Can you reheat chicken twice? Do's and dont's of heating up leftovers

WE'VE all felt the pain of not wanting chicken leftovers go to waste, but is it safe to reheat it?

Don't panic if you are wanting to make the most of your chicken dish, as there is hope…

Can I re-heat chicken?

In short, yes, you can.

But when you're re-heating poultry you need to be careful that you don't undercook it.

You could also dry out your chicken and make it inedible.

You should also be aware of how long it's been standing in the fridge for.. anything longer than three days and you should toss it out!

How many times can you re-heat chicken?

Lydia Buchtmann from the Food Safety Information Council told SBS.com that you can actually re-heat chicken as much as you want.

The important thing is that it should be piping hot all the way through.

The chicken should reach 70 degrees celsius and the only accurate way to measure this is with a cooking thermometer.

Get yourself one and you'll be golden!

What's the best way to re-heat chicken?

Oven

Food should be heated until it maintains the 70C or above temperature for two minutes.

You should pre-heat your oven before cooking, and then blot the chicken, before adding some oil to crisp the skin.

Heat until it reaches the piping hot temperature for the required period of time.

Microwave

Microwaves do not always heat food evenly throughout. You should take your food out halfway through cooking time and give it a stir.

Cook on full power for at least three minutes, and then let the dish sit for two minutes before serving.

The best way to make sure your food's ready to eat is through cutting up the chicken into smaller parts.

This ensures that the meat is properly heated all the way through and prevents the centre from being cold, which can happen if it's a big chunk of chicken.

Hob

Add oil or butter to the pan before adding the chicken, and then cover if you want to maintain moisture.

Heat for around five minutes, flipping halfway to ensure the meat is thoroughly heated through.

When the meat has been separated to smaller pieces, make sure they aren't overlapping or touching each other.

Also, adding a few drops of water or chicken stock can ensure that it doesn't dry out.

What foods shouldn't be re-heated?

Eggs should NEVER be re-heated, just the thought of it alone is making us queasy..

Fish is one that is best avoided.. seafood is complicated enough to cook the first time, and heating it up incorrectly could result in some major tummy troubles.

If you're microwaving some rice then you should be aware of where it's been stored, as unless it's been in the fridge the whole time it could be full of bacteria.

Meanwhile, here's how to store and reheat your leftovers to avoid food poisoning.

And a woman reveals how she turns leftover potato skins into chips and people are loving the idea.

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