This is the trick to reheating pasta properly in the microwave
Sometimes, very occasionally, you end up with leftover pasta. In my case, that usually happens when I accidentally put an entire pack of spaghetti in the pan, ‘just to be on the safe side’. Luckily, you can often eat that pasta just fine the next day. The only challenge is getting it properly hot again. How? There’s a handy trick for that.
Of course, you can easily reheat your pasta in a pan. The golden tip is to add a small amount of water to the pasta. That gives it back the delicious texture it had before. But honestly: we don’t always feel like reheating pasta in a pan. The main reason is the extra washing-up it creates. In that case, the microwave is an easier option. But how do you do it properly?
The doughnut trick for reheating pasta in the microwave
What often happens when reheating pasta in the microwave is that the pasta on the outside of the plate gets hot, while the inside remains cold. So you keep pressing those buttons on your microwave again, impatiently hoping for a better result. The only consequence is that the hot pasta gets even hotter, while the cold pasta becomes lukewarm at best. How do you fix that? By arranging your pasta on your plate in a kind of doughnut shape. In other words, push your pasta toward the edges of your plate and make a hole in the middle. This tip also works well when reheating other meals, such as those from Factormeals.
Why does this work?
Why does this doughnut shape work so well for your pasta? Microwaves use short electromagnetic waves to heat food. These waves come from the inner edges of the microwave. From there, they essentially bounce off the side of your plate. To heat the food in the middle of your plate, the heat has to ‘travel’ from the outside of your plate to the centre. That takes a long time. If you push your food toward the outer edges of your plate, the heat doesn’t have to make that journey.
Extra tips
Even when heating pasta in the microwave, you can sprinkle a little water over it. This gives your pasta that soft texture, instead of the crusty bite that develops otherwise. Covering the plate with damp kitchen paper has much the same effect. And one more tip: always let your plate stand for about a minute before taking it out of the microwave piping hot. Yes, this means you won’t burn your tongue, but it also gives the heat a little time to penetrate your pasta properly.
Favourite pasta
Then I might as well take the opportunity to share my favourite pasta recipes. It’s a bit like having to choose between your favourite children, but all right: I’ll do it anyway. A wonderfully delicious summery pasta dish is this spaghetti with garlic prawns. An added bonus: this recipe has only 5 ingredients, so it’s super easy. Even easier is the spaghetti pomodoro from the culinary hit ‘The Bear’. Anyone who has seen the series will undoubtedly have been salivating at the sight of this dish. And finally, I’ll choose pasta vongole. Emma de Thouars’ version really is the very best, believe me.
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