Under circumstances of leftovers, reheating may be a lifesaver, however, when some foods are reheated, they may pose to be hazardous. Although the majority of foods are safe to be reheated, some of them may contain bacteria, can lose its nutritional properties, or even be turned toxic. The following are four foods that you should not re-heat.
1. Reheating Rice
Uneaten rice can be the nesting place to a form of bacteria known as Bacillus cereus. This bacterium contains toxins which may cause food poisoning as a result of vomiting and diarrhea. Even sending the rice back on the stove will not kill the toxins and when the rice has been lying at room temperature for quite some time, the bacteria will have had ample chance of multiplying. To counter this, leftover rice should be cooled as soon as possible and put in the refrigerator.
2. Reheating Spinach
Spinaches and other green leafy vegetables can be dangerous once they are reheated. There are natural components called nitrates, and they have high quantities in spinach. On reheating these nitrates can be transformed into nitrites, which, in turn, can form nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are cancerous in nature and may cause harm to your health. Eat spinach as a freshly cooked dish or consume cold in a salad following the original cooking in order to be safe.
3. Reheating Potatoes
Potatoes, similar to rice, also can harbor Clostridium botulinum, the organism that causes botulism. The bacteria will be able to grow when there are cooked potatoes left to stand at room temperature. Warming them back up may not kill the bacteria or the other toxins that they leave behind. Interest to escape the risk, leftover potatoes should always get refrigerated as soon as possible in a tight container.
4. Reheating Chicken
Chicken is very unsafe to reheat especially since it is prone to Salmonella infections. Chicken is a high protein food and protein can be denatured when reheated which can then cause gastrointestinal disturbance. Also, when the chicken has not been handled or stored properly, then reheating it might not be sufficient to destroy all the bacteria which have multiplied. It is also safer to consume cold, previously roasted, chicken such as in a sandwich or in a salad than reheat it.
The lesson learned is that reheating is an easy method of getting to like the leftovers, but some foods are better when they are cooked without reheating. Knowing the dangers these particular foods pose, you can make your food not only presentable and tasty but safe, as well.
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A recent media graduate, Bhumi Vashisht is currently making a significant contribution as a committed content writer. She brings new ideas to the media sector and is an expert at creating strategic content and captivating tales, having working in the field from past four months.
