Refrigerate Cod After Cooking

Question

Is it okay to refrigerate Cod (and other kinds of fish) once cooked and eat the next day?

If so, can you reheat it before eating?

Asked by Chris Diver

Answer

Yes, it's fine to refrigerate cooked fish. Many types of fish are excellent (better, even) served cold -- shrimp and salmon are good examples. If you can eat it cold, it's hard to see how reheating would pose any additional risk.

There are some other considerations, though. It's easy to overcook fish, which leaves it dry and less than tender, and that goes double if you're reheating. Use low heat (or low power in a microwave) and be careful not to cook too long. Some sauce will help keep the fish reheat, but avoid storing the fish in a strongly acidic sauce (like lemon juice) as acid will change the fish over time even in the fridge. And avoid reheating fishy things in the microwave at work if you value your relationship with your coworkers -- the smell often lingers.

Answered by Caleb

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Ready to eat food not suitable for microwave

Question

I bought a pre-made cornish pasty fromt the supermarket. The packaging says it can be eaten hot or cold, which presumably means it is already cooked. But the packaging also says it "is not suitable for microwave" and recommends 22 minutes in an oven at 200Cif it is to be heated. Why can't I heat it up in the microwave?

Asked by Ken

Answer

Because it is made from pastry dough. Pastry dough (and any other kind of dough) gets ruined by a microwave. See this question for details of what will probably happen.

The only exceptions for dough in the microwave is pasta (which is supposed to be boiled in water anyway) and some kinds of very soft batter, which can be eaten immediately as a "microwave cupcake" (I think they get unappetizing if left to stay for a while). Any other kind of dough is destroyed by the water escaping the starch as steam.

Answered by rumtscho

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Should I warm wine in the microwave?

Question

Although warming wine in the microwave might seem like a "horrible" thing to do it clearly has some practical benefits.

So will the microwave change the aroma of the wine compared to the conventional way or is it fine to do this**.

_{** Maybe before the guests arrive}

Asked by Besi

Answer

No, it won't change the aroma compared to conventional heating.

Generally, heating does change aroma. But it changes in the same way in conventional heating and in microwave heating (given that you heat to the same internal temperature, which can be very different time and power settings for different types of heating devices).

What microwaves change is texture. That's why the microwave is considered "a horrible thing" among chefs. You can't bake doughs or batters in it, and other things like vegetables can also suffer. Then there is the problem with uneven heating. None of these factors matter with liquids. You can warm milk, wine, whatever, in the microwave, without fearing a taste change.

Answered by rumtscho

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Never ending soup; is it actually safe?

Question

In the poor student or youth worker days it was popular to have never ending soup; a large pot on the stove that was topped up with new and leftover ingredients when available

Normally the pot was stored in the fridge overnight

Food items added were sometimes plate leftovers from fellow flat (share house) mates, whom would in turn be eating the soup too

Most days other ingredients would be fresh(ish) vegetables, beans, grains, and fresh meat products sourced from the local butcher as money allowed

Brussels sprouts where banned, and so were strong spices (you added those to your bowl before serving)

Also, for irony, a large (cleaned) stone is always left in the pot

Fresh bread was sometimes baked in the oven while cracked bones were browning, but the oven was often an electrical and environmental death trap

The pot kept going till the summer holidays, and no one got food poisoning in my time, or from any student stories I have ever heard

This sort of activity is recorded in history as being a popular resource saving idea

Are there any real food safety implications with this method of cooking? And have any actual studies of this technique ever been published?

I still recommend this money saving idea to current students, not keen on bad practices being continued though

Asked by TFD

Answer

It takes quite a while for a pot of hot soup to cool down to 40°F in the fridge. Several hours, sometimes, depending on the shape of the pot and the volume of soup. If you're heating and re-chilling the same soup daily, it's going to spend a lot of time in the danger zone. From a safety perspective, you'd be much better off making a pot of soup every few days and then reheating just the portion that you're actually going to eat.

I still recommend this money saving idea to current students

Soup is a great food for stretching a dollar, but I don't see how it's any more expensive to make a fresh pot twice a week and it shouldn't take much time either. I understand that you were adding scraps each night, but you could as easily save those scraps for a day or two until you make the next pot of soup.

