Fried rice a common Asian food that has become a staple for many people in the world.
Considering you’ve had a big dinner the previous night and a box or two of fried rice was leftover.
The next day looking through the fridge your eyes fall upon the box containing that fried goodness.
But, the rice is cold and a bit too dry. So how do you go about heating it for consumption?
Here we will suggest you the best ways to reheat your fried rice
Before you go any further, there are a few things you have to make sure of first.
Has your fried rice gone bad?
Smell it, if it stinks throw it away.
Was it refrigerated or frozen?
Leave it outside for a few minutes. Allow your rice to reach room temperature.
Do you want to introduce new flavors?
If so, then you will have to pre-cook those ingredients. Cooking them with your fried rice will make for an unpleasant eating experience.
We will also suggest a few pro tips if used when reheating will elevate your eating experience up a notch.
Best Ways to Reheat Fried Rice
- Instead of using regular oil, use butter.
- Using leftover sauce for reheating will give much more depth of flavor than just plain water.
- Adding a fresh egg is a good way to enhance the end product.
- Adding a dash of soy sauce.
With the above information in hand, we can now dive into the techniques that will change how you used to reheat your fried rice.
1. Microwave
Try not to nuke your fried rice into a bowl of dry rice.
Using a microwave is fast and convenient, but not the best option if you don’t know how to use it properly.
But if you do know how to use it and are feeling a bit lazy and don’t feel like cleaning a few more dishes, then a microwave is the best option.
Many people have the misconception that the microwave is a piece of inferior cooking equipment. David Chang with his microwave cooking videos has done a great job of highlighting some key uses of a microwave.
Two great ways of heating your food in a microwave are as follows:
- Put your fried rice into a bowl. Add a few sprinkles of water and cover the bowl with a plate to avoid water loss. At 50% power run your microwave for 3 to 5 minutes. You want to slowly reheat your fried rice. You don’t want to re-cook it by blasting your microwave on 100% power.
- Instead of a plate put a wet paper towel over your bowl and microwave it on 75% power. Doing this will also give you a fulfilling result.
2. Carbon steel wok/Nonstick pan
You can do a lot with a pan. You can refry if you want to, reheat if you want to. The choice is yours.
With your pan on medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil or any other alternative you like. With your fingers, sprinkle a little bit of water on the rice. Throw your rice in the pan and let it sit on the fire for 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure you are stirring the rice at regular 5 to 10-second intervals.
Place your rice in a bowl and enjoy.