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 RUclips just cooking at home. New sub 🤗
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.
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.
I love to air fry my leftovers with a very small amount of water in the bottom of the air fryer to kickstart the temperature and steam around the bottom as the top gets roasted. It really helps preserve moisture and just requires a flip or two for even browning. My preferred method for reheating leftover pizza is to air fry just like @flain283 said, on low temp, and then finish in the frying pan to crisp up the bottoms.
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
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.
20 minutes 😂 Youve wasted an untold amount of time over 20 years. Do the exact same thing, except turn the damn heat up 😂 Pizzas cook at 550° plus, I assure you it'll be fine and ready to eat in 5 minutes
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 ! 🫡
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.
I agree with the microwave method. Although I use 60% for almost all reheating. I don't know why more people can't exhibit a modicum of impulse control and wait an extra 60 or 90 seconds for better results. Although, soups and stew can take a high power when reheating. Alternatively I use 40-50% power for steak and other beef.
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.
I must have developed some sort of resistance against this toxin, growing up Asian, because I’ve been reheating old rice since forever and I didn’t die. Growing up we didn’t even bother putting the rice in the fridge. They just sat on the table soaking up all humidity and heat in the house 😅
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" 😄😋
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We reheat pizza for 4mins in the AF on 180C but then the thickness of the topping is a consideration too. Our microwave is one of those crisp n grill convection types and before reheating stew/rice etc. I usually put the food on the Defrost function for 2 - 3 minutes to get the middle warming before I use the MW function. Thank you for doing this comparison. I loved that you can see the value of many different appliances (it justifies me buying so many..lol). It just takes time to figure out how best to use them all.
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.
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. 👍
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.
@@lifedragon99 my source is: I read it on the Internet! 😅 I'd love to have an actual source someday. But today I'm too busy Consuming Product to double check.
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
@@blainemarquise Maybe if you precook meals so you are already intending to reheat your food on a daily basis, but most people only reheat a little bit of leftovers and it is not worth that much effort. It's why when I reheat food, I don't actually reheat it. I cook it with the rest of my food. Toss it in the oven or in the pan with my actual meal.
@@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.
love ya andy! oven is king! i do my pizza in the oven at 325 for about 11 minutes. best key here is to put them upside down on some nonstick foil of course. and after 5 minutes butter and parmesean cheese the crust too! this gets you a super crusty and now tasty as heck crust on the reheated pizza. i dare say it can be better than the night before when it was fresh. i also love to glaze my hot wings in the oven too! and yes i do this when i order them fresh to-go or delivered too. its a absolute must do. and anybody who hasnt, you will thank me!!! oven 350 for about 8-10 minutes. best friggin hot wings ever!!!! the more sauce thats on them before popping them in the better.
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'm a fan of reheating pizza in the sandwich toaster. Two slices put in like a sandwich with the crust on the outside and cheese in the middle. Makes the crust a bit more crispy but keeps the moisture in the cheese and toppings.
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.
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?
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
Good tips here Andy, thank you! A really simple microwave tip (for non liquids) is to make a small well in the middle of what you're heating. The middle gets heated and therefore everything is much more evenly heated. Works a treat!
As someone who (proudly) doesn't own a microwave, these tips are lifesavers! Thanks! I would definitely under-use a microwave and it takes space on the countertop, so I'll just stick to my trusted pots and oven
Im opening a restaurant in michigan in November would love to send you the menu see what you think. Pretty basic tavern food but i like input from as many angles as possible and you are uncle andy 😂 keep it up man love your videos
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
For Microwave Reheating: Paper Towel vs Cling Film. Messing with the power setting on the microwave also helps for most reheating scenarios if you don't care too much about time. Lower tends to result in a more even heating. Personally I find if what your reheating is exceptionally liquid based, the Cling Film maintains that better than Paper Towel, so things like Soup, Stew, Chili, Curry, etc. If you need it to remain crispy-er but it's still a bit saucy tight Paper Towel (like the stir fry) so use an extra sheet or two wrap around the bowl and pin it down to retain a bit more of the water vapor near the dish. Loose Paper Towel like you did for most things that really don't have a major emphasis on retaining external moisture (can't save internal moisture well with a microwave). For dry things like the Fries/Chips a Paper Towel Beneath the food can help, but I find depending on that specific batch of food sometimes it will just cause them to stick to each other. Things that are exceptionally greasy or moist when fresh things tends to stick more often. Last tip I haven't quite grasped the best use case scenarios as it can oddly help with both crispy things and moist things is to place a small vat of water (like a half filled ramekin) in the microwave with the food to essentially steam/humidify the enclosure.