Answered by Caleb

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How far in advance of serving can you fry fried eggs?

Question

A recent question asks how to fry eggs on a large scale. That prompts me to ask, can fried eggs be fried in advance and either cooled for later reheating, or alternatively kept warm for a prolonged period? If the latter case is an option, what is the ideal temperature to keep them at?

Asked by Chris Steinbach

Answer

Surprisingly, an egg is the most difficult thing to cook. McDonalds serves a lot of eggs in their breakfast menus and they haven't found a way yet to mass prefry / prcook these suckers. So I doubt this could be done.

I tried half cooking scrambled eggs before and then finishing them off later, and the result was crap at best.

I doubt you can do that with non-scrambled eggs, as the yolks and whites will change physical properties when heated / cooled / reheated

Answered by dassouki

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What is the best way to re-serve day old meat balls?

Question

I've noticed that meatballs are one type of food that often tastes much better the next day. So whenever I make meatballs, I make lots of extras and put them in my fridge to allow the flavors to "develop".

However, when I warm the meatballs up in the microwave they sometimes get dry or have slightly tough and rubbery spots -- especially on outside edges.

What is the best technique to re-warm / re-serve meatballs that you have made the previous day (or a couple days prior) so they stay moist and delicious?

Asked by Adisak

Answer

My preferred method by far would be heating them in a pot along with some kind of sauce.

Failing that, I think I might try putting them in a tightly covered pot in the oven along with just a little water (just a tablespoon or so)--that would gently heat them and also keep them moist.

Answered by bikeboy389

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Pork Mince and Apple Pie - Re-heating?

Question

My wife made a Pork and Apple pie yesterday using pork mince, and half of it is still in the fridge.

I have read conflicting advice on reheating pork from different websites, some saying definitely shouldn't, some saying definitely should.

So, can I reheat the Pork Pie and is it safe or are there any guidelines?

Thanks

Answer

Questions to ask yourself... How long did it sit in that danger zone of 4C to 100C before it was fully chilled down to <4C? How long will it take you to heat it back up to a temp of 160C-180C? Are you legally libel to anyone other than yourself if you serve this? If not then how concerned are you about an upset stomach?

Quick answer for the proffesional kitchen is... 4 hours in the danger zone and it's tossed. That includes reheating and cooling.

Home answer... heck, I've eaten pizza left out for 5 hours or more and never been bothered but that's me and I know that I don't have any money if I sue myself. ;-)

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Reheat a turkey without drying it out?

Question

For reasons not related to this question, I had to cook my turkeys yesterday. My meat themometer died near the end of cooking. So I ran to the store to get one "real fast".

Three stores later I came home to two over done birds (185 degrees).

While not totally dry, I don't want them to dry out any more while reheating them today.

Should I slice them then heat them? Is there a better way to reheat than another? (ie oven vs microwave vs warming drawer vs (some other heating tool).)

Answer

You want to use a gentle heating method. For this sort of thing, I prefer steaming. It will gently bring up the heat of your food without wringing the moisture out of it. This is especially helpful if it's already cut into relatively small portions, such as slices of breast meat. Spread everything out on a single layer on the steamer basket before hand.

Warming drawer would be my second choice. Slice, add a few teaspoons of water, and cover and add to your warming drawer, set to your target temperature.

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If I'm reheating things in tins and I don't have enough oven space, can I stack them on top of each other?

Question

I'm reheating a bunch of leftovers, all stored in aluminum tins. I don't have enough oven rack space to lay it all out flat. Can I stack the tins?

(Additionally, is it safe to leave on the paper/aluminum covers - the ones that are cardboard on one side and silver on the other?)

Answer

As long as the containers can support eachother, it is likely safe to stack them. You biggest issue will be uneven reheating. Containers at the center are likely to remain cold. If you do stack them, insure that you occasionally rotate them. If possible, try to stack them in a way that allows for air flow around them. Stack layers at 90 degree angles.

The flash point of paper is about 450F so you should be fine with the covers.

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Smoking pig butt: how to resume?

Question

I set out this morning to cook a pig butt. Found out that I was going too a birthday party at such a time that the butt would smoke for six hours and then I would need to pull it.

