How To Prevent Food From Becoming Soggy In the Microwave
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The soggy texture of microwaved food often takes me back to surviving my college days with a good ol’ piece of leftover pizza microwaved for lunch. Although that taste makes me nostalgic, I would rather go back and teach myself how to make that one meal a little less soggy and a little more homely.
To stop food from becoming soggy, just cover it with a microwave cover lid before heating it. It doesn’t let the steam set on the food, preventing it from getting soggy. Wrapping the food in a dry paper towel also helps to prevent the food from getting soggy. Or, if you have the time, opting to heat the food in the oven works the best.
Although these three suggestions seem to resolve the struggle of having a soggy meal on a lazy afternoon, there are actually various different ways you can heat up food to keep its original texture and prevent it from getting soggy. On that note, check out which method works best for you!
What Makes Food Soggy In the Microwave?
A conventional microwave works by heating up the water particles present in the food. This results in steam forming over the food because there’s no air circulation in the microwave to move the steam away. This steam then settles on top of the food and turns into water, making the food soggy.
Heating up food in a microwave has something to do with water molecules present in the food and the electromagnetic radiation that the microwave emits to heat up the food.
Ways to Prevent Soggy Food in the Microwave
There are actually a number of ways to prevent food from becoming soggy in the microwave. While some tricks can be pretty obvious, that’ll make you go, “wait, why haven’t I thought of that?” others can surely make you do a double-take with their usefulness.
Wanna Heat It? Just Lid It!
If you are heating up a slice of leftover pizza and you don’t want it to get all soggy, just place a microwave cover lid on top of it, pop it in the microwave, and see immediate results!
A curved, bowl-like lid holds in steam, letting it circulate better. This makes the food tender and lets it heat up more evenly. The steam settles on the upper, inner side of the lid and when you take off the lid, you can see water droplets sliding down the side of the lid, which would be the water droplets that otherwise settle on top of your food, making it soggy.
It is a very cheap and effective method to prevent food from becoming soggy in the microwave. Just make sure your lid has an opening to let excess steam escape.
You can use a simple food cover. This one from Amazon works great for me:
Wrap The Food In A Parchment Paper
Parchment papers are the ultimate life hack to revive the crispiness of pizzas, toasts, etc. in no time. To put it simply, parchment paper soaks up the excess moisture that is released from foods in the microwave. This is a very good option for foods like sandwiches, french fries, bread rolls, or pastries like pies and chicken nuggets, etc.
All you need to do is place the parchment paper either only underneath the food or at the bottom and on top of the food you’re going to heat and place it in the microwave. Absorbing the extra moisture, a dry and crispy hot meal will emerge once the heating is done. My usual go-to for parchment paper is Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper Roll.
Cover the Food In A Paper Towel
If you don’t have any parchment paper lying around, a quick fix will be to use damp paper towels instead. Paper towels work on similar principles as parchment papers. You can wrap or cover the food in a wet paper towel and get your desired result. You can check out, VIVA Choose-A-Sheet Paper Towels.
Paper towels are also a good option to revive dry food. Dry products that have lost their crunches like crackers, cereals, or potato chips, etc. can be heated in the microwave for a short period of time after placing them on top of paper towels. As the paper towel will absorb the extra moisture, the chips’ crispness will be restored.
A Mug Of Water Might Just Do The Trick!
Yes, you’ve heard that right. The next time you’re reheating any leftover food like pasta or pizza, put a mug of water in the microwave, with the food. This water will soak up some of the moisture that would’ve gone directly into the food instead.
Heating a glass of water with your leftover food not only absorbs excess microwave radiation but also prevents your food from overcooking. On top of that, it will release steam, keeping your food from drying out.
Basically, placing water in the microwave works both ways! While it prevents the pasta from drying out, it also prevents pizzas from becoming soggy. Talk about having the best of both worlds!
Avoid Heating At A High Temperature
If you heat your food at a high temperature and do it for a short time, the food ought to get soggy. See, heating food at a high temperature will release the water content of the food quickly, making the food soggy.
Choosing a temperature in the medium range is key as it will ensure that the water, i.e the moisture, doesn’t escape, and, in turn, make the surface of the food less soggy. So, make sure to:
- Heat the food in a medium heat
- Check the temperature of the food at regular interval
- Don’t heat the food for a long time
Heat Your Food In The Oven Instead!
We all know that a batch of leftover fries tastes a hundred times better when they’re heated in an oven rather than in a microwave. I mean, it’s a given that food retains its flavor and, overall, tastes better when heated in an oven.
If you have time to spare and fancy a good plate of leftovers, put your food in a preheated oven. Let that sit in there for a few minutes, depending on the type of food you’re heating, and take it out in time for an aromatic and fulfilling meal.
As another option, you can also opt for a grill. The whole process will take merely a few minutes with a grill. Just make sure your tray is placed on the top rung.
How to Prevent Pizza from Getting Soggy?
To microwave leftover pizza, either put a paper towel underneath the pizza or a microwave lid on top of the pizza’s plate and microwave it on medium heat for about a minute.
For the extra crispiness on the bottom, you can heat the pizza in an oven for a few minutes or place it on a pan with a few drops of water and cover the pan with a lid. Take it out and you’ll be left with a fresh, crispy pizza.
Is Microwaving My Food Ruining It?
Although microwaves have a tendency to make good food too dry or too soggy, they do not ruin it. Just microwave your food in small intervals of time and stop reheating it once you see steam coming from the food.
Besides sogginess, microwaving too long or too many times can also ruin the texture of the food. So, always make sure to follow the proper reheating instructions for a particular food and finish your leftovers after the first reheat.