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!
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.
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!
Years ago, I reheated many slices of pizza in an electric skillet. I preheated the skillet, tossed in the slice, and used a lot less water that you used, what I would call just enough to cause a few seconds of steam under the lid.. Was the best way I have ever found!
I have used the pan method for warming pizza with great results. I’d recommend doing it a little differently to avoid the soggy middle section. First I use a low to medium-low heat and make sure to preheat the pan for a minute. I immediately place a lid over the pizza so the natural steam helps to melt the cheese. I’ll check the crust after 2-3 minutes, if the top isn’t melted enough I’ll use a very small amount of water (maybe a teaspoon) to generate some steam. After letting it steam for a minute I’ll remove the lid and kill the heat. I let the pizza slice in the pan for another 30 seconds to make sure any excess moisture evaporates away. I’ve had incredible success with this method and it never takes more than 5 minutes. I’ve even managed to make some slices crispier than when they were fresh. I use a non-stick pan and spray with a tiny amount of Pam.
I had to improvise for a period of time when I had no microwave in the house. I found that steaming was a great way to reheat a bowl of left overs, such as curry/casserole, stir fry, pasta that sort of thing. And it did it reasonably quickly too. I used a decent size pot with a stainless steel steamer basket, get the water up to a boil, sit your plate or bowl in the top, lid on and that's it.
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.
Loved the microwaved dumpling reaction! Priceless, got some dull teeth there Andy? Chew, chew, & chew! One immutable rule I have is that anything glutenous NEVER gets re-heated in the microwave for the simple reason that microwaves excite on a molecular level to cause heating to take place and this ALWAYS without exception causes the glutens to seize and become rubbery or tough. What did surprise me was the microwave stir-fry, fried rice etc. I usually defer to the microwave when I am in a rush but I'll normally re-heat in a pan. Always, steam left-over dumplings but again, if I'm being just bone dead lazy I'll plop em in boiling water as well but I find they can get soggy and often the action of boiling will tear them. Thus, nasty cloudy water, and an empty shell of a dumpling or two. Thanks Andy, now I have to get an air fryer, like I don't have enough gadgets and gizmos in my kitchen already! Thanks 🙏😂🙏 By the way Andy, LOVE the merch! Especially as I've been looking for years for a round press for bacon etc. and one that is functional (and I see they're out of stock WT? MAKE MORE!) fry pans are round and the majority of presses are rectangles of cast iron, some even with cast little piggies on top, just NO!
Great video. I would only add, instead of using a dry paper towel, use a damp one - this keeps it from absorbing moisture that belongs to the food. And for fried rice, microwave it with a bit of water, maybe (depending on how dry/wet it is), then quickly pan fry it to get rid of any excess. Cheers!
We used chef mike quite often at the restaurant I used to work at, saved a lot of hassle for some of our uncommon/portioned dishes and I don't want to imagine what it would've been like without it.
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.
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.
