Tips for Reheating your own Homemade Foods

Reheating by Microwave

Tips for Reheating your own Homemade Foods

Serving foods prepared in-house gives a homemade quality to the menu and allows for seasonality. However, for best results, follow the tips below if they are to be regenerated in your Panasonic Combi Oven.

1.Overcooking

Do not overcook vegetables - slightly undercook them, and they will finish cooking during the reheating time.

2.Sauces

Make any foods in sauces with lighter gravies rather than heavy, thick ones, as this helps the food heat evenly.

3.Plated Meals

To ensure even heating arrange the single component foods of a plated meal carefully. Place denser foods, such as whole vegetables and portions of meat or fish, to the outside of the plate, and smaller items, towards the centre.

Do not pile foods up but keep them in a single layer; mashed patato should be spread out rather than mounded up. The food can look attactive but always give the Microwave a chance to heat evenly and thoroughly.

4.Vegetables

Dot vegetables with butter and pour gravy over the meat to prevent drying out and to help with even heating.

5.Rice

Arrange meat sauces served with rice, side by side rather than in the traditional circle of rice with the sauce in the centre. The sauce should be flattened slightly, whilst the rice is piled up.

6.Potato Topped Pies

Potato-topped pies and au gratin dishes, eg Cottage Pie, are difficult to reheat as the consistency of the potato will heat faster. Always ensure the filling is deeper than the potato.

7.Stirring

Stir any sauce- based foods before heating, particularly if they have been defrosted. This ensures any icy particles or cold areas are fully broken up and the food is of an even temperature.

8.Browning/Finishing Dishes

If you are preparing dishes in bulk for freezing or refrigeration, don’t forget that because your Panasonic Combi is a microwave and conventional oven, you can choose to brown foods at the end of preparation but before storing, or store unbrowned and reheat on CONVECTION.

9.Heating two dishes together

If you wish to reheat more than one dish, place them side by side on the base of the cavity and NEVER use the Wire Rack Shelf for reheating on 2 levels.

10.Heating Times

It is impossible to give the heating time of an individual plated meal as each will contain a different variety of foods in differing quantities. Follow the arranging tips already mentioned and ensure the thickest piece of food has reached 72˚C.