For a lot of things, I've found the best & fastest way to reheat is to take the chill off in the microwave while the oven preheats. Then, finish heating in the oven to keep the texture right. Takes half the time of oven only with the same outcome.
Used to do this for bake potato if cooking for one , as seemed a waste to run oven for such a long time, you won't get a the perfect caramelization , but if you do the split right, get feely close. Plus was surprised as chef didn't use microwave, as imagine can save a disasters if mucked up time, to gain back some quick minutes. Probably not so crucial in well equip restaurant as have some other powerful options
Especially for fries. Some fries get dry or chalky in the fridge (the same way rice does), and the oven on its own gets them crispy without solving that problem. Microwaving rice long enough softens it back up, and figuring out I could do the same with fries, then crisp them up in the oven afterward was a game changer for me.
I swear by my pizza method I've used for like 20 years. Heat cast iron pan on lowest setting. Use a tiny bit of oil, or preferably cooking spray. Put pizza in, cover, give it like 20 minutes (depending on crust thickness), remove. Cheese and toppings will be warm and melty and the bottom of the pizza will be super crisp and crunchy. Sometimes even better than fresh
I'd prefer not to use additional oil on already greasy food. The pan method with water works just fine for me, just with much less water and only pour it around the pizza. Preferably, use a spray bottle. A little goes a long way, so the dough does not get soggy. Having a lid on will help recycling the existing moisture, so the pizza doesn't get too dry.
I’m been watching so many of Andy’s videos and I just love how real he is. Nothing seems forced or fake from the banter with his loved one, the missus coming in and stealing food, stuff falling all over the counter top, love it this is what I like to see. Someone who hasn’t become consumed by RU-vid just cooking at home. New sub 🤗
I've watched a lot of cooking shows and youtube videos, and I don't think I've seen a video or a show dedicate a whole episode to this topic. Super awesome idea. I figured I knew how to reheat leftovers, but I definitely learned a trick or two. Great video, and hello from Texas!
Microwave: Sprinkle a bit of water over the top. Place a microwave shield over the top. Test the reheat button on your microwave. It usually has three time settings and uses lower power settings. Manual settings: Set for two minutes on half power. That takes off the refrigerator chill. Flip or mix. Then, depending on contents, one to three minutes on 70% to 100% power to heat to preference. Removing fridge chill at lower power first will avoid drying out the food. Wrap breads and pastries in loose paper towel (kitchen towel?). Sprinkle a bit of water on it. Heat at low power in 30 second increments to avoid bread becoming dry and tough. Some only need twenty seconds. Many of the tests in the video used a paper towel without a sprinkle of water. He also defaulted to high power, 100%, on all of the tests. Using water and lower power will obtain much better results.
@@daytonandersen361 that's like 3 lines of good info... I am sorry there's no subway surfers along with it edit: the og post got edit and added way fucking more lines
@@sparkyd6225 my boy Andy literally said stop being lazy and just use the oven Botta Bing boutta boom theirs ur answer I hope u have good day ~ feel better sparky :>
@@daytonandersen361it's a good thing everybody has an oven at their disposal. I mean what would college dorm life or my first apartment have been without one.
You should be one of the judges on MASterchef Australia ! Your personality is great for the show. So here you go, I am blessing you. May the FORCE OF FOOD GODS be with you ! 🫡
@@chasegodwin8257ehh... a compilation of the best ways to reheat different common foods with examples is enough to know i needed this video. I'm not even past the commercial for gear yet and found useful ideas on reheating fries.
Northern Chinese here. Leftover dumplings are the best and the only way to reheat them is to shallow fry them. We usually make extra just to be able to have fried dumplings the next day
Japanese here. Our country's "yaki-gyoza/grilled dumplings" was found from that method. We eat that as soon as possible after made so use thin crust compare to Chinese one.
Hot tip for air fryer re-heating leftovers - just drop the temp. Let me repeat - just drop the temp. Leftover pizza? 130c for 10mins. Leftover chicken 130c for 10mins. You don't want to double cook, just heat it up without drying it out while keeping the crisp.
andy clearly doesnt know how to use a microwave. i just saw him type in the time he wants rather than just hitting the "start +30 seconds" button the requisite number of times.