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
Great video as always. Just some small advices / tips / stuff to try. For the microwave chicken you might want to go with lower power (if you can adjust it) for a longer time, stops it from drying out as much For roast veggies I would usually reheat them in a pan rather than any other method, easier to adjust if you want to crisp them up a bit Cold pizza for the win lol For the dumplings I would highly suggest putting them in a plastic bag to microwave them (or clean film), it slightly steams them so the skin doesn't dry out as much, been reheating buns and dumplings this way since I was a kid and that has always been the best way (aside from steaming them) to avoid the weird overcooked dough texture although the filling will almost always dry out a bit. Rather than paper towels for the microwave there are plastic cloches (not sure how common it is in Australia though) to avoid splatter and not steam whatever you're blasting.
blimey, im not sure what i expected for yer products but them looked like proper good stuff! i liked the freezer bag the most, never did think of such a thing! might get me folks one for christmas
For pizza I used a flat bed sandwhich toaster. Pre-heat, then lock the lid height just above the top of the pizza. Makes the base crispy again, heats the meat and ingredients and also melts the cheese back to the same way it was when made.
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!
Toasted sandwich maker with height adjustment!! Great for pizza, roast veg, chips, schnitzels….. so many things. Plus it’s readily available at work too!
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.
One trick to reheating in the microwave is to lower the power. Takes a bit longer, but can lead to a more even heat and tends to help overall. Otherwise, I think this is a great video - and I 100000000% agree on the smoked meats; to the point anytime I have anything like pulled pork, brisket, etc... left over I just vacuum seal it and put it in the freezer. Pop it on the stove in warm water and when it's heated it's almost as good as it was fresh.
Chicken is good cold, too. Not icy, but cool Not sure why it needs to be REheated to the same temperature it needs to be cooked to. I also like to reheat plain chicken in sauce or salsa. Definitely helps with dryness. Please keep presenting great content like this
Yeah I wondered about this as well. If you already cooked the chicken it's already safe to eat regardless of temperature. Edit: At least, I'm not dead yet.
A tip for reheating in the microwave oven is to not do it on max power, use half the power or lower and extend the time a bit. That way it's not going to dry out so much and the heat is more evenly spread. Learned that from Lan Lam in one of her episodes on America's Test Kitchen and have been working great to reheat food in microwave oven (as that the only way I can reheat my lunch at office).
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
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).
A lot of the time if I have leftover chicken, I'll just tear it up and add it to something else I'm cooking lol. The chips/fries is really what I'm here for.
You can dampen a paper towel. Then squeeze it out some or leave it wet. The water will make the paper towel less stiff and wrap around your bowl lid. Varying water in it can allow a more steamy environment which helps with reheating rice.
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.
Fellow chef here. Whenever I have steak over, i slice it thinly and simply pour warm sauce over it and let that sit for a minute. You get great flavour and thr meat doesn't change colour at all.
You might try to pack the steak in aluminium foil before heating it in the airfryer. I have some bags made from metalized BoPET that I use for fast freezing and reheating. When I freeze things, which is typically fish, I pack them in the bags, suck the air out to make it tight and drop them in a bucket of brine that I have in the freezer. It works _really_ well. I do the same when I reheat things, except then I drop it in boiling water or water at the right temperature if I want it lower.
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 RUclips just cooking at home. New sub 🤗
Thanks for the sub and the kind words, really glad you enjoy the content. We really love making it for you all!
@@andy_cooks ❤️
@@harriet1190
👍
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.
Couldn’t agree more. 30 seconds to a minute is enough and finish in the oven. 100% facts
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
same thing for frozen foods
Yeah, I also do that for many things, especially frozen meat pies.
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.
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.
Yeh, mine has a reheat setting that drops the temp
So true, I love my air fryer. All that hard takeaway pizza tastes fresh after being reheated in it.
Thank you, I'm glad someone said it.
I love to air fry my leftovers with a very small amount of water in the bottom of the air fryer to kickstart the temperature and steam around the bottom as the top gets roasted. It really helps preserve moisture and just requires a flip or two for even browning.
My preferred method for reheating leftover pizza is to air fry just like @flain283 said, on low temp, and then finish in the frying pan to crisp up the bottoms.
