Good morning-
Busy, busy. Between weekly clients and an engagement party last Saturday night, not much time to think about anything but cooking!
I thought this an important topic to talk about as I deliver cooked foods to my clients and I am always reinforcing how to reheat safely.
Cooked foods should be enjoyed or frozen within 7 days of preparation. For this reason, it’s best to label and date everything you have leftover. When enjoying foods that have already been cooked, there are two simple rules.
1) Enjoy within 7 days of preparation. The only exception here would be fish. Use within one to two days.
2) Heat to the proper internal temperature of 165′. This goes for any leftover foods.
I’m sure you’ve experienced hot or cold spots in foods you’ve heated in the microwave. For this reason food should be heated thoroughly and then allowed to stand for 2 minutes before serving to evenly distribute heat. To take it a step further, internal temperature should reach at least 165′ and should be checked in several spots.
It’s easy to warm cold foods in the oven and it doesn’t compromise the quality of the food as much as microwaving. When reheating meats, it’s best to reheat them covered with moisture in the pan. Lower temperatures work best too, between 300′-325′. Warm covered for about 20 minutes per pound.
When rewarming for children and elderly adults, it’s critical to get the foods to the right temperature. Reason being that their immune systems may not be fully developed or compromised, so best to be totally safe. Simply heat the foods until piping hot and allow them to cool a bit before serving.
I hope you all had a nice holiday weekend and I’ll post again soon!
Thank you~
Angie
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