If there are some leftovers on the dinner table, we always think that we can put them in the fridge until the next meal, instead of throwing them away. Especially as the staple food, rice, will always be sent to the refrigerator waiting for the next time to be put on the dinner table. But do you know this, rice, the table of the ‘regular’, in the second heating, hides a lot of small secrets and potential risks?
Rice is like a piece of fertile land, when it is placed at room temperature in this ‘warm as spring’ environment, those cunning bacterial families, especially those bacillus, like an invitation to the uninvited guests, have come to start the party. They are partying in this ‘land’, quietly releasing toxins - toxins that are like ‘rubbish’ left behind after the party, which not only pollute the environment but are also hard to get rid of. What's worse, even if we heat the bacteria-infested rice at high temperatures, like a flamethrower trying to clean up the party, the stubborn toxin molecules are still hiding in the corners as if they were wearing bullet-proof vests, and are not easy to eliminate.
Therefore, to protect rice, the ‘nobleman of the table’, and prevent it from becoming a breeding ground for bacteria, we need to take some wise measures. Just like the valuable items with a safety lock, we had better in the two hours after the meal this ‘golden time’, quickly the rice this ‘guest’ into the refrigerator ‘cold Palace’ in The rice will be kept away from the bacterial frenzy at room temperature. When the rice again embarks on the journey of heating, we should also be thoroughly heated to more than 75 degrees Celsius high temperature, like a thorough ‘disinfection baptism’, so that the residual bacterial toxins have nowhere to hide, to ensure that we taste every time, are both safe and delicious rice.
When initially heated, the protein molecules are neatly aligned and the food is both firm and aesthetically pleasing. However, when the food is cooled and attempted to be reheated, those protein molecules may not be able to fully return to their original positions and shapes, resulting in the food appearing less solid or even a little wobbly. This explains why food may taste worse and have less nutritional value after secondary heating. Let's look at vegetables with high nitrate content, such as spinach and celery. We can think of these vegetables as bottles filled with fresh fruit juice. After the bottle has been opened and enjoyed for the first time, if the cap is not tightly closed (improperly stored), then oxygen and bacteria in the air will have a chance to enter the bottle, causing the juice (nitrates) to change and possibly produce harmful by-products (nitrites).
Eggs are full of nutrients and flavour. However, it can become a potential health hazard if we don't handle and store it correctly, especially if we don't take enough care when reheating it. The inside of an egg is like a tiny world that contains a variety of nutrients, but it can also harbour some ‘unwanted guests’ - bacteria. When we boil an egg, most of the bacteria are eliminated, just like when we clean up most of the dust in a room. However, there are always a few corners that may not have been completely cleaned, and the bacteria that remain are like tiny bits of dust that are hard to detect. If we then reheat the remaining eggs twice, but not thoroughly or evenly, as if we had only opened the windows and not swept the floor, those remaining bacteria may use the opportunity to become active again and multiply. One of these bacteria, such as Salmonella, is a ‘troublemaker’ that requires special vigilance.
Therefore, to maintain the best flavour and nutritional value of food, and to reduce potential health risks, we should avoid storing food for long periods and repeated reheating. The best practice is to eat the food as it is or to use appropriate methods, such as low temperature and slow heating when heating is required to minimise damage to the original quality of the food.
