful a nonstick skillet or wok.

A microwave tends to overcook pasta and noodles and volition apt crook your chicken, shrimp oregon sliced beef into rubber. Instead, conscionable propulsion the full happening successful a nonstick skillet connected mean heat. Toss intermittently and successful a fewer minutes, you'll person thing astir arsenic bully arsenic erstwhile it archetypal showed up astatine your array oregon doorway the nighttime before. And nonstick pans typically instrumentality each of 15 seconds to rinse clean.

For atom dishes, see a stainless-steel, carbon-steel oregon cast-iron skillet to get crispy rice.

Food type: Pizza and flatbread

Best method: Air fryer

There are a fistful of reasons I emotion my air fryer, but nary much notable than for reheating leftovers. Microwaves perfectly destruct pizza, truthful let's transverse that 1 off. Even toaster ovens instrumentality acold excessively long, successful my experience, and extremity up drying the pizza retired by the clip it's heated through.

The speedy blast of an aerial fryer's superconvection volition reheat your pizza to crispy perfection successful astir 2 minutes astatine 400 degrees F, depending connected however ample and heavy it is. Be definite to usage the handbasket oregon grate oregon other the hot, level bottommost of the aerial fryer handbasket could pain the bottommost of your slice.

I personally won't vigor leftover pizza immoderate different way, and I suggest you don't either. And if you didn't person capable reasons to outpouring for one, air fryers usage mode little vigor than a large oven.

reheated pizza successful beforehand of aerial fryer

Food type: Fried chicken, gallic fries and different fried food

Best method: Air fryer

Leftover fried foods person historically been 1 of the astir hard to bring backmost to life. Enter the aerial fryer, which tin revive fried chicken, fried dumplings, mozzarella sticks and adjacent gallic fries similar thing other successful the kitchen. Similar to pizza, it'll instrumentality lone a fewer minutes to vigor done and you should person a crispy outer ammunition conscionable similar erstwhile the fried nutrient was initially cooked.

For thicker pieces of chicken, usage a little somesthesia astir 325 to 350 degrees F for 3 minutes oregon truthful to guarantee you don't pain the extracurricular earlier the halfway has clip to lukewarm through.

Side note: Beyond reheating fried chicken, a bully aerial fryer besides makes delicious "fried" chickenhearted and different foods with acold little lipid than accepted methods.

Food type: Steak, pork chops, burgers and grilled chicken

Best method: Cast-iron skillet

Cuts of meat, including steak and pork chops, are different nutrient that tin beryllium pugnacious to resuscitate. Fear not, due to the fact that determination is simply a way. While reheating grilled steak oregon food successful an aerial fryer oregon oven isn't impossible, you're apt to adust the nutrient out. Instead, I suggest re-searing it rapidly successful a covered blistery cast-iron skillet for nary much than 1 infinitesimal connected each side. The blistery aboveground of the skillet should springiness beingness backmost to the crust. Keeping it covered volition assistance lukewarm it done earlier the cookware vigor has clip to overcook it. For delicate fish, you mightiness privation to usage a nonstick skillet to support the soma from sticking oregon falling apart.

Fair warning: These types of reheated foods volition ne'er beryllium rather arsenic bully arsenic erstwhile you archetypal pulled them from the grill, cookware oregon plancha, but this method should permission them more than edible.

Food type: Braised, roasted oregon slow-cooked meat

Best method: Covered skillet with cooking liquid broth

Braised dishes specified arsenic chickenhearted successful vino condiment oregon abbreviated ribs should beryllium reheated successful a mode that mimics however they were cooked. Just vigor them mildly for a fewer minutes successful a covered nonstick oregon stainless alloy cookware with an ounce oregon 2 of h2o oregon chickenhearted stock. The blistery liquid volition lukewarm and revive the braised oregon slow-roasted meat, giving it backmost its juicy tenderness.