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.
no disrespect not read all that 😪❤️
@@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 :>
@@sparkyd6225 & btw i play rainbow six siege. Subway surfers lame af cough cough*
@@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.
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.
😂
Then you screw up and go too far so you gotta hit stop and restart the cycle again 🙃
@@ForgzyAUstop and save the time for the next use
@@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.
lol
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
sounds delicious, i'll have to give it a try
@@andy_cooksIt’s a thing Andy. My wife and her mum do this. Traditional from xi’an. Lovely. And it’s a different dish from the day before.
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.
These are for steamed or boiled dumplings? You mean 饺子？
Came to say this. Left over dumplings are awesome panfried.
The most useful and practical cooking video that I needed but never knew could be explained. Bookmarked!
Interesting. It’s a 20 minute video and was only uploaded six minutes ago. 🧐
@@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.
agreed.
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.
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.
Why does it need any oil? It isn't going to stick unless you overdo it and melt the cheese?
my oven does the same thing
20 minutes 😂 Youve wasted an untold amount of time over 20 years. Do the exact same thing, except turn the damn heat up 😂 Pizzas cook at 550° plus, I assure you it'll be fine and ready to eat in 5 minutes
@robertgibbs811 it's people like these who will never learn a thing.... like idc that you've done it for 20 years... it's just silly
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 ! 🫡
I second that. A chill aussey chef would be awesome.
Masterchef is a shitshow.
@@tophamatickiwi mate not an Aussie 🤣
Love this idea!!!
Thanks legend, I appreciate it!
Andy - Chef - Home cook - RUclipsr - Phenomenal Actor. The man does it all.
😂
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.
I agree with the microwave method. Although I use 60% for almost all reheating. I don't know why more people can't exhibit a modicum of impulse control and wait an extra 60 or 90 seconds for better results. Although, soups and stew can take a high power when reheating. Alternatively I use 40-50% power for steak and other beef.
I love my toaster oven. I rehear all kinds of stuff in it! Its a collage kid MUST for pizza, chicken, roasted veg, even lasagna.
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.
I must have developed some sort of resistance against this toxin, growing up Asian, because I’ve been reheating old rice since forever and I didn’t die. Growing up we didn’t even bother putting the rice in the fridge. They just sat on the table soaking up all humidity and heat in the house 😅
I reheat pizza in the pan every time, no oil, no water, lowish heat, turns out great. Learned so much from this episode, Very nice!
I just commented the same thing. Can't believe people still don't know this.
Adding water and oil to already overly greasy pizza? Makes little sense.
Same! I think the water is what made the center dough of Andy’s pizza damp.
Wow!
Thanks for doing this comparative study.
Definitely information all of us can use.
Bravo!
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" 😄😋
Gold 😂
all the way
Real
I'm 61 and still use that method
These are great suggestions, but Andy, please dont underestimate my impatience or ability to tolerate subpar food when it's leftovers
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.
You have no idea how relieving it is for me to finally have a favourite YT chef who doesn't munch and smack while eating.
Looking at you, Kenji.
@@jvallas JA omg he's the worst, haha
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.
Yep, that smoked meat should be heated at around 25-50% for a *while* otherwise at 100% you blast the outside by the time the center is warm.
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.
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.
One of your best yet. More like this please.
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.
Agree with this, and if you must use a microwave (eg lunch room at work) then damp down the paper towel.
I LOVE "ANDY COOKS", so much good information. Thank you Andy!
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.
this instruction is just gold, decades of the microwave / oven reheat and im still getting cold and hot meals at the same time.
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 do this too, but 2-3 minutes sounds WAY too long unless it is the whole pie more like 30-60 seconds for a slice.
We reheat pizza for 4mins in the AF on 180C but then the thickness of the topping is a consideration too. Our microwave is one of those crisp n grill convection types and before reheating stew/rice etc. I usually put the food on the Defrost function for 2 - 3 minutes to get the middle warming before I use the MW function. Thank you for doing this comparison. I loved that you can see the value of many different appliances (it justifies me buying so many..lol). It just takes time to figure out how best to use them all.
