Many people love nothing better than a crispy pork roast. One of the reasons that pork is so popular is that it is such a versatile meat. Pork loin is very lean, with little excess fat. This makes it a healthy choice for that Sunday roast. And if you have leftovers, you will be reheating pork loin. 

With today’s frenetic, busy lifestyle, it is useful to be able to plan and prepare in advance. When you are cooking dinner, if you have freezer space to store it, you will find that it really simplifies your life if you cook double and freeze one meal. 

Reheating pork loin, or chicken, or any other food that freezes well, instead of needing to come home and cook, makes a hectic day so much more manageable.

Reheating pork loin is really quite simple, and there are numerous ways that it can be done. The method that you choose will depend upon how much time you have available, as well as your personal preference.

When reheating pork loin, it can become very dry if you don’t take the necessary precautions. You can either reheat it whole, and then slice it just before you serve it, or you can slice it first and then reheat it. 

I prefer to slice first when reheating pork loin, for various reasons. If you reheat the whole piece, it will take longer to get to the desired temperature, and then it may dry out.

If you have a large piece of pork loin, you may not want to use it all in one meal. If you slice it first, you can reheat only as much as you need for that meal, saving the rest for the following day. Sliced cooked pork loin makes a fabulous filling for a sandwich for lunch – a great way to use every scrap of the leftovers.

If you are in a hurry, reheating pork loin that has already been sliced will take much less time than reheating a whole piece of pork loin.

Reheating Pork Loin In The Oven

Reheating pork loin in the oven is my preferred method, although I will explain some of the other methods as well.

Preheat your oven to 325° Fahrenheit, with your oven rack in the center of the oven. When reheating pork loin in the oven, I always like to add some liquid. This will prevent it from drying out and will keep the meat nice and moist.

Take an ovenproof dish and pour a little beef or chicken broth into the dish, enough to cover the bottom of the dish. Add the slices of pork loin and brush with a few drops of oil or melted butter. Add a little more broth and cover tightly with tin foil. 

Place the dish in the center of the oven for about 20-25 minutes. The meat should then be hot enough, and deliciously moist and succulent.

If you prefer to reheat a whole piece of pork loin, rather than slicing it up first, follow the above steps, but instead of placing the slices in the dish, place the whole piece of pork loin in a dish and brush it well all over with oil or melted butter. 

Add some broth to the dish and cover tightly with foil. Place in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of your piece of meat. If you have a meat thermometer, the inside of the meat should reach a temperature of about 140°.

If you have reheated a whole piece of pork loin, let it stand for about 10 minutes after removing it from the oven, before cutting it up into slices. If you try to slice it as soon as it comes out of the oven, it may fall apart. 

Reheating Pork Loin In The Microwave

If you are in a hurry and need to reheat pork loin quickly, the fastest method is in the microwave. 

Place the pork loin slices in a microwave-safe dish. Add a little beef or chicken broth, and brush the meat lightly with oil or melted butter. Cover the dish with a vented microwave lid. 

If you do not have a vented microwave lid, cover tightly with cling wrap and pierce a few holes with a toothpick. Place the dish in the microwave and microwave on 70% power for 

1 minute per 200 gr of meat. Try not to do too much at once. If you reheat small amounts, the meat will reheat more evenly.

After reheating pork loin in the microwave, the meat must be left to stand for at least 5 minutes before eating. The heat will continue to diffuse throughout the meat for a few minutes even after the microwave has stopped. You will then have perfectly heated pork loin, with the heat evenly distributed.

Reheating Pork Loin In A Pan On The Stove Top

Reheating pork loin in a pan on the top of the stove is also a quick way to heat up your pork, but you need to be very careful not to let it get overdone and dry. 

This method is best suited to reheating ready-sliced pork loin, rather than a large whole piece of meat. If you try to reheat a whole piece of pork loin in a pan on the stove, the outside will heat very quickly, but the inside will take so long to get hot that the outside will become hard and dry. 

Spray a pan with a little olive oil. Place the pork loin slices in the pan with a little broth for extra moisture. Heat gently over a medium flame, turning every minute to prevent the meat from drying out and burning.

You should only have to turn 3 or 4 times, and the meat should be heated through after about 4-5 minutes.

Can You Reheat Pork Loin In A Slow Cooker?

If you are going to work and want to eat dinner as soon as you get back home, reheating pork loin in your slow cooker is a great idea. You can place a precooked, frozen piece of pork loin in the slow cooker before you leave for the day. Add enough beef or chicken broth to cover, and switch on to the lowest setting. 

When you arrive home in the late afternoon or early evening, your dinner will be piping hot and ready to eat. However, when you slice it, it may fall apart a little, so it will be better to pull it apart rather than try to slice it precisely. 

Note that reheating pork loin in a slow cooker only works well with a whole piece of pork loin. Slices of pork loin will fall apart and disintegrate if heated in the slow cooker.

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Can You Reheat Pork Loin On The Grill?

While reheating pork loin on the grill is not ideal, it can be done. If you have a few left-over slices of pork loin and you want to add them to the following night’s barbecue dinner, you will need some basting sauce and tin foil.

Brush each slice of pork loin generously with a basting sauce of your choice. An oil-based barbecue sauce works well. You can also brush it generously with mayonnaise. Wrap each slice individually in tin foil and place on the grill over medium heat for 5 minutes, turning halfway through. It will heat through and should be lovely and moist from the sauce. 

Can You Reheat Pork Loin In An Air Fryer?

An air fryer is a marvelous appliance to have in your kitchen. I use mine for so many different things and I love it. However, I have experimented with many different types of food, and with both cooking from scratch and reheating. 

