Reheating Instructions

1. Make sure you use equipment that reheats/cooks food effectively and follow the equipment manufacturer’s instructions. If equipment is not suitable for reheating, or is not used properly, the food might not get hot enough to kill bacteria.
2. Preheat equipment such as ovens and grills before reheating. Food will take longer to reheat if you use equipment before it has preheated. This means that recommended reheating times in recipes or manufacturer’s instructions might not be long enough.
3. If you are reheating food in a microwave, follow the product manufacturer’s instructions, including advice on standing and stirring. If you use a microwave to reheat food that you have cooked yourself, it is a good idea to stir it at stages while reheating. When food is microwaved, it can be very hot at the edges and still be cold in the centre – stirring helps to prevent this.
4. When reheating food, make sure it is heated until it reaches a temperature of 70C for 2 minutes, so that it is steaming hot throughout
5. Serve reheated food immediately, unless it is going straight into hot holding. If food is not served immediately, the temperature will drop and harmful bacteria could grow.
6. Check that reheated food is steaming hot all the way through.