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.
non stick pan right?
@@ohtrueyeahnah yes. I look forward to these almost as much as eating the fresh dumplings.
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 love these “education with Andy” videos.
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.
got a source on that 50%?
@@lifedragon99 my source is: I read it on the Internet! 😅
I'd love to have an actual source someday. But today I'm too busy Consuming Product to double check.
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
Nonsense
@@blainemarquise Maybe if you precook meals so you are already intending to reheat your food on a daily basis, but most people only reheat a little bit of leftovers and it is not worth that much effort.
It's why when I reheat food, I don't actually reheat it. I cook it with the rest of my food. Toss it in the oven or in the pan with my actual meal.
Watching this 1 hr after reheating my pizza on the frypan, low and slow covered, AMAZING!!!!
"Stats I just made up" 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Andy. What the heck!?!? I literally smoked my first rack of beef ribs yesterday. This could not come at a better time!!!!
Cheers mate.
But.... But.... But! Cold pizza is like the perfect breakfast!
😂 it can be
@@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.
Love COLD pizza. I have no idea why...,
Who has leftover pizza??🤔
@@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.
Nice to hear the video in Spanish. That was great! 👍
Everything is going on the microwave for 2 and half mins 🗣️🗣️
love ya andy!
oven is king!
i do my pizza in the oven at 325 for about 11 minutes. best key here is to put them upside down on some nonstick foil of course. and after 5 minutes butter and parmesean cheese the crust too! this gets you a super crusty and now tasty as heck crust on the reheated pizza. i dare say it can be better than the night before when it was fresh.
i also love to glaze my hot wings in the oven too! and yes i do this when i order them fresh to-go or delivered too. its a absolute must do. and anybody who hasnt, you will thank me!!! oven 350 for about 8-10 minutes. best friggin hot wings ever!!!! the more sauce thats on them before popping them in the better.
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'm a fan of reheating pizza in the sandwich toaster. Two slices put in like a sandwich with the crust on the outside and cheese in the middle. Makes the crust a bit more crispy but keeps the moisture in the cheese and toppings.
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.
Glad you enjoyed!
True I literally never watch those videos. I don't really care which of the 80 American breakfast sandwich joints are best...
@@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.
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?
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
I usually microwave it for about 40 seconds and then chuck it in the pan, you get a great crispy crust and the toppings get warmed better.
@@Roger__Wilco Co-signed.
Good tips here Andy, thank you!
A really simple microwave tip (for non liquids) is to make a small well in the middle of what you're heating. The middle gets heated and therefore everything is much more evenly heated. Works a treat!
Thx for the tip🎉🎉🎉🎉
As someone who (proudly) doesn't own a microwave, these tips are lifesavers! Thanks! I would definitely under-use a microwave and it takes space on the countertop, so I'll just stick to my trusted pots and oven
Getting to eat cold pizza the day after pizza night is one of the joys of having pizza in the first place!
Im opening a restaurant in michigan in November would love to send you the menu see what you think. Pretty basic tavern food but i like input from as many angles as possible and you are uncle andy 😂 keep it up man love your videos
Michigander here. Just curious... Where is it?
I’m the first person to watch this video!!!!
Well done?
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
For Microwave Reheating: Paper Towel vs Cling Film.
Messing with the power setting on the microwave also helps for most reheating scenarios if you don't care too much about time. Lower tends to result in a more even heating.
Personally I find if what your reheating is exceptionally liquid based, the Cling Film maintains that better than Paper Towel, so things like Soup, Stew, Chili, Curry, etc.
If you need it to remain crispy-er but it's still a bit saucy tight Paper Towel (like the stir fry) so use an extra sheet or two wrap around the bowl and pin it down to retain a bit more of the water vapor near the dish.
Loose Paper Towel like you did for most things that really don't have a major emphasis on retaining external moisture (can't save internal moisture well with a microwave).
