Can You Safely Reheat Frozen Leftovers Without Defrosting First?

We've all been there: You've decided on frozen leftovers for dinner and there's a pep in your step with the knowledge that you're not only doing your freezer a favor, but you also don't need to do any cooking to enjoy your meal. Then you get home, starving, and your hungry stomach sinks with the realization that you forgot to defrost the very leftovers you plan on eating. But the good news is, it's perfectly safe to reheat your frozen leftovers without defrosting first, provided you froze your cooked food quickly and correctly, and that you heat the food thoroughly to 165 degrees Fahrenheit with no cold spots.

Advertisement

When it comes to reheating, you can turn to the usual suspects: The microwave, oven, or saucepan. Each one coincides with the type of food you're reheating. If you'd like some added help, check out our piece on 19 ways to reheat leftovers to perfection. Overall, liquid-based leftovers like soups and stews do better in a saucepan or microwave in a bowl that can help them retain those flavorful juices. Whereas meals featuring a variety of different ingredients are best reheated in the oven or microwave on an oven-proof tray where they can spread out and reheat at their own pace. Just make sure you freeze your leftovers in single serving sizes because you don't want to reheat your frozen leftovers more than once

Advertisement

Reheating strategies to avoid

While you can rest assured that reheating leftovers from frozen is perfectly safe, even if it's not the ideal way to revive your former dishes, there are a handful of items to avoid using during the reheating process. Namely, you don't want to use slow cookers, steam tables, or chafing dishes — anything that uses gentle, indirect heat to slowly warm up your food. The reason these items are a no-no when it comes to reheating is because they keep your food in the 40-degree Fahrenheit to 140-degree Fahrenheit window for too long. Not only does this not get hot enough to kill off the bacteria that you want eliminated, but it actually encourages growth and multiplication. That's the last thing you want when digging into leftovers.

Advertisement

Leftovers can be tricky to freeze; if you don't freeze them at the right time or reheat them properly, you run the risk of contaminating your food with harmful-for-you bacteria. But if you freeze them quickly, in an airtight container, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor for months to come. Of course, reheating from frozen will take a little while longer than if the food was already defrosted, but when you're in a hunger black-out and your food is solid as rock, this is your best option.

Recommended

Advertisement