Most households often encounter problems with leftover food storage. It’s always best to refrigerate food two hours after it’s cooked. Reheating would be necessary if you plan to consume it again later. One of the disadvantages of reheating food twice with a microwave is it ruins the taste and texture, even if you use microwave-friendly containers or boxes. So, how many times can you reheat food in microwave-friendly containers before it’s deemed unsafe? Read on to find out.
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Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
About Tupperware
Tupperware desires to help households save time, money, space, food, and energy. What motivates the organization is knowing that they can impact the planet in a positive way, by creating eco-friendly solutions to store food so that it can last longer, and be less wasteful in order to better lives through the use of their products.
What You Need to Know About Reheating Food in Microwave Friendly Tupperware Containers
Leftover food is safe for consumption only if it’s reheated at 165F. However, reheating food more than twice would drastically decrease the quality of the food, as well as its texture. Reheating food many times will cause it to be dry, beady, sticky, or too tough. It also reduces its nutritional value which defeats the purpose of maintaining a well-balanced diet.
Of course, you could always add a bit of moisture to your food before reheating it in the microwave so that it won’t go dry. Wet food such as stew and soup will be fine when reheating but for items such as rice or pasta with sauce, it tends to dry up so feel free to add a little bit of water to retain its moisture.
Not all microwavable food containers are ‘heat friendly’ and that’s what makes them unsafe. Here are some things you ought to know before reheating food in a microwavable container, especially a Tupperware one.
How To Properly Microwave Food In Your Tupperware?
1. Keep the Lid On When Reheating Food
Before reheating food, transfer the leftovers into a microwave-friendly Tupperware container and keep the lid on. The tiny holes on the lid will act as a vent that releases hot fumes while it’s in the microwave oven. If your Tupperware containers don’t have a lid, you can replace it with paper kitchen towels or parchment paper instead. Don’t even think of using plastic wraps!
2. Check the Label
Microwavable Tupperware containers are super easy to identify. You can easily spot the label at the bottom of the container itself. However, not all containers by Tupperware are microwave safe so be sure to check carefully before popping them in the oven.
3. Portion Control is Key
If you’ve prepared food in big batches, reheating the desired portion in the microwave instead of the entire thing is recommended. Once done, let it cool off a little bit before consuming it. If you need to store the leftovers again, wait until the food reaches room temperature. Storing hot food in the refrigerator can raise the temperature inside the refrigerator or freezer, which can be risky for other food items that are already in it.
A PSA, from Yours Truly
Always remember to consume leftovers within four days, tops! If you’re planning to keep it for a longer period, perhaps you could consider freezing it. On another note, can you reheat food twice in a microwave? No, it’s not advisable, especially in a short span of time. Keeping the reheating to a minimum will help retain the taste and texture.
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