Sometimes we prepare too much food that we reheat when we want to eat again. However, there are certain foods that should never be reheated.
Microwaves are very useful in the kitchen when we need to heat food fast. But, researchers claim that heating some foods can actually be very dangerous especially if you haven’t stored them properly.
These are some of the foods you should never reheat whether you use your oven, stove or microwave:
- Chicken meat
The composition of the protein in chicken meat changes when it cools and reheating it has negative effects on the protein. Since chicken is much richer in protein than red meat, consuming it reheated could cause digestive trouble. When you prepare chicken always make sure that it is thoroughly cooked.
NOTE: Chicken meat should be eaten cold, but if you still want to reheat it always do it on lower temperature for a longer period of time. To prevent digestive issues, you can consume the cold chicken leftovers to prepare a cold sandwich or a salad.
- Spinach
Spinach contains a lot of iron and nitrates which transform into nitrites (carcinogens) if reheated.
- Celery
Celery also contains nitrates like spinach which turn into carcinogens if you reheat it. If you want to reheat soup that has celery in it, take the celery out before you reheat the soup. This should also be done with carrots.
- Turnips
Just like celery and spinach, turnips are also rich in nitrates which are very dangerous if reheated.
- Oils
There are certain oils that have a very low smoke point which is why they become rancid if reheated. These oils include avocado, flaxseed, hazelnut, grape seed and walnut oil. You should never use them for frying, baking or cooking. Instead you should sprinkle them on the meals after you have finished cooking.
- Mushrooms
Mushrooms have a complex protein content which is why they should be consumed immediately. The composition of the protein in mushrooms changes if you reheat them and they can cause digestive issues. So, before preparing mushrooms make sure you use the amount you can eat.
NOTE: Eating reheated mushrooms can be very dangerous for your health. So, once they are cold never reheat them, but eat them cold instead to avoid digestive issues or even more serious heart problems.
- Eggs
Eggs are a common food for breakfast and if you have leftovers that include eggs never reheat them because this could make them toxic and very dangerous for the digestive tract.
- Potatoes
Even though they are very nutritious and tasty, keeping potatoes on room temperature for a long time makes them lose their nutritious value and they can even cause food poisoning.
You should refrigerate potatoes immediately after they cool down, otherwise a rare bacterium called botulism could appear. Botulism can’t be killed in the microwave. If you want to eat leftover potato stew, take the potatoes out, reheat it and then put them back in.
- Rice
You should know how to properly store rice before reheating it to avoid serious health issues. The Food Standards Agency claims that there are bacteria spores in raw rice which could lead to food poisoning. These spores can survive even when the rice is cooked. If you keep cooked rice at room temperature, the spores can multiply and cause food poisoning. Even if you reheat it you will not get rid of the bacteria and the poisons.
- Beets
Another food that is rick in nitrates. Instead of reheating beets you should eat them cold to avoid any discomfort.
- Butter lettuce
Eating butter lettuce raw will provide most of the benefits it contains. If you have to cook it consume it immediately because eating reheated butter lettuce could cause food poisoning.
We often reheat some foods even 2-3 times. However, even if they are our favorite, there are certain foods that you should never reheat because they could harm your health. You may find it hard to believe that food can become poison, but as we already explained the nutrients are lost during the reheating process.
Stay healthy and safe and avoid eating the abovementioned foods reheated.