Why You Shouldn't Even Bother Saving Nachos For Later

Nachos are a dish as delicious to eat as they are easy to make. All you have to do is pile your favorite ingredients on a layer of crisp tortilla chips and heat them until the cheese is melty and delicious. In fact, the hardest part of the whole process might be getting the proportions right. With a meal this good, you don't want to accidentally serve up too little, but nachos are undoubtedly one of those leftovers that just don't reheat well.

There are a few issues that can plague leftover nachos, but we'll start with the biggest: texture. The base of an ideal plate of nachos relies on a delicate balance of crunchy tortilla chips and melted cheese. Fresh out of the oven, these textures complement one another perfectly. The next day, however, the cheese may have turned dry and grainy, and the moisture from all of the toppings has likely infiltrated the tortilla chips, leaving them limp and insipid. This can happen quite quickly, as well, and is one reason why you should never order nachos to-go from a restaurant.

But leftover nachos suffer from more than just textural issues. The other problem is that they often feature a variety of toppings, some of which are meant to be warm, and others cold. The chips, cheese, and beans should all be piping hot, but guacamole, sour cream, and salsa are meant to be served cool. This is easy enough to do when the nachos are assembled fresh, but it is another challenge when preparing leftovers.

The best move, when it comes to a plate of nachos, is to simply eat the whole thing while it is nice and fresh. But if you just can't finish, and your friends are too full to help out, here's how you should reheat those nachos. Start by scraping off any cold toppings onto a small plate. Salsa may be a lost cause, but that dollop of guac should be easy to remove, and anything fresh and crisp like pico de gallo or shredded lettuce should go too. You can add these back later.

For the base layer of nachos, you are going to want to reheat it in a dry heat environment like the oven — this also includes toaster ovens and air fryers, so long as they are large enough to fit the leftovers and you take care to manage any potential dripping cheese. The dry heat of these devices will get your nachos as close as possible to their original crispy state. You want to heat them gently, with the oven only around 300 degrees Fahrenheit. This will allow the nachos to slowly warm, with the chips releasing some of the excess moisture they've taken on in the refrigerator overnight. The portions of chips that are covered with toppings will stay a bit soggy, but exposed chips should crisp back up nicely in the dry heat.

Once the nachos are warmed through and the cheese melted, you can remove them from the oven and reapply the cold toppings. For the best results, however, you can go a step further. Toss those leftover toppings and add fresh scoops of sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.