Through trial and error, I have discovered that reheating pork loin in an air fryer does not work well. I don’t recommend it, because the meat gets very dry and the texture is not very appetizing. 

How Do You Ensure That The Meat Does Not Lose Its Flavor When Reheating Pork Loin?

If you want to make sure that when reheating pork loin it does not lose its flavor, there are a few tips that you can use.

• Instead of brushing with oil or butter, brush lightly with mayonnaise. This will give the meat a lovely tang.
• Add a little bit of prepared mustard to some melted butter, and brush the meat with this.
• Sprinkle a little barbecue spice on the meat after you have added the liquid and brushed the meat with oil.
• Make a sauce with a little ketchup, some barbecue sauce, a dash of lemon juice and a teaspoon of brown sugar, and ¼ cup of water. Brush the pork loin generously with this sauce before reheating.

Preparing your pork loin in advance and reheating it, using any of the above methods, will simplify your life and you will not have to stress about preparing a whole meal from scratch.

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I’m sure that you are all familiar with the expression, ‘Dynamite comes in small packages’. Well, this could really be said of mustard seeds. These tiny little seeds are true dynamite when it comes to flavor. They have a pungent taste and aroma and add an incredible zing to so many culinary dishes. But sometimes you may run out, and then you will be looking for a mustard seeds substitute.

There are numerous different varieties of mustard plants. Their tiny little seeds have a distinct flavor and fragrance, and they are used in many everyday foods. Can you imagine a hotdog without a squirt of mustard? No, neither can I!

Chicken cooked in a honey and mustard sauce is an all-time favorite in my house, (look out for my fool-proof recipe at the end of this article), while the iconic Corned Beef sandwich just wouldn’t taste right without a generous dollop of mustard pickles.

There are two main species of the mustard plant that are popular in cuisine. The Sinapis Alba plant is from North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East and yields a mild, pale yellow mustard seed.

Brassica Juncea, a black mustard seed, comes from the Himalayas, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Both of these mustard seeds are used to flavor foods, and while each has its own unique flavor, it is also possible to use mustard seeds substitutes when neither of these is available.

Is It Safe To Eat Mustard Seeds?

Many people are unsure whether or not it is safe to eat mustard seeds. While I certainly would not advise consuming copious amounts of plain mustard seeds by the spoonful, it is certainly safe to eat mustard seeds in the quantity that is required for cooking.

All commercially made sauces and condiments that are manufactured using mustard seeds actually contain such small amounts of the seeds that they are perfectly safe. You would have to consume a few pounds of plain mustard seeds before developing severe gastric problems such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. 

Mustard seeds that have been ground into mustard powder contain isothiocyanate. This is a compound that can be toxic if consumed in very large quantities. It will irritate the airway and cause swelling of the esophagus, obstructing breathing. But only if consumed on its own, in vast amounts. When used to season foods, it is perfectly safe.

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Which Mustard Seeds Are Stronger, Yellow Or Black?

Both yellow and black mustard seeds are full of flavor and will add a delicious tang to your food. However, even though they have a similar flavor, there are some basic differences between the two.

Black mustard seeds are a lot stronger than yellow mustard seeds. The Yellow seeds have a mild, tangy flavor with an almost sour undertone. Black mustard seeds are slightly peppery and are much more potent both in taste and aroma.

Yellow mustard seeds are the seeds that are used in most foods that have mustard in them. They are much more readily available. All the sauces and condiments that have mustard in them are usually made with yellow mustard seeds. Yellow mustard seeds can be found in almost any supermarket.

Black mustard seeds, which, by the way, are not actually black, but rather are a dark reddish-brown, are much rarer. They are considered to be more exotic and are more difficult to find. You would probably have to go looking for them in a specialty store that carries many of those hard to find items. 

Both yellow and black mustard seeds can be used in most recipes that call for mustard seeds, but if you are using black, you should use a lot less. For both, you can also use certain other things as a mustard seeds substitute.

Mustard Seeds Substitutes

• Prepared mustard

The most common, and obvious, mustard seeds substitute is prepared mustard. There are many different commercially made brands of prepared mustard and mustard sauces. These are all made with mustard seeds and will give your food exactly the same flavor when used as a mustard seeds substitute. 

When substituting mustard seeds with prepared mustard, you need to be careful with quantities. Especially if the label says ‘HOT Mustard’, proceed with caution.

When you are unsure of quantities, I always recommend starting off with a little, doing a taste test, then adding more if needed. In this way, you don’t risk ruining your culinary creation by having too much of a heavy hand with the mustard.

Think of that well-known expression, ‘As sharp as mustard’. It defines the flavor of mustard so well. Sharp! You don’t want to be too generous with that dollop, only to find that the taste is too sharp and burns your tongue.

Generally, you can substitute one TEASPOON of prepared mustard for one TABLESPOON of mustard seeds.

• Dried Mustard Powder

Dried mustard powder is a fine powder that is made from ground mustard seeds. It will give your dishes exactly the same flavor as mustard seeds and has the same yellow color. 

Dried mustard powder is readily available and has a long shelf life, so it is a handy item to keep in your pantry to use as a mustard seeds substitute. Exchange it spoon for spoon when assessing quantities in a recipe.

• Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice that has the same yellow color as mustard, and a somewhat similar flavor. It is not quite as pungent or potent as mustard, but in case of need, it can be used as a mustard seeds substitute in most recipes without making too much of a difference to the taste of your finished product.

When using turmeric as a substitute for mustard seeds, you can generally follow the same measurement of quantities, spoon for spoon.

