Wednesday, March 19, 2008 9:31 AM
How can I reheat food without re-cooking it?
Unless you’re Ina or Giada or one of those other kitchen freaks who can effortlessly turn out dinner for 12 without breaking a sweat, make-ahead and par-baked dishes are your best friend. The real work is figuring out how to cool and reheat those dishes 1) without food poisoning your guests and 2) so the dish is as tasty and gorgeous as it was when it left the oven the first time.
Tips for Cooling
* Liquids (soups, sauces, gravies) should be immersed in an ice water bath.
How to: Fill a container (one that’s deeper than the one holding the soup or sauce) with ice water. Insert the container of hot liquid into the ice water and stir.
* Transfer hot food into shallower pan and refrigerate. The food (think: roasted veggies, casserole) should be no thicker/deeper than four inches for proper cooling.
* Cut large, solid foods—like roasts—into six-pound or smaller pieces to speed cooling.
Tips for Reheating
* Flash cooking is a restaurant/caterer trick. Pre-cooked and –cooled food is reheated in a very high oven for a short period of time. Large, dense foods, like thick stews and whole poultry or roasts can’t be flashed, but you can flash individual servings, like filets of fish, chicken parts, steaks, etc.
How to: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the food to be flashed in a single layer on a sheet pan. "Flash" in the oven for 2 to 10 minutes, depending on the density of the food. Individual cuts of meat and servings will reheat in under five minutes, but larger casseroles may takes as long as 10 minutes.