by Cynthia MacGregor
excerpted from The
Cook-Ahead Cookbook
It is not necessary
to thaw foods before reheating, though you may safely do so (in the
refrigerator,
not at room temperature) if you wish. If you do thaw foods, decrease
the
reheating time accordingly.
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Here are some
reheating guidelines:
- 325°-350° is a good oven heat for
reheating
- a covered pot on a medium-low burner is a
good rule for stovetop reheating
- 70% power is a good setting for microwave
reheating
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I usually prefer
to heat on the stove, rather than the other two options. Obviously, it
will take longer to heat enough servings of any recipe to feed four or
six people than it will to heat just one for yourself. Also,
"medium-low"
(or any other setting) on your stove may not produce identical heat to
medium-low on another person's stove. And your cookware makes a
difference
too -- not all saucepans, skillets or Dutch ovens heat at the same rate
or evenness.
To reheat on the
stovetop, remove food from the container and place in a pot with about
1/4 cup water or another liquid in the recipe, such as wine or broth.
Cover
and cook over medium-low heat for about 25 to 30 minutes or until
heated
through. Stir and check once or twice during reheating process, adding
more water if the liquid level gets too low. If reheating three or more
servings, 5 or 10 additional minutes' reheating time may be
needed.
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To reheat in the
microwave, use 50% or 70% microwave power -- 70% is usually a good
choice
-and heat for 2 minutes. At the end of 2 minutes' check to see how
well-heated
the food is, and stir so that ingredients are moved from the center of
the dish to the edges, if possible. Microwave for another minute
or so,
depending on the food, number of portions you are reheating and your
oven's
power.
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You can restart the microwave
as many times as you need to. It
is
better to err on the side of caution than risk ruining your dinner.
Meat
and poultry will toughen if over-cooked. Stir the food each time you
check
it. If your container is microwave-safe, you can reheat the food in it.
Otherwise, transfer food to a microwave-safe dish.
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The
Cook-Ahead Cookbook
by Cynthia
MacGregor
Bristol
Publishing, 2002
When
the unforseen happens, or when life gets just too hectic to fix the
meal
you had planned, it's good to have a fall-back entree in the freezer.
This
little cookbook offers 120 meals, from Sweet 'n Hot Chicken to Veal
Marsala,
that can be prepared ahead of time and frozen in single-serve packages
for microwaving or stovetop reheating.
Divided
into sections featuring main dish meats -- Chicken and Turkey; Pork,
Sausage
and Lamb; Beef and Veal -- the book features only dinners that can be
successfully
prepared in advance, frozen and reheated. No recipes for roasts or
steak
to be found here.
Microwave
Oven |
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