• Prepared Horseradish

Prepared horseradish is a sauce made from the horseradish root. It is spicy and tangy and will give your dish a great flavor when used as a mustard seed substitute.

While the food might not have quite the same color or flavor, it will taste so good that no one will ever know that you substituted the main ingredient. Use one spoon of horseradish sauce in place of one spoon of mustard seeds.

Honey And Mustard Chicken Recipe

When you are in a hurry and don’t have time to spend fiddling around with a complicated recipe, this is a quick, easy and delicious way to prepare chicken. Honey and mustard are two completely different flavors, one being sharp and tangy, while the other is deliciously sweet. However, despite their difference, they complement each other perfectly.

INGREDIENTS

• 4-6 chicken pieces
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds or dried mustard powder
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

• Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit
• Spray an ovenproof dish lightly with olive oil
• Place chicken in the dish, skin side up
• Mix all ingredients except rosemary together
• Brush mixture over chicken and sprinkle with fresh rosemary
• Place on the center rack in the oven and bake for 1¼ – 1½ hours or until golden brown on top. (Bigger chicken portions will take longer to cook. Keep checking, as you won’t want it to dry out )  Every half an hour, baste the chicken with the juices.

Your chicken will be moist and succulent, with a delectable flavor from the mingling of the honey and the mustard. And if you use a mustard seeds substitute, it will taste just as good.

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Your kids have finished smacking their lips, and have truly licked every last crumb off their plates. That fried chicken was so good, it’s surprising that there is even anything left over after dinner. But, amazingly, there are still a few pieces left in the dish, and everyone is satiated. You can put them in the fridge for another day, but how long is fried chicken good for in the fridge?

Chicken is a popular food that finds its way onto my table at least once a week, in one form or another. It is a healthy form of protein and contains many nutrients needed to keep our bodies healthy. It is highly versatile, as there are so many things that you can do with chicken.

One thing that you should always be on the lookout for is to make sure that your chicken is fresh. If you have leftover chicken, it only has quite a limited fridge life.

How Long Is Fried Chicken Good For In The Fridge?

Chicken has a lot of natural moisture. It is also usually soaked in brine before being packaged and sold, in order to keep it soft and succulent. As a result of this moisture, chicken tends to go off rather quickly. 

After putting the fried chicken in the fridge, it can usually keep for about 3 days. After this, it will start to deteriorate, and bacteria will build up. By day 4 it is probably starting to go off. By day 5 it is not safe to eat it and I would recommend throwing it out.

How Can You Tell If Chicken Has Gone Off?

You do not have to take chances and risk feeding your family chicken that is not fresh. If the chicken has gone off, there are numerous ways to tell.

1.Smell

Fresh chicken has a distinctive smell. It should not smell like dead fish or dirty socks. If fried chicken is off, it will have a strong, unpleasant, rancid smell. If you get even the faintest whiff of a foul odor as you unwrap it, toss that fried chicken into the garbage.

In addition to making you ill, the bacteria in that fried chicken could potentially multiply and contaminate other food in your fridge.

2. Appearance

Fried chicken that is still good to eat should look as good as it tastes. It should be golden brown in color. If it is going bad, the crumbed coating will start to fall off and the chicken will start to develop a greyish hue. It will look completely unappetizing.

3. Touch

If you suspect that the fried chicken in your fridge is no longer good, try feeling it. Chicken that is still good to eat should feel dry when it is cold. If it has a slimy coating, it is off and should not be eaten.

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What Will Happen If You Eat Chicken That Has Gone off?

Bacteria and other microorganisms, like Salmonella and Campylobacter, can multiply very rapidly in chicken that is no longer fresh. These can cause food poisoning if they are ingested in sufficient quantities. 

You don’t need to eat much for it to make you sick. One small chicken leg will cause enough of a gastrointestinal upset to make you feel pretty grim. 

If you eat a whole meal of fried chicken that is off, within a few hours you will probably start to feel nauseous and may begin vomiting. You could also have severe stomach cramps, accompanied by an unpleasant bout of diarrhea.

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What Should You Do If You Have Eaten Fried Chicken That Was Off?

If you neglected to check how long fried chicken is good for in the fridge, and you have inadvertently eaten some that are off, you should try to keep well hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

You may need to take an over-the-counter anti-spasmodic medication to help with the cramps. If symptoms persist and you are vomiting copiously, I always recommend seeking medical advice. 

If you do have leftover fried chicken, and you aren’t sure if it’s still okay, you should follow this guide for how long fried chicken is good for in the fridge.

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Italians really have a way with food. Most people would agree that, when it comes to food, Italians are original and creative. Who else could have come up with something like Guanciale? This Italian cold cut is truly in a class of its own, but many people have managed to find a Guanciale substitute.

Guanciale (if you are struggling to pronounce this word, say the words “Go on Charlie” VERY quickly and you’ve got this) is an Italian delicacy made from pork jowls or cheeks. The name comes from the Italian word for cheek, ‘guancia’. 

Guanciale is a cured meat with a unique flavor that is much stronger than any other meat products made from pork. It has a delicate, smooth texture, and the finished product has very little fat. 

Because of the special cut of meat used to make Giancale, the fat content is highly soluble, and most of it melts off during the cooking process. This is what gives the meat its lovely smooth texture.

How Is Guanciale Made?

The most difficult part of making Guanciale is finding the perfect piece of meat. Genuine Guanciale is made from the piece of muscle lining the inside of the pig’s cheek. This muscle is so tasty because it is very pliable. Therefore it is super soft.

