how to reheat so many things

plus: Tasty Turkey + a very special class this weekend!

Hi friends and happy new year! I hope the end of 2023 was kind to you and the start of 2024 feels good. I spent the end of the year in California with my best friends and I can’t think of anything better. Maybe I’ll write about friendship one of these days? In the meantime, here are some views I got to see:

And also a quick note that I cooked and ate so many fun things on my trip, including dinner for my BFF’s kids one night that seemed to be a hit and it was SO FAST AND EASY I thought it was worth telling you about. I minced a small onion and sautéed it a little olive oil in a nonstick saucepan. I added ground turkey (I used 1/2 pound because that’s what was in the fridge, but you could of course do a whole pound) and seasoned it with salt and cooked it, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as the minutes ticked by, until it was just cooked through. Then I added a generous splash of soy sauce (maybe 1 1/2 tablespoons), a squeeze of ketchup (maybe a tablespoon), and 3 cloves of minced fresh garlic. I let this all bubble a bit and then served it with hot rice. Add a vegetable if you want. I called it Tasty Turkey and I think that also helped build a little excitement? You could easily do this with any ground meat or crumbled firm tofu.

What’s the easiest thing you cooked over the holidays? This is the kind-of information I live for….

Before I get into all things reheating, a quick note that this Sunday’s class is going to be SO SPECIAL.

Virginia Sole-Smith

is joining me in my kitchen and together we will cook, talk + answer your questions. It’s one of ‘No Judgment’ classes which means (a) it’s sliding scale starting at $0 and (b) it’s an opportunity to cook and EAT together in community, which is a really healing thing to do if you struggle with food stuff/body image/the *weight* of anti-fat bias, etc. Join us! All info about the class/signup is here! FAQs about my classes is here.

AND HERE ARE THE REST OF MY JANUARY + FEBRUARY CLASSES:

• SUN. JAN. 21st, 2pm - 3:30p EST: Three Easy Baked Goods [Card Night Ginger Cookies / Greek Yogurt + Jam Cake / Chocolate Chunk Muffins] »» INFO + SIGN UP HERE ««

• SUN. FEB. 4TH, 2pm - 3:30 EST: Chicken 101 »» INFO + SIGN UP HERE ««

• SUN. FEB. 11TH, 2pm - 4p EST: Recipe Writing Deep Dive »» INFO + SIGN UP HERE ««

• SUN. FEB. 25TH, 2pm - 3:30p EST: Three Quick Dinners [Turkey Tacos + Crunchy Slaw / Chickpea, Spinach + Lemon Soup with Garlic Bread / LLubav’s Green Spaghetti] »» INFO + SIGN UP HERE ««

One of the most frequent things I get asked in my classes is how to reheat the things we’re cooking. It’s also a question Emmet and I get asked by our Full Fridge Club clients since we’re in the business of preparing food that people heat up whenever they want (for more info about FFC, our weekly prepared food service we offer in Kingston, NY just head here! / you can also read about our one year anniversary of FFC here! / in a nutshell: we prepare 6 dishes every week that everyone can mix-and-match + use throughout the week to make life a little easier and we place at least 1 meal per client in our local community fridge every week — lots of FULL fridges!).

Instead of giving specific reheating instructions for every single dish, I recently put together this reheating overview for our FFC clients and thought it might be useful to share here, too.

SOUPS + STEWY/SAUCY THINGS (CURRIES, BRAISED MEAT, ETC.): These can be put in a pot (uncovered) and reheated over medium heat until nice and hot (stir now and then). Or reheat in 1 minute intervals in the microwave, stirring in between intervals. Pretty much all soups/stews freeze beautifully, too, so you can always throw the container in the freezer for another time. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat as directed. 

CRISPY THINGS (TOFU CUTLETS, ETC.) + ANYTHING ROASTED (ROASTED VEGETABLES, FOR EXAMPLE): If you have an air-fryer, now is the time! Just reheat at 375ºF for a few minutes and your food will be nice and crisp! Line your air-fryer with a parchment liner for extra easy cleanup. If you don’t have an air-fryer, just put the food on a foil or parchment-lined tray in a 400ºF toaster oven or regular oven until warmed through. Also you can microwave your crispy thing if you just want it to be hot quickly, just know it won’t stay very crispy (but sometimes that’s okay!). 

SAUTÉED VEGETABLES: Enjoy at room temperature, heat in a large skillet set over medium-high heat (add a splash of olive oil if you think the vegetables need it), spread out on a sheet pan and warm in a 300ºF oven, or warm in 1 minute intervals in the microwave.

MASHED VEGETABLES (POTATOES, ETC.) + COOKED GRAINS (RICE, ETC).: The microwave is your best friend with these. Microwave in 1 minute intervals, stirring in between intervals. No microwave? You can spread mashed potatoes (or whatever vegetable) or cooked grains out in a baking dish and warm in a 300ºF oven (or toaster oven) until hot (line the dish with parchment first for easy clean-up and feel free to sprinkle a handful of grated cheese on top before heating…yum). You can also put mashed vegetables in a saucepan, add a splash of liquid (milk or vegetable stock) and warm over medium-low heat, giving the mixture a stir every so often. Cooked grains can also be enjoyed at room temperature or added to soups/stews to stretch them out.

CASSEROLE-ISH THINGS (BAKED PASTA, POT PIES, ETC.): To reheat the entire thing, remove any plastic or paper lid and pop the whole foil tray in a 300ºF oven until the food is nice and hot (test by piercing with a paring knife — the metal blade should be hot). This might take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes depending on the dish. If you froze it before, be sure to defrost before warming up, or just know it will take double the time for the food to warm up. You can also remove a portion of the dish, put in a microwave-safe bowl, and warm it in 1 minute intervals, stirring in between intervals.

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Got any further reheating questions? Or reheating tips you want to share? Tell us in the comments!!!

Okay, talk to you soon! xo, Julia