For dry things like the Fries/Chips a Paper Towel Beneath the food can help, but I find depending on that specific batch of food sometimes it will just cause them to stick to each other. Things that are exceptionally greasy or moist when fresh things tends to stick more often.
Last tip I haven't quite grasped the best use case scenarios as it can oddly help with both crispy things and moist things is to place a small vat of water (like a half filled ramekin) in the microwave with the food to essentially steam/humidify the enclosure.
Glad you did the ribs- I’ve been struggling with reheating them for ages! Can believe I persisted with the bone…
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!
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.
I've been well over reality cooking shows for many years. I think these TV shows would need Andy.. far more than Andy needs them. STFA from them😮🎉😊😂😂😂
Thanks for the useful information, bu also for a positive vibe of your videos.
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!
Years ago, I reheated many slices of pizza in an electric skillet. I preheated the skillet, tossed in the slice, and used a lot less water that you used, what I would call just enough to cause a few seconds of steam under the lid.. Was the best way I have ever found!
love the Andy Cooks products, just ordered the Essentials!
I have used the pan method for warming pizza with great results. I’d recommend doing it a little differently to avoid the soggy middle section. First I use a low to medium-low heat and make sure to preheat the pan for a minute. I immediately place a lid over the pizza so the natural steam helps to melt the cheese. I’ll check the crust after 2-3 minutes, if the top isn’t melted enough I’ll use a very small amount of water (maybe a teaspoon) to generate some steam. After letting it steam for a minute I’ll remove the lid and kill the heat. I let the pizza slice in the pan for another 30 seconds to make sure any excess moisture evaporates away.
I’ve had incredible success with this method and it never takes more than 5 minutes. I’ve even managed to make some slices crispier than when they were fresh.
I use a non-stick pan and spray with a tiny amount of Pam.
I had to improvise for a period of time when I had no microwave in the house. I found that steaming was a great way to reheat a bowl of left overs, such as curry/casserole, stir fry, pasta that sort of thing. And it did it reasonably quickly too. I used a decent size pot with a stainless steel steamer basket, get the water up to a boil, sit your plate or bowl in the top, lid on and that's it.
Also with the paper towel, you can moisten it to add a little extra moisture from steaming when in the microwave.
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.
진짜 유용하다! 남긴 음식을 제대로 데우는 법. 잘 배웠습니다.
Loved the microwaved dumpling reaction! Priceless, got some dull teeth there Andy? Chew, chew, & chew! One immutable rule I have is that anything glutenous NEVER gets re-heated in the microwave for the simple reason that microwaves excite on a molecular level to cause heating to take place and this ALWAYS without exception causes the glutens to seize and become rubbery or tough. What did surprise me was the microwave stir-fry, fried rice etc. I usually defer to the microwave when I am in a rush but I'll normally re-heat in a pan. Always, steam left-over dumplings but again, if I'm being just bone dead lazy I'll plop em in boiling water as well but I find they can get soggy and often the action of boiling will tear them. Thus, nasty cloudy water, and an empty shell of a dumpling or two. Thanks Andy, now I have to get an air fryer, like I don't have enough gadgets and gizmos in my kitchen already! Thanks 🙏😂🙏
By the way Andy, LOVE the merch! Especially as I've been looking for years for a round press for bacon etc. and one that is functional (and I see they're out of stock WT? MAKE MORE!) fry pans are round and the majority of presses are rectangles of cast iron, some even with cast little piggies on top, just NO!
Gotta say a great video Andy haven't seen anyone do a video about this thank you!
Great video. I would only add, instead of using a dry paper towel, use a damp one - this keeps it from absorbing moisture that belongs to the food. And for fried rice, microwave it with a bit of water, maybe (depending on how dry/wet it is), then quickly pan fry it to get rid of any excess. Cheers!
We used chef mike quite often at the restaurant I used to work at, saved a lot of hassle for some of our uncommon/portioned dishes and I don't want to imagine what it would've been like without it.