The meat needs a good spice rub, made up of spices like ground black pepper, sage, thyme, rosemary, and garlic. After the spice rub has been massaged thoroughly into the pork jowl, the meat then has to be left for anything from 3-12 weeks to cure. 

Curing the meat for a long time enhances and strengthens the unique flavor of the Guanciale.

The curing has to be done in an environment where you are able to control the humidity levels, as the meat needs to lose about 25-30% of its weight through moisture loss. But this has to be done very gradually. Therefore it is best done in a special curing chamber.

As you can see, making genuine Guanciale can be a complicated and tricky process. As a result, authentic Guanciale can be difficult to come by. That is why many people look for a Guanciale substitute.

How Is Guanciale Meant To Be Eaten?

For many years, genuine Guanciale could not be eaten in the USA. It was banned by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) because it was made from a prohibited cut of meat. 

After an outbreak of swine flu in the 1970s, Guanciale, together with numerous other cured meats imported from Italy, was prohibited. It was around this time that creative chefs started to come up with Guanciale substitutes.

Now that the ban has been lifted and Guanciale is again permitted, it has regained its popularity.

Some people like to eat Guanciale on its own, cut up into small pieces, but it is primarily used as an ingredient in many Italian dishes, like spaghetti carbonara. It is also used to add a special flavor to certain sauces, like Amatriciana sauce. 

The cut of meat used for Guanciale, from the pork jowl, has a completely different flavor, because of the fat in this piece. The flavor is quite intense, so one only needs to use a small quantity of meat in these dishes in order to give them that special taste.

Guanciale is often used as an interesting addition to certain vegetable dishes. Sautéed vegetables are quite delicious with a few pieces of Guanciale added for extra flavor and protein.

Guanciale substitutes are a cheaper and easier way to enjoy this delicacy, and there are numerous options available that will work well. You could possibly not even be able to tell the difference. 

At the end of this article, I will share one of my special recipes with you, in which I have used one of the more readily available substitutes for Guanciale. You will be surprised at how easy this is to prepare, and how utterly yummy it is to eat. You might never bother with finding genuine Guanciale again.

Guanciale Substitutes

If you are looking for a good Guanciale substitute, you could try any of the following.

• PANCETTA

Pancetta is a well-known Guanciale substitute, readily available in America. It is a type of salami made from pork belly. It is salted, spiced, and cured in much the same way as real Guanciale, but it has a slightly different flavor and texture.

Pancetta is often used to add flavor and substance to sauces and soups. It is highly versatile and is often added to dishes to make them more interesting and tasty. It will enhance the flavor of a sauce in a similar way to Guanciale.

• BACON

Bacon is often used as a Guanciale substitute, because, like Guanciale, it is also meat derived from pork, and is also cured. However, one major difference between bacon and Guanciale is that bacon is smoked.

Because it has been smoked, bacon has a stronger flavor than Guanciale. Like Guanciale, bacon can be used to add flavor to sauces, soups, and stews and of course, it can be eaten plain, or as an accompaniment to many other dishes. After all, don’t most of us love sitting down to a breakfast of iconic bacon and eggs?

• PROSCIUTTO

Prosciutto can be used as a Guanciale substitute in most recipes. Prosciutto is also made from pork meat, but, unlike Guanciale, it comes from the hind leg of the pig. This cut has different fat content to the meat from the jowl that is traditionally used for Guanciale. The ratio of fat to meat affects the flavor and texture of the meat.

Prosciutto is also salted, spiced, and cured for a few weeks and left to dry out gradually in a cool place. If your recipe calls for Guanciale, and you cannot get any, you could use Prosciutto and it would have a similar flavor. But be aware that the texture will not be as smooth and creamy.

• SPECK

Speck is also Italian specialty meat and comes from a region in Italy where the meat is usually only lightly smoked and then dry-cured. 

Although speck is made from the same cut as prosciutto, it has a slightly lower fat content, with a higher ratio of meat to fat. As a result, the flavor is not quite as strong, however, it also makes a fairly good guanciale substitute. 

When added to pastas, sauces, soups, and stews speck will give an interesting twist to the flavor and will taste wonderful.

Using A Guanciale Substitute In Recipes

Any accomplished chef will tell you that no matter how talented a cook you may be, your skills are worthless without the right ingredients. 

Select your fresh produce carefully, to ensure that you use only the best tomatoes. If a recipe calls for a particular type of cheese, source the best quality of that cheese that you can lay your hands on. Wine? Don’t use cheap plonk. 

Quality ingredients will yield a quality dish that everyone will enjoy and rave about. Inferior ingredients will produce nothing more than a mediocre result.

So does this mean that you should never substitute ingredients in a recipe? Of course not. But when substituting, take care to obtain the best possible quality of the substituted ingredient. In this way, your dish will remain almost true to the original.

As promised, here is my favorite recipe using a Guanciale substitute. 

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PASTA WITH AMATRICIANA SAUCE

The town of Amatrice is a little-known place in the mountainous regions of Lazio in Italy. It was here that this delicious sauce was first created. Truth be told, it is intended to be made with Guanciale, but I have experimented and played around with a few recipes, and I found that it works just as well with pancetta or prosciutto.

INGREDIENTS

• 3½ ounces pancetta or prosciutto cut up into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
• 1 pound ripe fresh tomatoes, chopped, or a can of Italian tomatoes
• 1 chopped red onion
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound good quality spaghetti
• 3 ½ ounces strong pecorino cheese, grated

METHOD

1. Put the oil in a pan and gently brown the onion. 
2. Add the pieces of meat and continue to sauté over medium heat, until the meat is lightly browned and slightly crispy around the edges.
3. Add the tomatoes and spices.
4. Continue stirring gently until heated through. 
5. Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken.
6. Take off the stove and set it aside.
7. Cook the spaghetti until it reaches the al dente stage.
8. Drain the spaghetti well and place in a serving bowl.
9. Toss with the grated Pecorino, reserving a little to sprinkle on top.
10. Pour the sauce over and sprinkle the remaining Pecorino on top.
11. Serve immediately, while still piping hot.

