How to reheat cooked beef or lamb in the microwave (2024)

FAQs

How to reheat cooked beef or lamb in the microwave? ›

Sprinkle meat with a little water or stock to prevent it from drying out. Cover with a microwave lid or microwave-safe plastic wrap to trap steam and keep the meal moist. Place plate towards the outside of the microwave turntable. Reheat meal for 2 minutes on high, and then allow to stand for 1 minute.

Put simply, microwaves work by heating up water molecules, so it's easy for food to dry out. Reheat in portions; drizzle stock or water over lamb and cover to trap the steam. Heat for 2 minutes on high, then stir food or turn plate halfway during cooking to distribute heat evenly.

Reheating meat in a microwave is certainly the quickest option. However, reheating anything more than a couple of minutes usually results in dry food. Place the meat in a microwavable dish. Add a small amount of water, sauce or oil to the meat and cover with a microwave-safe lid.

Place the meat in a microwave-safe dish and cover it with a lid, plate, or other microwave-safe cover. Microwave the meat on full power in short intervals, stirring or flipping it every 30 seconds. This will help to distribute the heat evenly and prevent the meat from drying out.

Anytime you are re-heating anything, especially meat, you should always cover and wrap the meat tight with foil. This will lock in the moisture and keep it from over cooking, over drying, and burning the top. It's always a good rule of thumb to cover with a lid if you don't have foil on hand.

For fast, safe and tasty results follow our expert tips:

Reheat your beef/lamb dish in individual portions. Place veggies in the centre of the plate and the meat around the outside. Sprinkle meat with a little water or stock to prevent it from drying out.

Yes, but the cooking times will depend on the cut (chop, leg, shoulder, rack etc.) and weight. For example, a lamb leg or shoulder can take up to an hour on medium power (slow cooked). If you want to cook roast lamb, you should set the microwave to medium and cook for approximately 10 minutes per 0.5kg.

Always reheat food until it is steaming hot all the way through (you should only do this once). Do not put food into hot holding without reheating it properly first. Check that reheated food is steaming hot all the way through.

How do you reheat meat without drying it out? Low and slow is key here: If you zap your steak with super high heat (like in the microwave), it's more likely to overcook and dry out. To keep your steak moist, you can also splash a little beef broth or water on the meat before you put it in the oven.

DON'T leave your food uncovered

It's best practice to cover anything you're cooking in your microwave oven anyway, as it will cook quicker and more consistently.

Why not reheat in microwave? ›

Food must be heated until it is 82C (176F) throughout to kill any harmful bacteria – and because bacteria can still grow each time food cools back down, you shouldn't reheat a meal more than once. The high temperatures of the microwave may also pose some risk.

In addition to whatever you're reheating, slide a heat-safe glass of water into the appliance alongside it. The glass containing water will generate steam as it heats up, which will help foods maintain a moist and pleasing texture while the temperature increases.

The reheating time depends on how thick the pieces are. You can also heat up the lamb in a microwave. Simply place the covered lamb on a plate and heat it up for two minutes before flipping the side over and heat for another two minutes.

The answer is yes, you can reheat Lamb, but there are a few things to consider. Make sure that the Lamb is cooked through before reheating. If it's not fully cooked, you risk making people sick. Instead, you run the chance of overcooking or even burning the dish.

Set your oven to 250°F (120°C). Add meat to a baking tray, followed by a dash of oil or butter. Cover with aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out. This method usually takes at least 10–15 minutes.

Use cooked lamb within 2 hours (1 hour if the air temperature is above 90 degrees F) or refrigerate it at 40 degrees F or below in shallow, covered containers. Eat it within 3 to 4 days, either cold or reheated to 165 degrees F. It is safe to freeze ready-prepared lamb dishes.

The lamb has so much heat in it, it's fine to stay out on the counter until lunch is served at 1pm or so. If it needs a touch of reheating, just give it a quick blast in the microwave (yep, seriously…) or cover with foil and pop it in a 150°C/300°F oven.

In terms of food safety, however, so long as you reheat the food at the correct temperature and for the correct duration of time, it can in fact be safely reheated multiple times. However, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends that food is only reheated once, so follow this guidance wherever possible.

Cooked lamb should be consumed within three to four days after cooking or frozen for up to three months. Washing meat before cooking it is not recommended. This can cause cross-contamination in which bacteria in raw meat can spread to other foods, utensils and surfaces.