Re heating meal prep

jonny1812
jonny1812 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Can I have some advice on re heating chicken, I have heard it can be dangerous to do so! Any help greatly appreciated

Replies

  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    There are a few things to consider:
    • Ensure it is cooked properly in the first place
    • Make sure it is refrigerated after cooking - leaving it to cool is fine for a short time but you must put it in the fridge as soon as you can really.
    • Make sure you store it so that it cannot be contaminated by raw meat or fish - the middle shelves in your fridge should be okay for this so long as you keep any uncooked meat or fish below it.
    • Heat it until it is piping hot.
  • DaintyWhisper
    DaintyWhisper Posts: 221 Member
    edited June 2017
    I often cook several chicken breasts at a time and have them in the fridge for the next couple of days. I even eat the chicken cold in salads. I don't think heating up leftover chicken is any more "dangerous" than heating up any other leftovers. You have to keep the foods you cook out of the temperature danger zone (40°F - 140°F) for long periods of time. Keep hot foods that are going to sit out above 140°F. Hot foods that you know are going to end up being leftovers, put them in the fridge so they can cool down to under 40°F as soon as possible.

    If you cook a chicken breast to 165°F and refrigerate it immediately after cooking, the chances of it growing harmful bacteria in that time is very slim. However, if you leave it out for a few hours and then refrigerate it, it has spent a lot of time in the danger zone and will probably need to be reheated thoroughly to get rid of any bacteria that had the chance to grow. This same situation applies to most leftovers you may have. I hope this helps!
  • dalerst
    dalerst Posts: 174 Member
    Make sure it's over 85 degrees then you will be fine and don't reheat more than once.
  • jonny1812
    jonny1812 Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks guys!
  • HockeyGoalie35
    HockeyGoalie35 Posts: 84 Member
    Do not store any hot food in the fridge untill it cools. That is the breading groud for bacteria. I usually let my left overs cool in Tupperware for 30 minutes before I put the lid on and store. No meat is dangerous reheated unless it's fairly old or was no stored properly.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    I'm not sure about dangerous, but I really dislike reheated cooked chicken (and meat in general).

    If I'm making something to reheat, I try to make the meat incorporated in to the dish (chili, bolognese, curry etc) so it doesn't become really dry and unpalatable after reheating.

    We cook plenty of plain meat, but eat it cold - in salad, as meatballs or burger patties etc
This discussion has been closed.

Categories