This dish is so delectable that, when made like this, you wouldn’t even know that this Amatriciana sauce was made using a Guanciale substitute.

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You’ve planned your family’s favorite dinner for tonight; baked salmon with creamy mashed potatoes. But disaster has struck, and the mashed potatoes are looser than you’d hoped for. In other words, runny! However, do not despair, because it’s not difficult to learn how to thicken mashed potatoes.

The humble potato is a delicious and nutritious vegetable. It can be cooked in many different ways, and can be served as a side dish accompanying the main course, or can even be a meal in itself if baked and filled with different types of fillings.

The type that always gets the most votes in our house is mashed potatoes. This food is so versatile and can be served as an accompaniment to so many different foods. It goes well with almost anything, is easy to make, and potatoes are usually quite budget-friendly. Therefore mashed potatoes make a frequent appearance on my table.

Although mash is relatively simple to prepare, there are things that can go wrong if you are not careful. One of the most common problems is that your mash turns out to be too runny or soggy. So what can be done to solve this? How do you thicken mashed potatoes?

Why Are Mashed Potatoes Sometimes Too Runny?

There are two reasons why your mash may be too runny. Let me elaborate.

• Not Draining the potatoes properly

The first problem is that in order to cook the potatoes, you have to boil them in water. During the cooking process, the potatoes absorb a lot of the liquid.

It is essential that once cooked you drain the water from the potatoes very well. I advise pouring them into a colander and allowing them to stand for at least 15 minutes, giving them a good shake every 5 minutes, to allow all the water to drain fully. 

Once the water has drained completely, wrap the potatoes in a clean, absorbent kitchen towel and pat dry. This will help to remove the last remaining water and will avoid the mash being too runny.

• Adding too much liquid

In order to get light, fluffy, creamy mash, most recipes advise adding either milk or cream, or sometimes both, to the potatoes when mashing them. Sometimes too much milk or cream can make the mash soggy and runny. 

The best way to avoid this happening is to add the liquid very gradually as you are mashing the potatoes until you get just the right creamy consistency.

If either of the above scenarios has caused your mash to be too runny, don’t toss it in the garbage. I can help.

There are two general ways to thicken mashed potatoes: either by adding a thickening agent or by removing surplus moisture. Let me share a few tricks with you to save the day.

How To Thicken Mashed Potatoes With Corn Flour Or Flour

Both wheat flour and cornflour act as thickening agents. Cornflour will give better results, but ordinary flour will also work. You may just need to use a little more. 

If you merely add dry flour or cornflour to your mash, it will turn into a glue-like, lumpy mess. The trick is to make a smooth paste with a thick, liquid consistency.

Place a tablespoon of cornflour, or 2 tablespoons of regular flour, in a cup and add a little slightly warm milk. Mix it well until there are absolutely no lumps, and add gradually to the mash, stirring it in very well. It should thicken up beautifully.

If the mash is still too soft, repeat the process until it is thick enough.

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How To Thicken Mashed Potatoes With Other Ingredients

It is possible to thicken mashed potatoes by adding a little dried milk powder and stirring it in carefully. Adding some grated cheese also works well, and adds a delicious flavor to the mash.

The best trick of all is to add a little instant dried potato powder and stir well. This will bulk up the mash and thicken it perfectly.

How To Thicken Mashed Potatoes By Removing Surplus Moisture

Heat causes evaporation, so if you heat the runny mash, some of the excess water will evaporate, and the mash will thicken. If you heat the mash in a pot on the stove, you run the risk of the bottom burning.

Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Place the runny mash in an uncovered ovenproof dish and put it in the oven. Check and stir it every 10 minutes, until it has thickened.

The same thing can be done by putting the mash in the microwave in an uncovered dish and heating it, opening the microwave and stirring every 2-3 minutes until moisture has escaped.

By following the above tips for how to thicken mashed potatoes, you will never again have to throw out that runny mash.

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Salmon is such a firm favorite in my house that I seldom have any leftovers when I make it for a family meal. So it’s not surprising that I almost never have to worry about how to reheat salmon. 

However, on the rare occasion when we do have a couple of pieces left, it is useful to know how to reheat salmon in such a way that it does not dry out and become rubbery.

Salmon is a versatile fish that can be prepared in many different ways. I love salmon baked in a tasty sesame seed and teriyaki sauce. It is not only delicious, but it is also ridiculously easy to prepare. At the end of this article, I will share my own special recipe with you.

In addition to being simple and easy to make, salmon is known to be exceptionally healthy. It is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals and is a highly nourishing source of protein. Salmon is filled with Omega 3 fatty acids, which are known to be good for heart health.

With all of these benefits, it is no wonder that salmon has become a very popular dish in recent years. If you cook salmon and want to reheat it afterward, there are numerous ways to do this.

How To Reheat Salmon In The Oven

When reheating salmon, the biggest problem is that it can dry out very easily. Dry salmon is hard and unappetizing, so this is what you want to avoid. The best way to do it is to reheat the salmon in the oven. 

Preheat your oven to 300° Fahrenheit. Take an ovenproof dish and spray it lightly with olive oil. This will prevent the salmon from sticking to the dish. Place the salmon in the dish, in a single layer.

