Did you know that about a third of the world's food is thrown away right after one meal and not recycled? This waste harms the environment and leads to huge expenses on food. In light of this reality, Casey Barber, cookbook writer and owner of the Internet magazine Good Food Stories, decided to explain on CNN how you can eat leftovers from yesterday without harming the taste. Using her methods, you'll be surprised to find that the flavor of foods may even intensify.
Here are her tips for upgrading leftovers easily:
Not everything is suitable for microwaves
"The microwave heating method is done by moving the water molecules inside the food. It's like warming your hands by rubbing them together. In the same way, at the molecular level, the microwaves move the molecules of the water and thus heat the food," explains the expert.
Grilled chicken, photo: Liron Almog
According to her, the main problem with this form of heating is that it does not create an illustrator reaction at all, which actually causes browning and crispness of the food. For this reason, we will not get chicken with a crispy leather coating or a French baguette with a hard crust from microwave heating, and if we heat pizza, chips or anything else that has water molecules in it, we will probably be disappointed because the result will be a soft, loose dish that has no crunch.
"The conclusion is that microwaves should not be the default when reheating food. It's better instead to try to recreate as much as possible the original way of cooking," Barber says.
This is how the cheese on the crispy pizza will bubble again
Restoring the dish is better by heating it in a toaster oven, air fryer or pan. "While it's a slower warm-up, the result is much tastier," Barber notes.
Most toaster ovens have several heating functions beyond the simple roasting process. That is why they are very suitable for reheating food. If you want to heat pizza, for example, it is better to do it in them, so that the cheese will bubble and brown a little more. It is best to heat chicken leftovers, a vegetable platter (antipasti) and other leftovers.
Neapolitan pizza, photo: Hila Dudal
"The heat in the toaster keeps the proteins so they are juicy again and not dried or have the elastic texture of rubber," explains Casey Barber. The expert also noted that an air fryer can do the same job, but it needs to be the right temperature for the recycled food.
Pan
If you feel like reheating pastas, sauces like curries, stir-fry and other dishes, a recommended form of heating is in a pan. In this way, you can add a little water or soup to the container you are heating in and cover it with a lid. Heat food stirring as needed and add water as needed.
Pasta from yesterday, photo: Etiel Zion
"Heating it this way will bring the dish back to life," Barber said, qualifying for a type of food that requires frying a little differently. "Foods with bread - do not heat again with water, but only with a small amount of oil - this will restore the crispness of the coating to the food."
What is suitable for the micro?
The reluctance to choose a microwave by default doesn't mean there aren't foods that can be microheated. According to Barber, foods can be microwaved and water is one of their main ingredients. For example, soups and stews. The microprocessor is also perfect for heating steamed, high-water vegetables or starchy foods like rice and potatoes. "The starch in these foods crystallizes in the refrigerator and heating in the microwave injects water into the starch again and restores its creamy, soft texture," she explains.
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