Food - News
You Should Never Reheat Chicken In The Microwave. Here's Why.
By BECKI LEDFORD AND CEARA MILLIGAN
Microwaves might be a modern miracle for making popcorn or cooking up frozen meals, but reheating food isn’t one of them, especially chicken. Whether it’s for flavor, texture, or overall food safety, here’s why you should never reheat your chicken in the microwave.
After cooking, chicken needs to be refrigerated or frozen within two hours, any longer and bacteria starts to grow. While reheating chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F eliminates that bacteria, the uneven heat from the microwave means some bacteria get left behind.
In a 2019 Serious Eats article, postdoctoral research scientist Dr. Kyle Frischkorn explained that reheating leftovers often results in what he calls "Warmed-Over Flavor." Frischkorn says, “microwaving does gross things to chicken and should be avoided at all costs.”
If you’ve ever attempted to reheat chicken in the microwave, you’ve probably heard a loud pop — this sound indicates that your chicken is drying out from the radiation. The trapped steam in the meat and too much pressure from the microwave radiation are what cause the pop.