Due to the recent passing of a family member, we have been away from home and staying at a relative's house. We've been the designated cook and it has varied between easy and somewhat confusing. We're in someone else's kitchen and we're cooking for different people each day.
There has been an influx of visitors to the home baring gifts — loads and loads of food! We're extremely thankful for all of this food, but it presents a situation we aren't too familiar with — reheating the food.
We're very busy making arrangements and we want to prepare lunch and dinner as quickly as possible. There's fried chicken, rice and beans, roasted turkey, crab soup and a few side items. Not everyone knows how to reheat food, especially for a group of people. I'm used to cooking for two, and we rarely have left overs.
Luckily, all of the food that has been brought over was provided to us in aluminum trays that we can put right in the oven for reheating. This has worked out great for the chicken, and we've been spooning the rice and beans onto plates and popping them into the microwave. We've been pouring the soup into a pot and heating it on the stove &mdash adding fresh veggies as we go.
This got us thinking and we rounded up our favorite reheating how to's:
&bull How Do You Reheat Rice?
&bull Good Question: How Should I Reheat Chicken Wraps?
&bull Good Question: How Should I Reheat Without a Microwave?
&bull Tip: How to Keep Mashed Potatoes Warm (Or Re-Heat Ones You Made Ahead of Time)
Related: How To: Waste Almost Nothing in the Kitchen
How Do You Reheat?
(Image: Flickr member KaiChanVong licensed for use under Creative Commons)
You might also like
-
Help Me Plan My First Catering Event!
-
Home-Cooked Recipes for Two, Guide to Ingredient Substitutions, All About Sharp Knives & the Best Way to Store Bread
-
The Best Ways to Store & Reheat Bread: Advice from a Baker
-
Bartender Secrets, How To Make Kombucha, Pancake Mix-Ins, Summer Tomato Tips, and Feeding Fussy Eaters
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Monterey Pitcher fr...
Before & After: Emily Henderson Transforms a Senior's Studio Space
Monica & Austin's Charming Bungalow
Microwave is lovely, but sometimes, I'll heat up things (esp if they need to be crispy) in the toaster oven.
Soggy leftover pizza from the microwave? Bleh! That's a job for the toaster oven
The best way to reheat french fries is on an ungreased cookie sheet in a 450 degree oven for about five minutes -- a lot of times they're better the second day if reheated in this way.
I'm sorry to hear about the recent death in your family. I'm sure everyone appreciates your efforts to care for them.
You could heat things and then keep the oven on low (200) so people could serve themselves when they are hungry. If you are heating a seared meat, start it on the stove-top, turn it, and put it in the oven to heat through. It will still have that seared texture and not overcook. If you are heating on a stove-top, remember to stir often so the bottom doesn't overcook while the middle is still cold. Or you could use a slow-cooker. If you have time to break things down to single portions they are easier to re-heat and could be frozen to be enjoyed later by your relatives when you return home.
if it's just a slice, pizza heated up in a frying pan on the stove. by the time the top is hot, the bottom is nice and crispy!
It's not good for large amounts, but I reheat slices of pizza in a dry skillet. After a few minutes the bottom will crisp up and it's faster than heating the oven.
maybe this would be a good kitchn post...best foods to bring when babies are born, to a grieving family...it seems like cooking is the most natural thing to do when celebrating or grieving but sometimes it's difficult to know what to take.
I keep meaning to ask, what on earth is a 'toaster oven'?
@JMD Small electric ovens that made to sit on the counter top.They are very useful when you want to heat/cook certain things without firing up your big oven in the stove.
They are great at reheating things,I like to microwave the food a bit first then put them in the toaster oven to finish.
@Scoop - thanks for that, I did wonder. Don't think we have them over here and I wouldn't have room for another appliance anyway :-) I guess they would be very useful if you lived in a studio or something and had no real oven.
a toaster oven is a beautiful thing even if you already do have an oven. especially in the summer. i've made many meals in mine. great for reheating as well.
The best advise I can give when it comes to reheating things in a microwave is to use a wet paper towel to cover whatever you are reheating. This will create some nice, moist steam and help prevent the item from drying out. Works great with leftover fried rice or pasta.
I'm so sorry for the recent death in your family-that's always so awful to bear.
Nourishment, however, can be so comforting-I'm hoping your reheating goes well. Take good care of yourselves!