@@andy_cooks I think the crime here was incorrect use of microwave. You added oil to the frying pan at some occasions, why? because you know how to use a pan. Microwave needs logic too. 1. The way microwave works is by vibrating water molecules cut this will cause them to evaporate, or if food is too dry, it won't heat evenly. so always add water to anything you reheat. I use a water spray on anything I put in a microwave. 2. If you want something crunchy on the outside, never put it into microwave, it will draw moisture from inside to outer layers, making anything "mushy". so fries and pizza won't be good.
My take on reheating is if you are hungry you use the quickest method available and when your belly is full then ponder the "next time I'll try another way" 😄😋
I think people underuse the power control on microwaves. Reheat something on 50% so you don't blast it. And stir it multiple times, like you would reheat something in a saucepan.
100% this, it still won't keep things that have a crisp outside great but with some power control you can ensure things heat evenly without rubberizing them.
Agree - you don't need full nuke, especially if you have a high power unit. But I also find that adding some water to items like rice and sauced dishes helps to reconstitute the sauce and build steam for keeping things moist. A microwave is just like any other cooking method/tool and requires little tricks to help produce the best results. You can't just mindlessly chuck something into it and expect it to be magically perfect.
@@richarddankovcik975 Exactly. If I'm microwaving something like lasagne or frozen soup, I'll heat for ~2-3 minutes on med-high, leave it for a few minutes, heat it again, etc. Slowly raise the temp over 10 minutes to let the heat sink through without scorching the outside.
On most mircowaves that just turns the magnatron on and off. On for 10 seconds, off for 10 seconds, on for 10 seconds, off for 10 seconds. It is not a dimmer style control where the thing can run at 50% power.
My favorite way to reheat things is to put it in the microwave for about a minute to remove the chill, and then put it in the Toaster Oven for about a "Medium Toast" cycle, which finishes heating the product, and makes it crisp, which it great for anything fried. Also for Pizza. I do cover stuff with a Paper Towel, but a Paper Plate works, too. Normally, when I reheat stuff just in the Microwave, I heat it at 70% heat, not high, unless I'm doing the Toaster Oven method. High heat should only be for initial cooking, in my opinion.
High heat can work for soups, stews, and other liquidy things, but otherwise, 100% agree. 60-70% is perfect for microwave reheating, but an oven finish is usually best.
@@andy_cooks For me it is, I buy a 16" pizza, manage to eat like half of it for tea and then stick the other half in the fridge and then have it for breakfast.
@@deanm5325 I tend to because its more cost effective to get take out with one I can't eat in one sitting and then the left over is breakfast the following morning.
Best way to reheat leftover dumplings: pan fry with scant amount of oil. Keep turning them so all the sides get brown crispy. Essentially they're now potstickers. The texture of the crispy bits with the not-crisp bits with the filling is so satisfying.
Ok, thats all good and all. But the thing with reheating food is that if it takes more than 7 minutes the method is disqualified. You can maybe stretch that to 10 minutes for special occasions
The ultimate pizza re-heating method: - Microwave about 30-60 seconds, just until the cheese melts a bit and toppings get some heat. The idea is to just take the chill off and make it a bit floppy again. - Put pizza in a frying pan over medium heat (erring towards med-low), cover is optional but recommended for thicker pizzas. It'll take around 5 minutes until the bottom is crispy and pizza is heated through. Never fails, little mess, extremely easy. 🤙
This is exactly what I do. you don't lose the texture because you are only warming it in the microwave. And any texture you lost is regained by toasting it in the pan.
My favorite (lazy) method for reheating pizza 1. throw it in the microwave to melt the cheese and steam the dough for like 2-3 mins (might wanna add some drops of water if pizza looks super dry) 2. while microwaving heat up a heavy pan. Fry the slices to liking. you kinda get the best of both worlds with this one, fluffy dough and a crispy bottom.
