Guide: how to reheat leftovers the best way
Sometimes we deliberately cook or order too much food, because: leftovers. That curry is even tastier the next day, and sometimes you feel more like fried rice at work than a sandwich. But how do you reheat fries so they become crispy again? And how do you keep that ultimate juicy meatball juicy? We’re giving you once and for all the ultimate reheating guide.
White rice
Best reheated in the microwave with a small splash of water.
Fried rice
Also in the microwave, but because it’s already deliciously greasy, you don’t need to add any water. Set your microwave to the medium setting and stir the rice every 20 seconds.
Fries
Nothing is as gross as lukewarm, limp fries. So reheat your leftover fries under the grill. Don’t have an oven with a grill setting? Heat a cast-iron pan until very hot and fry them in it until you achieve the ultimate crunch.
Mashed potatoes
If you’re going to peel, boil and mash potatoes anyway, you might as well make a whole lot at once. The next day, reheat the mash in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.
Fried potatoes
They’ll never be as delicious as when freshly fried, so preferably eat them the same evening. Were your eyes really bigger than your stomach? Spread them out on a baking tray and cover them with aluminum foil. 10–15 minutes at 200℃ and you’re good to go.
Vegetables
Fried or roasted? They can simply go in the microwave. Steamed? Put them in a container with a little water, cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap and place in the microwave.
Eggs
Made a frittata or Spanish tortilla? Just let it come to room temperature, but don’t reheat it. Reheated eggs are rubbery, unpleasant and not good for you at all. Don’t go there.
Stewed meat
You can simply reheat it in a pan, but this does risk making the meat too soft and causing it to fall apart; stirring only makes this worse. Want to be sure it heats evenly? Then the oven is your friend. Cover with aluminum foil and reheat for 15–20 minutes in an oven at 180℃.
Meatball
The ultimate leftover dish, because a meatball makes fantastic sandwich filling the next day. It’s already delicious cold, but if you do want to heat it up, do so in the microwave. Unless the meatballs were cooked in sauce. In that case, put everything back in the pan over very low heat and stir gently until everything reaches the right temperature.
Ground meat
Did you fry ground meat until crumbly for tacos, the Asian meat salad larb or with noodles? It can go in the microwave, but stir it occasionally.
Roast chicken
Whether you roasted a whole chicken or only have legs or thighs left over: you want crispy skin and tender meat, even when eating leftovers. To achieve this, wrap the chicken in aluminum foil and heat it for about 20 minutes at 180℃ in the oven. For extra crispy chicken skin, you can crisp up the skin side in a hot pan afterward.
Spareribs
Did you order ribs, but also have lots of fries and coleslaw? We understand that you can’t finish all the meat. Luckily, spareribs are ideal for reheating. Put them in aluminum foil for about 15 minutes at 160℃ in the oven.
Sausage
Sausage also makes a killer sandwich the next day. With sauerkraut, mustard, crème fraîche, onion sauce, fried tomatoes or simply a smear of coarse mustard. The sausage can go straight into the microwave. Couldn’t be easier.
Steak
Reheating steak is a terrible idea, because it always dries out. It’s better to let it come to room temperature and eat it in a salad or, naturally, on bread.
Pasta
Cooking the right amount of pasta remains impossible. We’re not really fans of reheated pasta, so we simply always finish everything. But if you really can’t eat it all and the sauce has already been mixed with the pasta, the best way to reheat it is in the microwave. We always store leftover sauce separately, heat it separately (over low heat in a pan) and serve it with freshly cooked pasta. Even tastier than the day before.
Lasagna or baked pasta
Does your pasta fall into this category? Then it reheats better. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and put it in an oven at 180℃. You can optionally add a little water to prevent the pasta from drying out.
Pizza
Nothing is as delicious as a slice of pizza straight from the fridge. But okay, if you want to reheat it, the best way is in a frying pan over medium heat. This makes the crust nice and crispy without burning the toppings.
Soup
Whether it’s a creamy soup or broth, everything can simply go in a pan over low heat. With noodle soup, always keep the noodles separate so they don’t continue cooking.
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