Ditch the Microwave and Reheat Super Bowl Leftovers Like a Pro. Here’s How

The Super Bowl is all about going big. It’s the big game, punctuated by a big halftime show and you probably made a big spread to feed yourself or all the hungry football fans that wandered in off the street. If you went a little too big with the game-day feast this year, you might be dealing with an excess of wings, fries, pizza or pulled pork. Or maybe you ordered enough Thai food to feed the whole neighborhood and have a stockpile pf noodles or fried rice to manage. 

Don’t toss those leftovers. They may never achieve full first-time glory, but with the proper protocol, you can reheat food so it tastes pretty darn close. If you’re wondering about the best way to reheat pizza, fried chicken, beef stew or mac and cheese, don’t just huck last night’s dinner or leftover meal kit into the microwave all willy-nilly. In fact, the microwave is pretty bad at reheating most things. 

It’s true, microwaves kind of stink at reheating food

The microwave is the appliance most commonly employed to reheat leftovers and it may be the fastest, but I’d also contend that it’s the worst. Aside from things like soup, plain rice or mashed potatoes, anything that comes out of the microwave is almost certainly going to have a degree of rubberiness or mushiness that it didn’t have when it went in.

“But it’s so much faster!” you say. Is it though? Most of the methods outlined below take less than two or three minutes. Plus, microwaves are prone to messy explosions. If you have to clean your microwave after reheating food, it’s not a time-saver. 

The air fryer cooks almost as fast as a microwave and, in my opinion, much better. Adding an air fryer to your kitchen may feel like an upfront cost, but these budget-friendly superconvection ovens are the best first step towards better leftovers. Plus, they’ll save money on your energy bill over time. 

Food: Noodles, pasta and rice dishes

Best way to reheat: Nonstick skillet

This wide-ranging category of classic takeout includes Italian pasta dishes; Indian curries with rice; Thai, Vietnamese and Korean noodles; and Chinese stir-fries. We’re talking about any dish featuring starch such as rice or noodles with diced vegetables, meat or plant-based protein and a sauce. The one thing they all have in common is that they’re best reheated in a nonstick skillet or wok. 

While you can probably get away with nuking simple fried rice, a microwave tends to overcook pasta and noodles and will likely turn your chicken, shrimp or sliced beef into rubber. Instead, just throw it all in a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Toss intermittently and in a few minutes, you’ll have something nearly as good as when it first showed up at your table or door the night before. And nonstick pans typically take all of 15 seconds to rinse clean. 

For rice dishes, consider a stainless-steel, carbon-steel or cast-iron skillet to get crispy rice.

Food: Pizza and flatbread

Best way to reheat: Air fryer

There are a handful of reasons I love my air fryer, but none more notable than for reheating leftovers. Microwaves destroy pizza, so let’s cross that one off. A toaster and convection oven does better, but still takes too long to heat through and ends up drying the pizza out by the time it’s heated.

The quick blast of an air fryer’s superconvection will reheat your pizza to crispy perfection in about two minutes at 400 degrees F, depending on how large and thick it is. Be sure to use the basket or grate or else the hot, flat bottom of the air fryer basket could burn the bottom of your slice. I won’t heat leftover pizza any other way. If you didn’t have enough reasons to spring for one, air fryers use way less energy than a big oven.

Food: Fried chicken, french fries and other fried food

Best way to reheat: Air fryer

Leftover fried foods have historically been one of the most difficult to bring back to life. Enter the air fryer, which can revive fried chicken, fried dumplings, mozzarella sticks and even french fries like nothing else in the kitchen. Similar to pizza, it’ll take only a few minutes to heat through and you should have a crispy outer shell just like when the fried food was initially cooked. 

For thicker pieces of chicken, use a lower temperature of around 325 to 350 degrees F for three minutes or so to ensure you don’t burn the outside before the center has time to warm through.

Side note: Beyond reheating fried chicken, a good air fryer also makes delicious “fried” chicken and other foods with far less oil than traditional methods.

Food: Steak, pork chops, burgers and grilled chicken

Best way to reheat: Cast-iron or nonstick skillet

Cuts of meat, including steak and pork chops, are another food that can be tough to resuscitate. Fear not, because there is a way. While reheating grilled steak or fish in an air fryer or oven isn’t impossible, you’re likely to dry the meat out. Instead, I suggest re-searing it quickly in a covered hot cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan for no more than a minute on each side. The hot surface of the skillet should give life back to the crust. Keeping it covered will help warm it through before the pan heat has time to overcook it. For delicate fish, you might want to use a nonstick skillet to keep the flesh from sticking or falling apart.

Fair warning: These types of reheated foods will never be quite as good as when you first pulled them from the grill, pan or plancha, but this method should leave them more than edible. 

Food type: Braised, roasted or slow-cooked meat

Best way to reheat: Covered skillet with a splash of liquid

Braised dishes such as chicken in wine sauce or short ribs should be reheated in a way that mimics how they were cooked. Just heat them gently for a few minutes in a covered nonstick or stainless steel pan with an ounce or two of water or chicken stock. The hot liquid will warm and revive the braised or slow-roasted meat, giving it back its juicy tenderness.