I like how you didn't diss any cooking method. They are all valid in their own circumstance. I"ve got some tips of my own: 1) A lot of microwaves nowadays have staged cooking settings which allow you to fine control how you heat up your food. The way I like to do it is I heat up food on high for a few minutes and then finish it off at a medium low power for another few minutes (all depending on the power of the microwave and the size and type of the food). You won't have to worry about mixing it and the heat will transfer more evenly through the food, since microwaves are notorious for cooking unevenly at high power. 2) Reheating any kind of meat will very often toughen it up, especially white meat. So use a lower temperature to heat up your meat to prevent it from going rock hard. But if it has gone rock hard, just braise it in some water until it has come to temp and it will be super juicy again. 3) When reheating things like bread buns and pastries, if you have an oven that you can set to 75 C then put your pastries in a container with a light spray of water then cover it with cling film and a lid and reheat it at 75C. It should taste fluffy like new again after like 10 min. 4) Preparing food in advance and freezing it for later reheating can actually increase its flavour. Any kind of stew or sauce or curry is a perfect example of this. I don't know why it happens, although it may have something to do with the water particles in the food changing state and being quickly evaporated during reheating, leaving you with a much more concentrated sauce. Rice is another great example of this in terms of texture. Fresh rice might be really sticky, but if you refrigerate or freeze it and then reheat it in a microwave it will often remove that stickiness and make it much more fluffy. My grandma even cooks rice from raw in a microwave and it always tastes amazing. 5) If you are going to reheat a bare piece of meat in the oven, maybe consider covering it in sauce beforehand. That sauce will not only give more flavour to your food but it will add moisture and prevent your food from drying out. A classic example of this are ribs. Often they are cooked in advance and then glazed with bbq sauce before being reheated in the oven.
For pizza, I just put it on a sheet tray, cold over, pre-heat it to 400. Once it's preheated, your pizza is completely heated through. Bottom is still crisp, crust is fluffy and the cheese is gooey. Though it's worth noting my oven is an electric and the heating element is on the bottom, so the bottom is getting blasted directly the whole time.
Great video. Microwave: +1 re the reduced power longer time approach. Re the paper towel - another tip is to make it damp which helps reduce moisture loss.
Great vid for at home. At work for lunch you're at the mercy of what's available. Shorter times with more flipping and stirring makes a difference with microwaves. I rarely heat anything longer than 45 seconds without a flip or a stir. Also, I under cook the bit I know is gonna be leftovers for lunch at work. I know you like testing and giving advice. Might make a good video for leftovers for lunch the next day when micky is the chef available?
Since buying an air fryer , I have only turned on my oven twice and that was for cakes for a cake stall and when needing larger batch of food for guests. Much less expensive to run and less oven cleaning required. Thanks for this great video for reheating my leftovers. 👍
I have a pizza hack thats even better that I found out myself (and not from the internet). Set your ovens to 400F to preheat. Wait about 3 mins or so, then throw the pizza (WHILE ITS STILL HEATING UP) in the oven on a pan. Let it sit in there until the oven gets to 400F (when the oven dings), check to see if its hot enough and when it is take it out. This "rising temp" thing on the pizza I SWEAR makes the pizza taste just like it came from the oven the first time. If you stick the pizza immediately in at 0 degrees (and let it rise in temp) it hardens the bread too much. If you stick it in at 400F fully preheated it'll over cook, dry out or burn the pizza.. Do my method. it WORKS
I personally prefer to do the pan pizza method without water or oil, just get the bottom crispy and call it a day. And I'd rather eat cold pizza than microwaved
Definately a keeper this one! BTW, if you don't have a vac machine: lower the open and filled zip bag slowly to the brim in a large pot full of water, then close it. That way the water pushes almost all the air out of the zip bag.
Regarding pizza, if you have a Dreo they have a new mode called “Creative cook” which allows you to customize some of the cooking process and they can be shared. One of the base ones is “Reheat pizza with atomization”, meaning it spritzes with water during the reheat. I tried it recently and it helped avoid some of that excess char but reheated the pizza perfectly.