Cover the dish tightly with tin foil and put it in the oven for 20 minutes. Your salmon should be heated through, and still nicely moist inside. Take care not to let your oven get too hot, or to leave the salmon in for too long. These will cause your salmon to get dry.

Remove from the dish carefully with a lifter, taking care not to let the salmon flake and fall apart.

How To Reheat Salmon In The Microwave

When reheating salmon in the microwave, you need to do it in stages, turning it after a minute and checking frequently if it is hot enough. It is best not to use the microwave on its highest power setting. This will cause the salmon to become over-cooked. 

Place the salmon in a microwave-safe dish and cover with a lid or a plate. This will prevent splattering and making a mess in the microwave. Switch on the microwave for one minute, on 50% power. After a minute, turn the salmon and put it back for another minute. Keep checking until it reaches the desired temperature.

How To Reheat Salmon In A Pan On The Stove

Reheating salmon in a pan on the stove is a quick and easy method, but it is not ideal, as the salmon can burn and get overdone very easily. You need to watch it carefully to make sure that this does not happen.

Use a non-stick pan if possible, and spray with a few drops of olive oil. Place the pieces of salmon in the pan and heat it over a medium flame, turning it after 2 or 3 minutes. It should become heated through after only a few minutes on each side.

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Ridiculously Easy Baked Salmon Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 filleted side of Norwegian salmon, skin on, cut into pieces

¼  cup soya sauce

¼  teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper

Sesame seeds

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Spray an ovenproof dish lightly with olive oil. Place salmon pieces in the dish, skin side down, in a single layer.

Mix the soya sauce, teriyaki sauce, and lemon juice together in a cup. Brush the salmon generously with this mixture. Drizzle lightly with honey and sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Don’t overdo the salt, because the sauces contain salt. Sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds. 

Cover tightly with tin foil and place in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the foil, spoon juices over the salmon, and put it back in the oven uncovered for another 20 minutes. Serve the fish steaming hot with mashed potatoes and veggies of your choice. 

This is so scrumptious that you probably won’t have leftovers, so you will not have to worry about how to reheat salmon.

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Are you the kind of person who loves the tangy flavor of spicy foods? Foods that almost make your nose run and your eyes water? If so, you probably love chili and may want to know how to freeze chili.

On a freezing cold winter’s night, there is nothing better than tucking into an inviting bowl of steaming hot food. Most people love things like soups and stews, and these can be made with all sorts of interesting and exciting ingredients.

Chili is a delicious way to spice up a meal. There are numerous different ways to prepare chili. I love my chili when it is made as a thick sauce, filled with meat and chili peppers. 

Many people enjoy their chili with vegetables instead of meat. But however you like it, if you are a chili-lover, it is useful to know how to freeze chili.

What Are The Different Types of Chili?

There are so many types of chili, and most of them can be frozen successfully. Let’s take a look at the most popular variations of this delectable Mexican dish.

• Chili Con Carne

Chili con carne is chili with meat. This is almost like a kind of stew, cooked in a pot on top of the stove. The main ingredient is chunks of meat, and it can be made with beef, lamb, or pork. The sauce is made with your choice of chili peppers and is also filled with other hearty ingredients like tomatoes, onions, and beans.

• Vegetable Chili

Vegetable chili is very similar to Chile con Carne, but without the ‘carne.’ ‘Carne’ is the Spanish word for ‘meat’. So Chile con Carne is chili with meat, while vegetable chili is chili with vegetables, but without meat.

Many people make vegetable chili as a full meal, so they add other types of protein to the dish. Black beans, red kidney beans, white beans, and tofu are all popular ingredients to add to vegetable chili.

• Texas Chili

Genuine Texas chili will truly make your eyes water! It is made only with chili peppers that have been chopped up and cooked together to make a smoking hot sauce. You should not add any other vegetables or beans to real Texas chili.

• Black Bean Chili

As you will probably have guessed from the name, black bean chili is made with black beans, rather than other beans. It can be made as a vegetarian dish, with other vegetables added, or you can add meat like pork or beef to the chili.

• Chili Verde

Chili Verde is green chili. As its name suggests, it is made with green chili peppers. Other ingredients are pork, garlic, oregano, and tomatillos.

Tomatillos sound like mini tomatoes, but they actually aren’t. They look like green, unripe tomatoes, with a dry, leafy husk that covers the vegetable. They are a distinctive bright shade of green.

• Turkey Chili

By now, you are probably getting quite good at guessing what type of chili dish each one of these is. But maybe I have got you a little confused here. Texas chili originates from Texas. So you would think it is safe to assume that Turkey chili comes from Turkey. But No!

Turkey chili is for those people who prefer lean meat to fatty options, so they choose to use turkey meat in their chili. Turkey is actually a very versatile kind of poultry. It is nourishing and healthy, and very low in fat. It is a delicious complement to a chili dish. 

Can All Of These Chili Dishes Be Frozen?

Most of these can be frozen very successfully, by cooling and then placing in the freezer in a plastic storage dish. But I actually prefer to make and freeze my chili sauce separately. I will explain how to do this. Let us take a closer look at how to freeze chili.

How To Freeze Chili

The best way to make many of these dishes is to make your base chili sauce by peeling and cooking your chilies first and then adding the chili sauce to your other ingredients. 

When I do this, I allow the chilies to cook for a long time, so that the chili sauce is strong and very concentrated. You can then always add extra water when you add the sauce to your dish.

When you make the chili sauce, it is useful to make a large batch and then freeze some, so that you have it ready in the freezer and can just take some out and pop it into your pot whenever you feel like a chili dish. 

