The Definitive Guide to Reheating Every Leftover Ever

Leftovers are a necessary part of life for so many reasons. The budget. The practicality. The laziness. But more often than not, reheating leftovers makes them kind of, well, bad. And while you could certainly eat all of them cold, straight out of the Tupperware, standing in front of the fridge, there are times when hot food is what you need in order to feel like An Adult. Which begs a number of questions. Can you microwave fried chicken? Can you reheat dumplings in the oven? Should fish ever be reheated? Are French fries ever worth it the next day? Chill, chill, chill. We have the answers for you, straight from the food editors of the BA Test Kitchen. Here’s the best way to reheat just about anything.

Grains

Brown rice: Add a couple drops of water and reheat in microwave (this is essentially steaming).

Creamy polenta: Reheat on stove with a little water to break it up.

Quinoa: Add a couple drops of water and reheat in microwave.

White rice: Add a couple drops of water and reheat in microwave.

Fried Stuff

Fried chicken: Leave it sitting on top of your stove, with your oven set to 400°, until the chicken gets to room temperature. Don’t heat leftover fried chicken. It dries out immediately.

French fries: Heat for a minute or two under the broiler, until crispy again.

Fried fish: Set your oven to 400° and leave it sitting on top of your stove while your oven preheats, until the fish gets to room temperature. Don’t re-heat leftover fried fish.

Falafel: Reheat in the microwave.

Meats

Braised meats: Reheat in 350° oven, covered with foil.

Browned ground meat: Reheat in the microwave, stopping every 30 seconds to stir.

Chicken wings: Bring wings to room temperature on top of the oven while the broiler heats up, then blast with broiler for 1-3 minutes to revive crispy skin.

Grilled chicken: Reheat in microwave.

Lamb chops: Leave them sitting on top of your stove, with your oven set to 400°, until the lamb gets to room temperature. Don’t heat above room temperature or they'll end up well done (read: dry).

Meatloaf (slice): Reheat in microwave, or sear on both sides in a hot skillet with a bit of oil.

Meatloaf (large piece): Cover with foil; reheat in 350° oven.

Pork chops (thick): Leave it sitting on top of your stove, with your oven set to 400°, until the pork gets to room temperature. Don’t heat above room temperature.

Pork chops (thin): Reheat in microwave.

Pulled pork: Reheat in microwave.

Ribs: Wrap in foil and reheat in oven between 300° and 350°.

Roast chicken: Cover with foil; reheat in 350° oven.

Sausage: Reheat in the microwave.

Steak: Set your oven to 400° and leave it sitting on top of your stove while your oven preheats, until the steak gets to room temperature. Don’t reheat leftover steak or it will dry out.

Sandwiches and Stuff with Bread

Burger: Reheat the bun and patty in the oven at 350°, separate from toppings, then reassemble.

Cheesesteak: Wrap the cheesesteak in foil and heat in 350° oven.

Falafel sandwich: Remove falafel from sandwich and reheat in microwave, then reassemble.

Fried chicken sandwich: Remove chicken and let it sit on top of oven to get to room temperature, while the bun toasts in the 375° oven below.

Hot dogs: Reheat the hot dog and the bun in a skillet.

Pastrami or corned beef sandwich: Reheat the meat in the oven at 350°, separate from toppings and bread, then reassemble.

Pizza, Pasta, and the Like

Baked pasta: Cover with foil and reheat in 375° oven.

Chicken Parm: Cover with foil and reheat in 375° oven.

Eggplant Parm: Eat that Parm cold!

Pizza: Freeze it in a plastic bag immediately after you're finished with pizza dinner round one. Reheat in a 425° oven from frozen.

Pasta: Whether it's oily, tomato-y, creamy, or herby, reheat your pasta in the microwave. Or eat it cold, if that's your style.

Lasagna: Cover in foil, then reheat in 375° oven.

Macaroni and cheese: Reheat your mac however it was cooked: stovetop on the stovetop (with a splash of extra milk) or oven in a 375° oven.

Meatballs (1 or 2): Reheat in microwave.

Meatballs in sauce: Reheat in a saucepan on the stove.

Take-Out Greatest Hits

Burrito: Reheat in a 350° oven, wrapped in foil.

Curry: Reheat in microwave or in a saucepan (with a splash of water) over low heat.

Dumplings: Steam in a steamer or steamer basket, or reheat in a hot skillet with small pour of water to steam, covered.

Fried rice: Reheat in microwave on medium power, stopping to stir once or twice in 20 second intervals.

General Tso's: Reheat in microwave.

Noodles (lo mein, udon, pad thai, etc.): Reheat in microwave, stopping to stir at 30 second intervals.

Samosas: Reheat in 350° oven.

Stir fry: Heat over high heat in wok or stainless steel pan, stirring constantly.

Fish

Fish: Set your oven to 400° and leave it sitting on top of your stove while your oven preheats, until the fish gets to room temperature. Hot leftover fish is never good.

Shellfish: Set your oven to 400° and leave it sitting on top of your stove while your oven preheats, until the fish gets to room temperature. If the shrimp or clams or scallops are mixed into rice or pasta, remove them, reheat the rice or pasta, and then mix the room temperature shellfish back in to warm it.

Soup and Beans

Beans: Reheat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, or in a saucepan (with a splash of water) over low heat.

Cream-based soup: Reheat in a saucepan, on the stove, over low heat.

Refried beans: Reheat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, or in a saucepan (with a splash of water) over low heat.

Stock-based soup: Reheat in microwave, stopping once to stir, or in a saucepan (with a splash of water) over low heat.

Vegetables and Potatoes

Baked potato: Reheat in microwave.

Mashed potatoes: Reheat in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.

Roasted potatoes: Reheat in microwave, but know they’ll never be the same.

Roasted vegetables: Reheat in microwave, but know they’ll never be the same.

Sautéed greens: Reheat in microwave.

Steamed vegetables: Reheat in microwave with a small pour of water, covered.

Miscellaneous Tasty Stuff

Chicken pot pie: Reheat in 375° oven, covered with foil. Uncover for the last few minutes to crisp crust.

Frittata: Don‘t reheat a frittata. As a general rule, reheated eggs are bad news. Eat it cold!

Gravy: Reheat in sauce pan, with a few drops of extra water, stirring often.

Pastries (spinach puffs, etc.): Reheat in 375° oven, uncovered.

But to have leftovers, you have to make something first. Let's do pasta.