Some time ago Chef John of Food Wishes posted a stovetop method of reheating pizza that I practice to this day: put the pizza slices in a dry pan, cover loosely with aluminum foil tent (not tightly wrapped like a pan lid), set heat to medium low. You need to keep an eye on this so the bottom of the crust doesn't brown too quickly. The heat from the bottom in a dry pan crisps up the crust nicely, but since no water is added the dough doesn't acquire a damp texture, while the foil tent pushes back some heat onto the top of the slice making the cheese melt nicely. Nothing gets soggy because air can move easily out from under the foil tent. Quick and easy - crunchy browned bottom, nice cheese pull. If you're reheating pizza in the summer and want to avoid heating up the kitchen by virtue of using the oven, this is a great alternative!
Love this video. I've been getting so tired of the "i tried every xyz to figure out who is the best" type of content. This was actually informative and engaging.
@@andy_cooks Andy- Thanks for this video. I appreciate the time & effort you put into making it. I use the microwave to reheat almost everything. Good to know what choices there are & what temp & time to reheat everything.
As a Texan I found that 230C in the oven for 8-10 minutes is good enough for a lot of smoked meat. If you want it more moist add water to the bottom pan at low temp for 10 minutes first then use high heat to make the outside crispy.
I've spent a lot of time perfecting my pizza reheat, I've tried all the ones you mentioned except the airfryer. For me it's crisp up the base with an oven safe pan on medium or medium-high for 1 and a half to 2 minutes, then cover the top of the crust with a strip of tinfoil, and throw it under my ovens broiler, once the cheese is just starting to melt, i pull the foil off and continue until it's all the way melty. You can skip the foil but you'll get a slightly darker crust like the airfryer example.
Best tip for evenly reheating food in the microwave is to split the pile of food up into a donut shape. The space in the middle allows the radiowaves to heat the dish more evenly and you don't need to stir it jalfway through!
To reheat rice or stews I mostly use a plate or dish to tightly cover the bowl in the microwave . I’ll usually use 80% power and a longer time to prevent drying out. If I’m having something with rice I’ll heat the rice first, then add the protein & veg stew/sauce and cover to heat both through together . Afterwards I’ll usually add some cold crisp veg on the side of the plate for variety.
S-Tier pizza reheating appliance is the sandwich press, bottom heat plate gets your base back to crispy goodness and you set the top plate to be just off the top of your toppings, radiant heat keeps everything lush, a spritz of water on top helps get it moving
Although not common in most households, a steam oven (Anova in my case) does the BEST re-heating, you can reliably reheat to the ideal done temperature without losing moisture, and the conductivity of the steam makes it faster than a regular oven. There's even a method that reheats pizza almost as good as fresh cooked.
I prefer the oven and air fryer (little oven), but being single and now my sons have left home I couldn't justify heating an entire oven for a single serve of reheated chips. For reheating the ribs that method in the pot is genius, I do have a sous vide, but after seeing this I wouldn't use it for the reheat, the efficiency of only heating a small amount of water is so much better 😜 Great video as usual, thank you!
For the skillet method for pizza, you want to put it on the lowest possible setting for 15 minutes with the lid on. It gets perfectly crispy. You always add a little powdered garlic and maybe a topping or two to give it some extra freshness. Can turn day old cardboard pizza like Little Caesar's into something legitimately better than the original. Higher end pizza can't really be improved upon but it gets exceptionally close.
What a great idea for a video, and so useful/important. So many don't bother with leftovers, but ~50% of America's food goes to waste! This helps us not be a part of that. For my money, ever since I stumbled onto Toaster Ovens that has been my go-to. Tiny oven on my countertop, no hassle or electrical draw or kitchen-heating of a full oven, and it's superior for almost all foods (compared to the microwave). I will say, while I respect that this would've been waaaay more work, I wish he had gone all the way, testing every method every time. Sometimes microwaving, sometimes not, seems strange.
If I’m reheating fried rice or any rice in the microwave I put a couple of ice cubes on top and cover with a damp paper towel. Make sure I cook it long enough to get it hot and the moisture from the ice and damp paper towel helps keep the rice fluffy.
