Are you looking for foolproof instructions to reheat your roast dinner? You’re in luck! This article will show you just how to do it.
Roast dinners are a popular favourite among everyone. Not only because of the delicious treats they offer, but also the leftovers they provide. When cooking for a couple or even by oneself it is almost impossible to get a roast dinner portion just right – leaving you with plenty of leftovers.
When you have plenty of leftovers from a roast dinner, it can be difficult to figure out how to reheat them. Do you nuke them in the microwave or heat them up in the oven? This can be a tricky question, but if done correctly, your leftovers will taste just as good as when they were first cooked!
If you choose to reheat your roast dinner, make sure to do it correctly. Don’t let all that time and effort preparing the meal go to waste – preserve the amazing flavours you’ve created! Whether you’re using a hob, a stove, a microwave, it’s important to know how to reheat a roast dinner properly. This is to ensure the roast isn’t ruined.
After a delicious roast dinner, I’m sure many of us enjoy the classic cold chicken & stuffing sandwich. Unfortunately, there is no go-to technique for reheating leftovers that works for all kinds of dishes.
My Post-Roast Rules
There is no right way, nor truly a wrong way, when reheating roast dinner in the oven. However, some methods will yield far superior results when compared to others.
A microwave is a faster alternative to an oven. However, is not suited to some options such as rare roast beef which should always be reheated in an oven.
My greatest tip when reheating a roast is to ensure all the juices that have congealed at the bottom of the container it was stored in, are utilised throughout the process. It may be a rather horrid site. But these congealed juices are simply the gelatine from the roast that has set against the chill of your fridge.
These juices are full of flavour, and most importantly, moisture. Any type of protein will lose moisture throughout the cooking and reheating process. Although it may be tempting to dispose of them – keep them for gravies or the reheating process.
Jump to:
How to Reheat a Roast Dinner
Roast Chicken
Oven: Drizzle any remaining juices over the chicken. Cover the leftover chicken in foil, and reheat in a preheated oven at a low heat of around 160C for 10-15 minutes.
Stovetop: Sear slices of chicken using a skillet over medium-high heat, for a couple of minutes each side. This will help lock in moisture as it warms the chicken through.
Roast Ham
Oven: Cover the leftover ham in foil, and reheat in a preheated oven at a low heat of around 160C for 10-15 minutes.
Stovetop: Quickly sear slices of ham for about a minute per side over medium heat.
Roast Seafood
Oven: Cover seafood with foil to retain the moisture, and reheat in a preheated oven of around 160C for 10 minutes.
Toaster oven: Cover seafood with foil to retain the moisture, and reheat using a low temperature 10 minutes.
Microwave: Do not reheat fish in the office microwave please! At home, on the other hand, cover with a microwave-safe steamer, and reheat 30 seconds at a time on “reheat” setting. Check regularly until the optimal temperature is achieved.
Roast Turkey
Oven: As turkey meat is particularly dry, slices into pieces, cover with gravy in a casserole dish. Reheat with the lid on in a preheated oven at a low heat of around 160C for 10-15 minutes
Microwave: Slice the turkey cover with gravy in a microwave-safe dish. Cover with a microwave-safe steamer, and reheat 30 seconds at a time on “reheat” setting, checking regularly until the optimal temperature is achieved.
Roast Beef
Rare/Medium Rare
Oven: Fill an oven-proof pot halfway with boiling water, and place at bottom of your oven. Cover beef with foil and reheat in a preheated oven at a low heat of around 160C for 5-10 minutes.
Medium, Medium Well Done
Oven: Cover beef with foil and reheat in a preheated oven at a low heat of around 160C for 5-10 minutes.
Microwave: Transfer roast and any juices to a microwave-safe dish. Cover with a microwave-safe steamer, and reheat using 30-second intervals on “reheat” setting. Check regularly until the optimal temperature is achieved.
Well Done
I’m not sure why you’d ever cook a roast beef “well done”. At this point, there’s really no such thing as overcooking the beef as it will already be considered dry and lacking in flavour.
Oven: Cover beef with foil and reheat in a preheated oven at a low heat of around 160C for 5-10 minutes.
Stovetop: Sear slices of beef using a skillet over medium-high heat, for a couple of minutes each side.
Microwave: Transfer roast and any juices to a microwave-safe dish. Cover with a microwave-safe steamer, and reheat using 30-second intervals on “reheat” setting. Check regularly until the optimal temperature is achieved.
Roast Pork
Oven: Cover pork with foil and reheat in a preheated oven at a low heat of around 160C for 10-15 minutes.
Stovetop: Sear slices of pork using a skillet over medium-high heat, for a couple of minutes each side.
Microwave: Transfer pork and any juices to a microwave-safe dish. Cover with a microwave-safe steamer, and reheat using 30-second intervals on “reheat” setting, checking regularly until the optimal temperature is achieved.
Roast Potatoes
Oven: Spread evenly over an oiled, metal baking tray. Cook in a preheated oven at a hot heat of 220C for 5-10 minutes.
Reheating leftovers
As you can see, how to reheat a roast dinner is incredibly easy, and there’s no fear of ruining all your hard work the day before! Whether you’re using an oven, or microwave oven for that matter, roast dinners are the delightful dishes that keep on giving.
What’s your favourite type of roast dinner? And far more importantly – sage and onion stuffing, or Yorkie puds?
How to reheat roast dinners – I recommend:
