2021 Holiday Meals Reheating Instructions.indd (2024)

FAQs

How do you heat up pre-cooked Thanksgiving dinner? ›

To reheat, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Keeping the turkey in the roasting pan, pour a bit of stock (chicken, turkey, or veggie stock or broth will work) over the meat to moisten it. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the turkey is warmed through.

Before reheating in an oven preheated to 350°F, food should either be transferred to a lined baking sheet (or one fitted with an oven-safe rack) or remain in its provided oven-safe packaging as noted below. Some entrées (except for Chicken Scallopini and Ultra-Green Spanakopita) can be microwaved.

Oven-Ready Whole Turkey (Raw)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove turkey and roasting pan from plastic bag and keep aluminum foil in place. Transfer turkey to preheated oven. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, without touching the bone, reads 165°F, about 3¼–4½ hours.

Transfer the turkey and mashed potatoes into oven-safe dishes, add a little stock to the turkey and butter to the potatoes, and cover both dishes. Reheat them together for about 30 minutes at 350°F. You're winning the leftover dinner game right now.

Time will depend on the density of the food. Light foods such as spinach puffs, stuffed mushrooms, or chicken rumaki will only take about 15-25 minutes. Medium foods, like chicken entrees, stuffed peppers, filet tips, roasted potatoes, or frittatas, generally only need 30-45 minutes.

Always reheat food until it is steaming hot all the way through (you should only do this once). Do not put food into hot holding without reheating it properly first. Check that reheated food is steaming hot all the way through. If the equipment seems to be working, reheat the dish for longer and then test it again.

Generally, you should reheat dishes at a low temperature like 350°F so they don't dry out. Cover your dish with foil and cook it between 8-20 minutes (depending on the food) until it cooks all the way through. Food like meats or casseroles tend to reheat well in the oven, because they don't typically dry out as much.

When you put a ready-meal in the oven you are reheating it rather than cooking it. As cooked food should only be reheated once, any leftovers cannot be reheated again. So unless the pack has specific instructions for reheating, leftover ready meals should be eaten cold or not at all.

Re-heat meal in conventional oven, place meal on a cookie sheet and set oven at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes maximum.

How do you reheat meals in the oven? ›

Food can be reheated in the oven without drying it out by placing it in an oven-safe dish, covering it with aluminum foil, and heating it at a low temperature, typically around 200-250°F (95-120°C), until warmed through.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove turkey from packaging and place in an oven-safe dish. Heat in the oven for 20–25 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes before thinly slicing.

Cook time: approximately 4 hours at 375°F.

The best way to reheat turkey is in a 350°F oven.

Alternatively, you can microwave the sliced turkey (cover with a damp paper towel) in a microwave-safe dish at 50% power in 1-minute intervals.

“The best way to reheat turkey is in the oven,” says chef Jose Garces. “Slice the turkey, place it in a shallow pan, add some chicken or turkey stock, and cover tightly with foil. Heat at 300 or 325 degrees until the turkey reaches 165 degrees. The stock should allow the turkey to steam without drying out.”

The safe temperature for reheating leftovers is 165 degrees Fahrenheit, so it's a good idea to keep a food thermometer handy to make sure you destroy any harmful bacteria. You can heat leftovers to this safe temperature using whatever appliance you want: stovetop, microwave, oven, toaster oven, or air fryer.