My personal reheating methods that I find works for me. Put in a small metal plate of water for the oven, a small ceramic bowl of water for the microwave and a small pool of water at the bottom of the airfryer rack that is separate from the food while reheating or cooking food. Go for longer timing at reduced temperature or power for reheating. Also best to let chilled food lose that chill before reheating it. Works for me all the time. The reheated food won't come out dry. For pan fried, normally I cover the food with a lid over the pan to help retain food moisture whilst reheating it over low heat. I would normally steam all food for reheating as it will guarantee food moisture is locked in. The exception for reheating would be not steaming food that would need retain its crispiness.
A magnetron essentially heat up the surface, so wherever you reheating something in a microwave, make sure it's as spread thinly as possible. If it's thick make sure to put you power at 50% flipping or stirring at regular interval. Unless you're frying something. It's best to never use it on full power anyways.
Great vid. My pizza method is BEST. First step is preheating a pan. Next microwave that pizza until the cheese is melted (30 - 45 seconds). Remove soggy pizza out from microwave and toast the crust on the pan until crisp again. Perfection!
Air fryer on low heat setting is a game changer. Can heat pastries, pies, chicken etc. Then if its a whole meal, just chuck the meal in an oven proof dish and out that in the air fryer, works really well and heated throughout so no cold spots.
Vac pack + water bath can work to reheat other things as well - especially where you don't need to keep anything crispy (like the stir fry or the curry). It's going to take longer, but very little of that is "active time" (especially if it was vacuum packed for storage anyway) so it's something you can throw on quickly and then come back to at dinnertime. Generally you can get stuff to a safe temperature without further cooking any of the components. A circulator will be a little faster than just a water bath, for the same reason the air fryer tends to be faster than the oven (more flow of fluid past the thing being heated = more heat transfer). Reheating in a bowl over a boiling pot of water can be good for curries/stir fries/stews to be a bit more hands-off than doing it in a pan (since there's no risk of burning it if part dries out, so it only needs an occasional stir to heat evenly).
Pan method pizza - avoid damp dough by placing the water in so that it does not touch the pizza. I've found that for some specific pans adding a tablespoon at a time gives the control needed. Key factor is that you are generating steam to soften cheese. No oil is my preference too.
I do a bit of a combo sometimes; Microwave on halfpower then pan/oven. A lot of the time it helps to put some boiling water in the food ih the food if not next to it so it doesn't dry out. Love to see how you prepare a frozen irrvines/big ben pie
I like them all, but I have an alternate for the pizza. Pop it in the micro wave for 30 seconds and then finish in a toaster oven on bake at 300F until the cheese bubbles. You might be surprised. The microwave is just to put a little warmth in it so the toaster oven isn't beating the hell out of it in terms of dryness since it doesn't need to be in there from stone cold.
Excellent video. Lots of tips and tricks. The reheating of ribs in vacuum sealed bag in water I have not heard of before. But for 40 minutes? Long time for me. I wrap them in paper towel and nuke'em for 60 - 90 seconds. Yea, you lose the bark, but the flavor, moisture is spot on still. If I am at work, I don't have a stove or air fryer available. Just a microwave. For spaghetti n meatballs, I keep the sauce/meatballs separate from the pasta and reheat separately. The pasta is covered with a damp paper towel. The sauce, reheat and stir after 30 - 40 seconds. Should take about 90 seconds. Some things are not to be reheated, IMO. Shrimp, fish, anything that lives in water.
I don't love microwaves but you can cheat-steam some stuff in the them by making that paper towel damp. It can counter some of the fridge-dryness, or the drying that happens in re-heating, especially with those dumplings, or similar with filled buns and such, by wrapping them.
for the stir fry and curry - i would have sauteed a bit of minced garlic before tossing them in. that hit of fresh aromatics definitely livens up the flat staleness that you inevitably get from leftovers
Lower power and longer in the microwave allows the heat to equalize with less fuss. This is helpful if you're re-heating several things (and each in their own optimum way).
I'm a single man that buys good food and cooks for himself. I typically buy in bulk and cook in bulk. In my experience though I'm not a professional chef like this man, all left over meat is best pan fried just enough to get it hot. If it's already been cooked you don't need to hit the cooking heat that you do raw. Also in my experience fries are best done re deep fried for a couple of minutes. Sometimes they even end up better than they were to begin with. With steak I turn up a pan to medium-high heat and re sear it then let it rest again. You'll never have the same medium rare you originally cooked it to but you'll still have some pink in the center.