Can You Freeze The Chili While It Is Still Hot?

No, you should always let the chili cool to room temperature before placing it in the freezer. If it is too warm when you freeze it, it may separate and go all watery.

What Container Should You Use To Freeze Chili?

Let me share a brilliant tip with you. I always freeze my chili in ice cube trays. Try to find trays with large cubes. Once frozen solid, remove the cubes of frozen chili from the tray and place them in ziplock bags. Try to expel as much air as possible and seal the bag well. 

The frozen cubes can also be frozen in a plastic freezer storage container with an airtight seal. 

You can then simply remove as much chili sauce as you need and add the frozen cubes directly to your simmering pot on the stove.

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How Long Can Chili Keep In The Freezer?

Freshly made chili can keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. It must be packed correctly in order to avoid ‘freezer burn.’ If your chili is exposed to air in the freezer, it will lose its flavor very quickly.

Will Chili Still Taste Good If It Has Been Frozen?

When making any of these scrumptious chili dishes, they will taste just as good after freezing, as long as you follow my suggestions of how to freeze chili.

I think most of us have had that incredibly annoying feeling, at some time, of coming home from the supermarket, only to find that you’ve bought the wrong thing. That fabulous lasagne recipe calls for salted butter, and you discover that the butter that you hurriedly grabbed from the fridge is UNsalted butter! So now you will need to work out how much salt to add to unsalted butter.

When it comes to my cooking and baking, I am a huge fan of butter. There is nothing nicer than a cake, or a batch of biscuits, made with pure butter. Sauces like a cheesy sauce for Mac and Cheese, or a creamy garlic mushroom sauce, are also so much better when made with real butter, rather than some oily substitute that supposedly ‘tastes like real butter.’

Butter adds flavor to cooked foods and improves the texture of the dish. Of course, you will all agree that there is nothing to beat a fresh chunk of warm bread, or a slice of hot toast spread thickly with lashings of melt-in-your-mouth butter.

Why Do They Add Salt To Butter?

Salt adds to and enhances the flavor of the butter, but this is not the only reason why the big dairy manufacturers add salt to their butter. Butter is highly perishable; salt is a form of preservative and it extends the shelf life of the butter. It is also fairly cheap. Adding salt to butter leads to fewer losses from spoilage in store, and butter passing its ‘sell by’ date too soon.

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How Much Salt Should Be Added To Unsalted Butter?

Most recipes that include butter take into consideration the fact that butter contains salt. The ingredients have been adjusted to allow for this. If you have inadvertently bought unsalted butter, you can still use it in your cooking, but you will need to make some small adjustments to allow for the change.

For every half a cup of butter, which is ¼ of a pound, you should add a ¼ of a teaspoon of salt. This will give you the same amount of saltiness in the taste as if you had used salted butter. 

However, this is not a hard and fast rule. I live by the philosophy that every recipe can and should be adapted to suit your personal preference. Some people love the tangy kick of lots of salt, while others find it unappetizing. A good guide is to taste as you go along. If it tastes too bland, add a pinch or two of extra salt. 

It is worth remembering that salt in excess is not healthy. It raises your sodium level, which can cause high blood pressure. This sodium imbalance puts a strain on the kidneys and can affect kidney function.

When it comes to adding salt to food, moderation is key. When working out how much salt to add to unsalted butter, always work on the premise that less is better.

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Mexican food is a real treat because it is so unique. Filled with spicy, aromatic flavors, one of my favorite Mexican foods is tamales. When I make them, I usually make extra, so I soon learned how to reheat tamales.

Most people call this using up leftovers. But I invented my own word – ‘plan-overs’. You are probably wondering what plan-overs are. It is food that you have planned to have left over after a meal, saving you time and effort when you need food, but don’t have time to cook.

Tamales are a firm favorite in my house. This Mexican dish can best be described as a scrumptious parcel of food, made of dough that is made from corn, and filled with assorted fillings, such as meat, chicken, vegetables or fish. The whole parcel is then wrapped in either a corn husk or a banana leaf in which it is cooked, but is then discarded before you eat.

So you have had a crazy day, and are so pleased that in your freezer you have those tamales that you made last week. But what do you need to do with them to make them all yummy again?

How To Reheat Tamales

There are numerous methods that can be used to reheat tamales. I will give you simple instructions for each method. These will all work well with both home-made tamales and store-bought frozen tamales. 

Must You Defrost Tamales Before Reheating Them?

Tamales can be reheated from frozen, but it will take a little longer. The end result will be better if you defrost them first, by taking them out of the freezer the night before, and then leaving them to defrost in the fridge overnight.

How To Reheat Tamales In A Steamer

This can be done on the stove in a pot with a steamer basket. Fill your pot with about two inches of water. Put the tamales, still in their husks, into the basket, and place in the pot, making sure that the water does not actually touch the tamales. Try to stand them up, rather than stacking them on top of each other. 

Cover with a lid and steam for about 20 minutes. If your tamales are frozen, it will take about 35-40 minutes. Remove the husks before eating. This method can also be used in an electric steamer.

How To Reheat Tamales In A Pan

Using this method will make your tamales deliciously brown and crispy, but is not as healthy as steaming. This works best for tamales that have been thawed already. 

Place a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan and heat over medium heat. Remove the husks first. Carefully lower the tamales into the hot pan and cover, to prevent the oil from splattering. Using tongs, turn every 2-3 minutes until nicely browned and heated through, which will take approximately 10 minutes. Place on a piece of paper towel for a minute to drain the excess oil.

