Summer’s almost here, and it’s not just your chill space that needs a spruce-up — it’s also a great time to rethink how you reheat your leftovers. You didn’t see that one coming, did you? It’s true, though: If you’re still nuking cold pizza or soggy fries in the microwave, you’re seriously missing out. And, hey, leftover pizza with a summertime movie binge? Sign me up.
A quick spin in a nonstick skillet is the best way to reheat pasta, noodles and rice dishes.
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.
While you can probably get away with nuking simple fried rice, a microwave tends to overcook pasta and noodles and will likely turn your chicken, shrimp or sliced beef into rubber. Instead, just throw it all in a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Toss intermittently and in a few minutes, you’ll have something nearly as good as when it first showed up at your table or door the night before. Nonstick pans typically take all of 15 seconds to rinse clean.
For rice dishes, consider a stainless-steel, carbon-steel or cast-iron skillet to get crispy rice.
Read More: What Is ‘Teflon Flu’? What to Know About Nonstick Cookware
Two minutes in the air fryer. Now, that’s more like it.
Often, the way food was cooked is also the best way to reheat it. For steaks, pork and burgers, be sure to cover the skillet so the meat heats through faster.
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.
Fair warning: These types of reheated foods will never be quite as good as when you first pulled them from the grill, pan or plancha, but this method should leave them more than edible.
Move away from the microwave and toward better leftovers.
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. Most reheated food that comes out of the microwave has a degree of rubberiness, dryness or mushiness that it didn’t have when it went in.
Microwaves don’t typically heat food evenly, either, resulting in food that’s either too hot or too cold in places — sometimes both. Plus, microwaves are prone to messy explosions. If you have to clean your microwave after reheating food, it’s not a time-saver.
“But it’s so much faster!” you say, but is it? Most of the methods outlined below take less than five minutes. The air fryer cooks almost as fast as a microwave and, in my opinion, much better. Adding an air fryer to your kitchen may feel like an upfront cost, but these budget-friendly super convection ovens are the best first step towards better leftovers. Plus, they’ll save money on your energy bill over time.