Andy a couple of Notes I use my Philips Air fryer with the pan attachment to reheat Rice, Pizza, Asian food, Pasta etc.. Its a great attachment perfect reheater the food is extra nice. The Pan over the hob to reheat Asian and Pizza is my second most favourite method and my 3 rd usefull device is me Tefal Multicooker with stirrer attachment perfect device to reheat food. thanks for doing this demostration it must have costed you allot of food and money and time. best MG
My favourite way of heating is in a small bench top oven.heats up faster because its smaller than a regular oven but with the same type of heat as a regular oven in half the time.& sometimes faster than a microwave,no stopping & starting to mix.& a curry or a pasta also in the oven in a small baking dish covered in foil or in a sauce pan lid on, on the stovetop.
Honestly, my way of re-heating rice (and pasta if it's got a bolognaise mixed in) is to have it in the microwave, but with a splash of water in the bowl and cover it with cling wrap, that way, the water evaporates and keeps every crevice moist. Also, with the dumplings, I feel that you could put in it a pan and do it with the pizza method. It'll reheat it, and give the dumpling a nice, crispy bottom.
For pizza, I use a combo of microwave and pan. Microwave it long enough to heat through but not change it's texture 30-45 seconds. and then heat it in a pan until the bottom gets nice and toasty.
I’ve found that when I have leftover pasta, I’ll store the sauce and plain pasta in separate containers. When it comes to reheating, I much rather heat the sauce in a pot or a pan, and pasta is fine being done in the microwave. Same principle to reheat cold plain rice. It just needs to be covered to keep the heat and moisture in so it’s not dry
The best way to reheat chips is to lightly microwave first to warm the centre, then into the air fryer to re-crisp the outside. Takes less time and retains the internal moisture. In fact, I microwave frozen chips until hot and then into hot oil for a few minutes... crispy outer soft and moist in the middle... perfect.
Brisket, roasts ,ribs etc. when you put them in the oven add a container with a bit of water on the side the vapour will keep it moist last 30 sec take the water out to retain the crisp on the outside.
Microwave reheat - wet paper towel (throw in a little kitchen paper inside the parcel for "sticky" - or liquidy products which could saturate the paper towel, avoids all the superheating problems of a microwave (superheating destroys pastry / bread)... (thanks AvE..) Wok / frypan reheat - to avoid uneven heating / cooking (meat vs veg)- after a bit of tossing, throw the contents in a ceramic /metal bowel, add water -to wok/pan - pop on lid and steam to perfection.
Just a quick food safety note from a PhD Microbiologist... The toxin that causes issues in cooked rice is heat stable, which means that once formed, you can't destroy it by heating. So, it doesn't matter if you completely reheat cooked and cooled rice, even though I see this information online. The idea of thoroughly reheating cooked rice makes no sense when you consider how many "cold" dishes are made from cooked rice (sushi, onigiri, rice salad). The way to prevent the toxin forming is to 1. Keep rice at least 140oF/60oC, if on a buffet, and/or 2. Cool your freshly cooked rice appropriately, which is, keep at room temperature for less than 2 hours (or 1 hour if your room is hot), before refrigerating.
sandwich press with some baking paper is good for reheating a lot of things, dont get the soggines of microwave but easier than oven/air frier, especially at lunch time
Andy, what about a combi-oven, if you are lucky enough to have access to one? It would have the heat of the oven, combined with some moisture to ‘revitalise’ the food. Just a thought.
I bought my airfryer on a whim since it was on sale. Let me tell you it is the best kitchen buy. We have microwave and oven. I thought we didn’t need one but I was wrong. We use it everyday.
Pro tip for microwaving. Especially saucy/soupy stuff that’s already mixed together. 30 seconds. Stir 30 seconds. Stir 30 seconds. Stir Much more even, and usually 25% faster!
What I do for pizza is simply 1 minute in the microwave to heat up the top and then 2~3 minutes on the cast iron with olive oil until the bottom gets crispy. It's delicious.
