Can You Eat Cold Fast Food? (Taste, reheating, and safety)
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Sometimes when we order fast food, we tend to overestimate our appetite and end up with food that is left untouched and cold. Fast food is unhealthy as it is. So, does going cold make it any less unworthy of consumption? Can you eat cold fast food?
Most fast food do not taste good at all when cold. Surely, fast foods can be eaten cold but preferably they should be consumed right after purchase while it is hot. If it cools to room temperature it can get spoiled and make you sick if consumed. But you can store them in the fridge and then reheat them to eat.
In this article, I will talk about why most fast foods taste bad when cold. I will also provide some methods for you to revive your delicious meal. Also, you’d be surprised to know that there are some fast foods that actually taste better when cold. I will talk about all of this and more throughout the article.
Is It Safe to Eat Cold Fast Food?
People are getting much busier daily hence are unable to make free time to cook meals. Therefore, fast food restaurants come in handy. We frequently buy food in excess to aid us to get through our days. But they naturally go cold later on.
If food is kept at room temperature, it provides a breeding ground. Housing many forms of microorganisms such as bacteria to grow. This can cause food poisoning if eaten.
To make fast food last longer, store it in the refrigerator or freezer within 2 hours of it getting cold. Use an airtight container to secure it well before shoving it in the fridge.
Cold is said to prevent bacteria from growing by destroying them. Preferably set your refrigerator below 40° and freezer below 0° F. If the food is still hot, let it cool down a bit at first.
A myth used by most says that foods are safe to eat until they smell. This can be quite risky at times. Storing foods in the freezer will alter their delicious original taste and flavor but they will stay safe to eat.
Why Do Most Cold Fast Foods Taste Terrible?
The secret to achieving the most delicious food is fat. The more a food is drenched with oil and fat the tastier it is. This becomes a staple need for fast food restaurants. Restaurants pack their food with grease and starch which helps to enhance the flavor.
When the food becomes cold, the cheesy goodness and fat turn into grease, which tastes horrible. When hot, the fat melts into our mouth, but when cold, they turn solid, which is not appealing. The temperature change alters the texture of fat and starch. Aside from the physical changes, the taste also shows variation.
It is proven that the spice, sourness or bitterness shows modifications. While the flavors of some food get combined and incorporated together into a more delightful and subtle flavor, ingredients like onions also produce a much denser taste and smell that may appall a lot of people.
Reheating Fast Food
Fast food should be reheated to enjoy the taste better. To bring out the original taste. Reheating can also kill the bacteria which starts building up on top of the food. This cancels out any possibilities of diseases such as food poisoning.
The best way to reheat a cold food item is by placing it in the oven, microwave, or using a stovetop. These methods work great to reheat a cold food bringing its original flavor back to life again. Here are some instructions on reheating four of the most common leftover fast foods:
Burgers

A great meal item. Which serves as perfect for filling an empty stomach. The best way to reheat a burger is by using an oven. The heat gets fairly distributed. This would not burn the outer bun layer, neither would it make the burger soggy.
Preheat the oven for 350° F and heat it for 7 minutes. It is suggested to deconstruct all the components before placing them in the oven tray, greased with oil. Remove the vegetables. Warming it will re-melt the cheese onto the meat, bringing back the juiciness of the patty. As the solidified fat loses its texture.
Fries
A microwave oven works fast to reheat one of your most liked foods, fries. But it fails to return you the ideal crispy and crunchy fries.
As it ends up getting soggy. So, if you want that golden crispy fries, then use the stovetop. Heat a pan with oil at medium heat and toss the fries in there for 3 to 5 minutes for the perfect fries.
Nuggets
Heating them in a microwave can make them chewy and rubbery. To get the very best texture of nuggets, you should use the oven.
Preheat your oven for 350°F. Place them on your well-greased tray and let it warm up for 10 minutes. There you have your nuggets just the way you love them.
Pizza

If you are like me who loves to buy pizza in excess to have it saved for later, then here you go. The best way to heat 1 or 2 pizza slices is by using a microwave. A great hack to prevent the crust from getting solid rock hard is by placing a glass of water right beside it.
This will reduce the moisture leaving the pizza and maintaining its perfect crust. Otherwise, you can simply place it in the oven to get heated up.
Burritos
They are quite simple to make but the taste speaks otherwise. Not only that, it is extremely easy to store and reheat. Reheating can be done in an oven.
Preheat the oven to 335 °. Wrap the burrito beforehand using foil paper. Then place in the oven for 30 minutes. A simple yet mouthwatering food ready with just no effort.
Which Fast Food Items Taste Good Cold?
Not necessarily do all fast food items taste horrible. In fact, people prefer some foods such as pizza and meatloaf cold rather than warm. The flavors get well combined into each other as well as highlighting few flavors even more. Let’s take a look at some of these foods.
Pizza
Pizza for breakfast is one of the greatest both in terms of flavors and nutrients. The cold pizza does a brilliant job in delivering a great taste. The pizza components balance out each other perfectly. The taste gets sweeter and more delightful.
Meatloaf
Meatloaves are one of those items which taste great in both temperature extremes. The flavors get a perfect kick as each spice gets plenty of time to settle down and seep into the meat enhancing its taste. Add in some sauce or cut it into pieces to make an amazing sandwich.
Fried chicken
When it comes to fried chicken when it is cold the flavors get more intense. Outbursting with taste. It might be a little less crunchy but is equally great or even better.
Pasta
The more time you allow flavors to settle the tastier it gets. Hands down. Therefore, cold pasta exactly does that. It makes the sauce less runny as they soak into the noodles. The taste of garlic and ginger intensifies. Filling your nose with a lovely aroma of spices.
Soup
Any form of savory soup can enrich its flavor by staying in the fridge overnight. You can add up some fresh garnish such as parsley, coriander, green onions or even an egg. It gets much more delicious and flavorful. It thickens mashing up all the essence beautifully together.
Conclusion
You have all the right to eat your food the way you want. Both the hot or cold. But just make sure you know about the dangers of putting something in your mouth before actually doing it.
Thankfully, you don’t have to force finish your fast-food meals to get your money’s worth. You can just keep what’s leftover in the fridge and then reheat them when you want.