Skip The Microwave: How To Reheat Pastries The Right Way

There's one question we get asked at the bakery where I work more than any other: What is the best way to reheat pastries? You probably won't be satisfied with my usual reply, which is to eat them as soon as you can, but there are some guidelines to follow if you really need to reheat them later. The first tip is to never, ever open the microwave. Pretend it doesn't even exist. Take that golden, buttery creation you either painstakingly worked on yourself or paid a lot of money for, and walk directly to the oven –- I beg of you.

Microwaves heat the water molecules inside of food rather than the air around it. This starts from the middle of the food, rather than the outside. As the water molecules are drawn out, steam is created, and since the air in the microwave isn't hot, it doesn't have a chance to evaporate. Instead, that steam will condense on the surface of the food, transforming a once beautiful, flaky croissant, into a soggy, limp mess. The scientific reason you should never microwave fries is the very similar. 

Meanwhile ovens create dry heat, which will keep pastries crisp and protect the structure of the inside layers. The standard advice is to aim for about five minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Something like a savory breakfast quiche might need a minute or two longer. Once you take the pastries out of the oven, let them rest for a few minutes before eating.

Reheating pastries in a toaster oven isn't advisable as the heat won't be distributed evenly but you can use an air fryer if you're really in a rush. Just make sure the pastry is heavy enough to weigh itself down, as it could fly all over the place otherwise, and don't cook it for more than two minutes.

There are some limitations to all of this. At the bakery, we don't advise reheating anything with a cream-based filling and you'll need to remove any frostings too. You can always just put them back on after the pastries have cooled though. As for storage, just keep your pastries in the box they came in, making sure to refrigerate anything like vanilla cream puffs or custard-based pastries as soon as possible.

You have a little more leeway with a plain croissant or pain au chocolat. If you plan on eating these later in the day just leave them on the counter so that they don't dry out in the fridge. If you're storing your pastries for a few days, or you made them yourself, use an airtight container, avoiding plastic wrap as it locks in moisture. The freezer is an option too for anything without cream. Just defrost fully before reheating in the oven. I repeat — in the oven.