Tips

Tips for Safely Heating Food

Properly cooked food helps to kill dangerous bacteria. Here are some helpful tips for home cooks to ensure food safety.

23 October, 2023

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Food hygiene with the right temperature can help kill dangerous bacteria. Here are some tips that can be useful for housewives in this process.

Use a microwave. This is one of the fastest and most convenient ways to reheat food. However, to ensure safety when using a microwave, put the food in a glass or ceramic bowl. Use plastic wrap to cover the surface of the bowl to limit the smell of the food sticking to the microwave.

Put the food in the microwave, turn on the high heat setting and set the time to about 1 minute. Open the microwave, use a spoon or chopsticks to dip into the middle of the food to check the temperature. If you find that it is not hot enough, use a spoon or chopsticks to stir the food evenly and continue heating for another 30 seconds.

Wear gloves or use a towel to take the food container out of the microwave, as both the container and the food are very hot at this time and can easily cause burns if not careful.

Boiling. This method is often used to reheat food stored in small plastic containers. First, pour enough water to cover half of the pot, bring it to a boil, then put the food container in, simmer for about 10-15 minutes, use tongs to take the food container out, wait a while for it to cool down a bit, then pour it into a bowl.

Using an oven. Ovens are often used to reheat food stored in the freezer. Turn on the oven to heat up to about 200oC. Put the food in a baking tray or a suitable depth dish and place them in the oven. Heat for about 10 minutes, then turn off the oven and check the temperature of the food again.

If the food is not hot enough, put it back in the oven and continue heating. Finally, use gloves to remove the baking tray.