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.
Really good you mentioning the reheating of food in certain containers. 👌💪 fyi. big fan!
SUCH an underrated video Andy!!!!
What a time to be alive. Top tips from a top chef. For free.
Wonderful show as always but especially like the reheating. That can always be a challenge.
now thats something that i was searching for for a long time, amazing!
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.
I really love reheating thinner slices of smoked meat in the pan, you get some nice extra caramelization which is lovely.
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
Great video as always. Just some small advices / tips / stuff to try.
For the microwave chicken you might want to go with lower power (if you can adjust it) for a longer time, stops it from drying out as much
For roast veggies I would usually reheat them in a pan rather than any other method, easier to adjust if you want to crisp them up a bit
Cold pizza for the win lol
For the dumplings I would highly suggest putting them in a plastic bag to microwave them (or clean film), it slightly steams them so the skin doesn't dry out as much, been reheating buns and dumplings this way since I was a kid and that has always been the best way (aside from steaming them) to avoid the weird overcooked dough texture although the filling will almost always dry out a bit.
Rather than paper towels for the microwave there are plastic cloches (not sure how common it is in Australia though) to avoid splatter and not steam whatever you're blasting.
blimey, im not sure what i expected for yer products but them looked like proper good stuff! i liked the freezer bag the most, never did think of such a thing! might get me folks one for christmas
For pizza I used a flat bed sandwhich toaster. Pre-heat, then lock the lid height just above the top of the pizza. Makes the base crispy again, heats the meat and ingredients and also melts the cheese back to the same way it was when made.
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!
Toasted sandwich maker with height adjustment!! Great for pizza, roast veg, chips, schnitzels….. so many things. Plus it’s readily available at work too!
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.
One trick to reheating in the microwave is to lower the power. Takes a bit longer, but can lead to a more even heat and tends to help overall. Otherwise, I think this is a great video - and I 100000000% agree on the smoked meats; to the point anytime I have anything like pulled pork, brisket, etc... left over I just vacuum seal it and put it in the freezer. Pop it on the stove in warm water and when it's heated it's almost as good as it was fresh.
Chicken is good cold, too. Not icy, but cool
Not sure why it needs to be REheated to the same temperature it needs to be cooked to.
I also like to reheat plain chicken in sauce or salsa. Definitely helps with dryness.
Please keep presenting great content like this
Yeah I wondered about this as well. If you already cooked the chicken it's already safe to eat regardless of temperature.
Edit: At least, I'm not dead yet.
I am so happy I found your channel !!!!
A tip for reheating in the microwave oven is to not do it on max power, use half the power or lower and extend the time a bit. That way it's not going to dry out so much and the heat is more evenly spread. Learned that from Lan Lam in one of her episodes on America's Test Kitchen and have been working great to reheat food in microwave oven (as that the only way I can reheat my lunch at office).
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
Fantastic video holy moly. Thank you Andy, excellent experiment.
that was well worth watching gonna try the pizza in the oven/pan to find my personal preference
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).
A lot of the time if I have leftover chicken, I'll just tear it up and add it to something else I'm cooking lol. The chips/fries is really what I'm here for.
You can dampen a paper towel. Then squeeze it out some or leave it wet. The water will make the paper towel less stiff and wrap around your bowl lid. Varying water in it can allow a more steamy environment which helps with reheating rice.
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.
Fellow chef here. Whenever I have steak over, i slice it thinly and simply pour warm sauce over it and let that sit for a minute. You get great flavour and thr meat doesn't change colour at all.
You might try to pack the steak in aluminium foil before heating it in the airfryer. I have some bags made from metalized BoPET that I use for fast freezing and reheating. When I freeze things, which is typically fish, I pack them in the bags, suck the air out to make it tight and drop them in a bucket of brine that I have in the freezer. It works _really_ well. I do the same when I reheat things, except then I drop it in boiling water or water at the right temperature if I want it lower.