Is it acceptable to reheat frozen food?
If I make a frozen meal and then save the leftovers in the refrigerator, is it OK to reheat it the next day in the microwave? Since it's already been frozen (or freeze dried, whatever they do), it seems like it may not be the best thing to do.
And I realize this is hardly "cooking", but I figure it loosely fits under the site's umbrella.
Best Answer
If you mean like a potpie or a TV dinner? Yes you're fine, go for it.
If you're really worried about it here is the rule. (been a few years since I took serveSafe)
When reheating foods you want the internal temperature to reach 165 degrees F. (74C) for 15 seconds. In practice (at home NOT at the restaurant) just get it nice and hot.
Note: Homemade foods generally need to be carefully reheated but not frozen dinners etc. They cook them pretty good at the factory.
Pictures about "Is it acceptable to reheat frozen food?"
Can I reheat cooked frozen food?
You can (sometimes) reheat from frozen You can do this in the oven, on the hob or in the microwave but it will, of course, take longer than thawed foods. As always, check your food is piping hot and cooked evenly all the way through.Is it OK to reheat frozen food twice?
In terms of food safety, however, so long as you reheat the food at the correct temperature and for the correct duration of time, it can in fact be safely reheated multiple times. However, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends that food is only reheated once, so follow this guidance wherever possible.Is reheating frozen food healthy?
Reheating your foodYou can reheat frozen food without thawing it. It does no harm. You can reheat foods directly in a saucepan or in the microwave.What happens when you heat up frozen food?
During thawing the microwave raises the temperature of food and if it enters the danger zone, 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, bacteria begins to grow and multiply. Remember frozen food still contains bacteria even though they are inactive. When a food's temperature rises, bacteria becomes active once again.Meal Prep Questions - Refrigerate or Freeze Meals - Keeping Fresh - Eating On Weekends
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Jill Wellington, Sebastian Coman Photography, Artem Beliaikin, ROMAN ODINTSOV