Can you reheat Chinese takeaway?
We’ve all been there. You’ve treated yourself to a Chinese takeaway and got a little bit carried away with how much you’ve ordered. It’s definitely not very money savvy but it’s something we all do. Your eyes are bigger than your belly, you fancied trying more than one dish, and those sides were just too tempting to say no to. So what do you do with all those leftovers? Throwing food away just doesn’t sit right with me. It goes against my money-saving mindset and it’s also a huge waste of food too. Can you reheat Chinese takeaway? Is it ok to freeze it? Or should you eat it cold the next day?
[lwptoc]Can you reheat Chinese takeaway?
The short answer is that yes, you can reheat Chinese takeaway. So, there’s no need to throw those leftovers away.
However, there are a vast range of different dishes available from Chinese takeaways, so you do need to be a little careful about how you store your leftovers and what you can and can’t reheat.
If you’re planning on reheating your Chinese leftovers, then by far the most important thing is to store it correctly. It needs to be stored in an air-tight container and put into the fridge within two hours of cooling.
The one thing you definitely shouldn’t reheat from any takeaway is rice. Rice is usually precooked and then reheated as and when the takeaway needs it, so it’s already been reheated once and you shouldn’t reheat it again at home. Doing so can cause harmful bacteria to grow and in the worst case you could experience a nasty bout of food poisoning.
How to store your leftovers
If you’ve got leftovers and you know you plan to reheat your Chinese takeaway, then the first thing to do is to make sure it’s stored correctly until you’re ready to use it.
Allow your leftovers to cool before storing them in the fridge. Make sure the food is stored in an airtight container and completely cooled before placing into the fridge. The food will then be fine to eat within 2-3 days.
What is the best way to reheat Chinese takeaway?
We’re a little bit spoilt for choice these days when it comes to kitchen appliances. Most of us have a hob, oven and microwave and air fryers are also becoming more and more common in our kitchens too. So what’s the best way to reheat Chinese takeaway?
Whichever method you use to reheat any leftovers, you need to make sure that your food is piping hot before you eat it. The general rule for food safety guidelines is to make sure your food is heated to at least 75°C, but if you can get it to 82°C then that’s even better. You can invest in a food thermometer to check this, they don’t cost much and they can give peace of mind.
Reheating Chinese food in the microwave
Using a microwave is definitely the quickest way to reheat your Chinese takeaway leftovers, but there are a couple of downsides to this method.
When you use a microwave to heat food, you can often get hot and cold spots as the food is cooked unevenly. You can minimise this by stirring food halfway through cooking.
Microwave cooking can also alter the texture, particularly if you’re reheating crispy food such as crispy chicken balls or spring rolls.
One thing to remember is that if your takeaway came in a foil takeout container, you cannot put these into the microwave. Switch to a plastic container or use a microwave-safe plate or bowl instead.
Heat the food for 1 minute, stir and heat for another minute. If your food is now piping hot, then you’re good to go. If not, repeat the process in thirty second spurts until it’s hot throughout.
Reheating Chinese food in the oven
Reheating food in the oven ensures that the internal temperature remains consistent throughout the food. You can also keep the leftover Chinese food in the foil containers and just bung them in the oven, so it saves on washing up too.
Preheat your oven to 160°C. Place your foil containers onto a baking tray, or if your leftovers are in a plastic container, pour them into a suitable oven-safe dish. Heat for 15-20 minutes and ensure your leftover food it piping hot before eating.
Reheating Chinese food on the hob
Lots of Chinese dishes are perfect to reheat using a wok or frying pan on the hob. This is particularly good for stir fry dishes such as chow mein.
Add a little oil to your pan and heat. Add your leftover food and cook for 5-10 minutes.
If you want to reheat any Chinese soups or sauces, then you can reheat them fairly quickly on the hob in a saucepan. Stir regularly and ensure it’s hot before eating.
Can you reheat Chinese food in the air fryer?
Air fryers have become really popular kitchen accessories over the last few years. They provide a healthy way to cook fried food and they usually cook things much quicker than using a conventional oven. They heat up very quickly too and cost less to run which is a big plus with the cost of living crisis at the moment.
There are lots of different types of air fryers, so the exact way to use yours to reheat a Chinese takeaway dish will depend on the type of air fryer you have and the type of food you’re reheating.
If you have a dual drawer air fryer then you can reheat two things at once and usually you have the option to ensure they’re both finished cooking at the same time too.
Another great thing about using an air fryer is that you can keep your leftovers in the foil container to reheat. Just remove the cardboard lid and cover the food loosely with foil instead.
Can you freeze leftover Chinese takeaway?
It is perfectly safe to freeze your Chinese leftovers.
How to freeze your leftover Chinese food
Make sure your food has completely cooled before placing it in the freezer. Use an airtight container and place into the freezer. It will then be fine in there for up to 3 months.
Once you’re ready to use, allow the food to fully defrost before following any of the reheating instructions above.
How do you defrost Chinese takeaway?
As with any food, the safest way to defrost your leftover Chinese food is to allow it to defrost slowly in the fridge. You can leave it overnight in the fridge to defrost ready for reheating the next day.
Can you eat cold rice the next day?
Leftover rice is perfectly fine to eat cold the next day. Just make sure you store it correctly and you’ll be absolutely fine to do this. Store the rice in the fridge as soon as it has cooled and use within 2-3 days.
As mentioned above, do not be tempted to reheat any type of rice from the takeaway as it’s likely that it has already been reheated once.
How long can you keep prawn crackers?
Prawn crackers are a pretty staple part of any Chinese takeaway, but they always seem to send so many of them! Our local Chinese send a huge bag full of prawn crackers and there’s no chance we could eat them all in one evening. The good news is that prawn crackers are perfectly safe to keep for a good few days after your takeaway is delivered. They don’t need reheating and they’re great to keep for snacks. Just make sure you store them in a container with an airtight seal so that they don’t go soggy. Don’t put them in the fridge, but keep them somewhere cool and dry.
If you want to avoid food waste and minimise overspending, then it’s absolutely fine to reheat your leftover Chinese takeaway. Just follow the advice above in order to avoid the risk of food poisoning and above all else, make sure your reheated food is piping hot.