The shoulder was a seven pound boston butt, bone in, fat trimmed neat, no marinade period, rubbed with "glue" (1/2 cup mustard, 2 tbsp honey) salty rub with marinade injected. I cooked it for 6 hours, flipping every 60-90 minutes, adding chips, mopping and shaking rub on it. Unfortunately (?) the butt never got above 130'F, but it got 6 hours of cooking in. I pulled the meat off, let it cool down a bit, wrapped it in foil, and refrigerated.

• So, how should I finish it off? I used plenty of wood chips and I am pretty confident that the flavor is good on it. It seems the two first-glance options are:
  1. Start it up smoking again, and put it over more direct heat this time. This would be helpful in really crisping up the bark on the outside, but quite a bit more hassle than...
  2. Throw it in the oven, maybe wrapped in foil with some orange juice, or coffee and jalapenos, or a little rub of oil. Cook it at ~325'F...

So which technique would yield the best results of just getting it done, but without sacrificing too much in the way of time or flavor? (Aside from using a meat thermometer to ensure it's over 145'F, probably 155-160'F,) How will I be able to tell if it is done or not (if any additional considerations)?

Answer

Sadly no mater what you do, you are going to come out with non-optimal results. I would go with the oven method over the grill as you need to get the meat up, but you want to do it with out losing all the juice/fat you have already taken all the trouble to convert to gelatin. The grill is going to raise the outside of the meat much quicker that the inside (mostly, you can use your grill as an oven but in this case I don't think it brings anything to the table that you regular oven doesn't).

The best way, and by best, I mean the one with the tastiest results, is going to be put the butt in a 200 to 250 degree oven and let it come up to temp. This method is going to take the longest but will preserve the meat that come off the grill as close as you could.

Or, you can heat just like a roast and let the outside overcook a bit.

or, depending on how you are serving the finished product, you can slice cold and finish in a skillet to heat though... this would be great if you are doing sandwiches or pulled pork.

If you are feeling adventurous, 130 degrees plus smoke is a little on the rare side but it would still be delicious... not for this one as you let is cool on the counter top and fridged it but on the next one, I might just eat it then.

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What temperature would you heat frozen lasagna in the oven at?

Question

We froze some leftover homemade lasagna and instead of reheating in the microwave we would like to use the oven. What is a good temperature and time for reheating?

Answer

350F is the magic temp. Just about every casserole cooks at 350, and you cook it until it starts being bubbly which will probably between 30 minutes and an hour (in this case, you should check to make sure it's hot in the center as well, since you're starting from frozen). I'd cover it early, and then uncover it near the end so the top won't get dry.

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How can I keep my reheated Oats from sticking together?

Question

I usually make steel cut oats in a rice cooker (1:3 ratio of oats and water) and generally have a couple of servings left over. When I try to reheat in the microwave it comes out all congealed together in small little chunks. Even if I put a little milk before microwaving still doesn't seem to work - The milk stays settled on the bottom of the heated bowl and the oats are still clumped together. Any Tips?

Answer

You have to really beat the milk into it. Start with all of the oatmeal in a bowl, and add just a little milk and mush it in with a fork. Keep adding milk a little at a time until you reach the texture you like, then reheat it.

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How should one go about reheating pasta?

Question

Ok, so, I know the answer, "You shouldn't, because it's easy to make it fresh."

But on occasion, I end up making too much pasta, not having enough sauce, etc. and the pasta gets stowed in a tupperware awaiting a secondcoming. Usually it just ends up being packed for lunch and eaten cold. But on those other occasions, when I may like to have it warmed up and served with a sauce of some kind, what would be the best way to go about doing so?

I haven't really experimented yet, but thought maybe putting the pasta in a steamer basket could work well? Has anybody tried this? thoughts?

Answer

easiest way is to mix it with the sauce and heat both up together. Usually I'd do this in a pan, but you could use a microwave.

If you have to heat the pasta up on its own, what I usually do is do it in a pan and add a little boiling water, just a couple of tablespoons, enough to stop it sticking, and keep stirring until its warmed through. If it starts to stick add a little more water.

You could do this in a microwave I'd bet, but I don't have one.

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