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How To Reheat Tamales In The Oven

Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Wrap individual tamales in foil and place in an oven-proof dish. Place in the hot oven. Turn the parcels after 10 minutes to ensure even heating. Remove after another 10 minutes and unwrap. This method works well with the tamales still in their husks, or without them. 

How To Reheat Tamales In An Air Fryer

This method will take a lot of the moisture out of your tamales, so it is best to heat them in their husks. 

Place the tamales in the basket of the air fryer, and set the timer for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, turn them over and repeat. If they are frozen when you put them in, you will need about 11-12 minutes on each side.

How To Reheat Tamales In A Microwave

This is the best method if you are in a hurry, but it should only be used as a last resort because it is not as good as the other methods. 

Wrap your thawed tamales individually in a piece of paper towel. Place on a plate in the microwave, 2 at a time, and heat on full power for 15 seconds. Remove, wrap in a new paper towel, turn over, and repeat. You may need to do this 3 or 4 times until they are hot enough, depending on your microwave’s power.

Whichever method you choose to use to reheat tamales, they are bound to be delicious. Cook, freeze, reheat, and enjoy.

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You are at the supermarket doing your monthly shopping. Somehow, every month the same food seems to cost a little more. So it’s not surprising that you are thrilled to discover that the deli special of the day is rotisserie chicken, on special at 2-for-the-price-of-1. You would like to stock up and fill your freezer, but do you know how to reheat rotisserie chicken?

I am always budget-conscious when shopping for food, which is why my freezer is my best friend. I like to take advantage of good specials, especially if they are going to save me time as well as money.

On those hectically busy days when you know that you won’t have time to cook, what could be more convenient than having a ready-cooked chicken in the freezer? Rotisserie chicken is a healthy and tasty meal, but the secret is knowing how to reheat it effectively.

If you want to know how to reheat rotisserie chicken, I will give you simple instructions for the various methods that you can use. But, before reheating your chicken, there are a few other things that you should consider.

Is It Safe To Reheat Rotisserie Chicken?

It is perfectly safe to reheat rotisserie chicken, but it is important to ensure that it is heated to steaming hot all the way through, to ensure that no bacteria can start multiplying.

As with any other chicken, rotisserie chicken should only be reheated once. If you still have leftover chicken after reheating, this can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours and then eaten cold, but you should not reheat it a second time.

It can safely be cut up and added to a green salad to make a healthy lunch, or used as a filling for a scrumptious chicken sandwich. (Although I often land up giving these leftovers to the street cats around my apartment block – happy cats!)

Can You Reheat Rotisserie Chicken From Frozen?

While you can reheat your rotisserie chicken from straight out of the freezer, it is always better to defrost it first. Chicken can go off quite quickly if left out for too long. Therefore the safest way to defrost it is by taking it out of the freezer the night before and leaving it in the fridge to defrost overnight. 

Should You Reheat A Whole Rotisserie Chicken, Or Cut It Up?

This depends on your needs. Reheating the whole chicken and then cutting it into portions just before eating will help to keep the chicken lovely and moist inside. But cutting it up first and then reheating will speed up the heating process. 

The other advantage of cutting up the chicken first is that you can then reheat only as much as you need, and store the rest in the fridge for up to 2 days, to be reheated and used at a later stage. 

How To Reheat Rotisserie Chicken

There are a few different ways to reheat rotisserie chicken. Choose the method that suits you best in terms of both the time available and the effort required. 

How To Reheat Rotisserie Chicken In The Oven

Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit. If you are reheating the whole chicken, wrap it up in tin foil and place it in an ovenproof dish. Place the dish in the hot oven and leave for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. When heated through, cut into portions and serve.

If you cut the chicken up first, place the pieces in an oven-proof dish and cover with foil, then place in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Halfway through, baste with the juices that have run off, in order to keep the chicken moist.

How To Reheat Rotisserie Chicken In The Microwave

When reheating in the microwave, it is best to cut the chicken up first. Place chicken portions into a microwave-proof dish and cover with the lid. Microwave on high for about 30 seconds per portion, depending on the power of your microwave. Keep checking until it is heated all the way through.

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How To Reheat Rotisserie Chicken In A Pan On The Stove

Rotisserie chicken can be reheated quickly in a pan on the stove. Spray the pan with a little olive oil and heat over a medium flame. Place the chicken pieces in the hot pan, turning with tongs every 1-2 minutes until heated through, about 5-6 minutes in total, depending on the size of the pieces.

How To Reheat Rotisserie Chicken In An Air Fryer

Air fryers have become extremely popular in recent years, and have almost become the must-have kitchen gadget. I absolutely love mine and use it constantly. It is great for when you want to reheat rotisserie chicken. Simply place the cut up pieces of chicken in the air fryer basket, set the timer for 15 minutes, and forget about it. The chicken will be moist and succulent and will retain all its flavor.

Can You Reheat Rotisserie Chicken In A Slow Cooker?

While it is possible, I do not advise reheating rotisserie chicken in a slow cooker. The chicken will be soft and moist, but it may fall apart and lose some of its flavor. However, it can be convenient on a really busy day. In the morning you can put the whole frozen chicken in the slow cooker on the ‘Low’ setting, and leave it for 6-8 hours. You will then come home to chicken that is ready to cut up and eat.

When deciding how to reheat rotisserie chicken, any of these methods will work well. The one that I like the best is in the air fryer because it is the easiest and most delicious. 

Now that you know how to reheat rotisserie chicken, you can shop smart. As long as you have enough space in your freezer, you can maximize every opportunity to save money, and buy a few and freeze when you see a good special.

See Related Article: How to Reheat Tamales – A Quick Guide