Leftovers might not be for everyone, but I love to have an extra serving from last night’s delicious dinner for lunch the following day. Whether I cooked or ordered the food, leftovers feel like a free meal.
Reheating leftovers correctly to get the best taste is critical to enjoying them. First off, forget the microwave; there are much better ways of reheating your chicken, pizza, stir fry or even fried foods without nuking them into a rubbery mess.
Read more: Making a Whole Chicken in the Air Fryer Is the Best Cooking Hack I’ve Found all Year
Whatever you do, don’t toss those leftovers. They may never achieve full first-time glory, but with the proper protocol, you can reheat food so it tastes similar to fresh.
If you’re looking for the best way to reheat Chinese food, braised beef or deep-dish pizza, here’s what you need to do. These are the best methods for reheating leftovers so they taste like they did the first time, every time.
Microwaves are bad at reheating most kinds of food
The microwave is the appliance most commonly employed to reheat leftovers and it may be the fastest, but I’d also contend that it’s the worst. Mostly anything that comes out of the microwave is almost certainly going to have a degree of rubberiness, dryness or mushiness that it didn’t have when it went in.
The microwave is a great place to poach an egg, if you do it carefully.
Although most dense foods shrivel up or dry out in a microwave, some softer foods handle the microwave heat better. Items such as soup (covered), sauce, plain rice or mashed potatoes won’t lose too much oomph if you nuke them. The microwave is also a great place to quickly soften butter or make popcorn, or to warm up water, baby formula and other liquids. It’s even one of my favorite ways to poach an egg, so the microwave is by no means a useless appliance.
Noodles, pasta and rice dishes
Best way to reheat: Nonstick skillet
This wide-ranging category of classic takeout includes Italian pasta dishes; Indian curries with rice; Thai, Vietnamese and Korean noodles; and Chinese stir-fries. We’re talking about any dish featuring starch such as rice or noodles with diced vegetables, meat or plant-based protein and a sauce. The one thing they all have in common is that they’re best reheated in a nonstick skillet or wok.
Why so sad, cold pizza?
The quick blast of an air fryer’s superconvection will reheat your pizza to crispy perfection in about two minutes at 400 degrees F, depending on how large and thick it is. Be sure to use the basket or grate or else the hot, flat bottom of the air fryer basket could burn the bottom of your slice. I won’t heat leftover pizza any other way. If you didn’t have enough reasons to spring for one, air fryers use way less energy than a big oven.
If you thought it was impossible to revive leftover fried foods such as chicken and crinkle fries, think again.
Side note: Beyond reheating fried chicken, a good air fryer also makes delicious “fried” chicken and other foods with far less oil than traditional methods.
Steak, pork chops, burgers and grilled chicken
Best way to reheat: Cast-iron or nonstick skillet
Cuts of meat, including steak and pork chops, are another food that can be tough to resuscitate. Fear not, because there is a way. While reheating grilled steak or fish in an air fryer or oven isn’t impossible, you’re likely to dry the meat out. Instead, I suggest re-searing it quickly in a covered hot cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan for no more than a minute on each side. The hot surface of the skillet should give life back to the crust. Keeping it covered will help warm it through before the pan heat has time to overcook it. For delicate fish, you might want to use a nonstick skillet to keep the flesh from sticking or falling apart.
A covered skillet with a splash of stock is the best way to reheat leftover braised food.
Best way to reheat: Covered skillet with a splash of liquid
Braised dishes such as chicken in wine sauce or short ribs should be reheated in a way that mimics how they were cooked. Just heat them gently for a few minutes in a covered nonstick or stainless steel pan with an ounce or two of water or chicken stock. The hot liquid will warm and revive the braised or slow-roasted meat, giving it back its juicy tenderness.
For more tasty tips, see how to find cheap wine at the grocery store and how to cook a perfect whole chicken in the air fryer.
