You don’t have to just be introduced to empanadas because they are pastries that are known across the globe though they have their origin from Filipino and Latin cultures. You can never go wrong eating empanadas whether you are eating it for the first time or you have been eating them since you were a kid.
What we want to find out in this article are the best methods we can use to reheat our empanadas. The ones we mostly recommend involve using an oven or toaster oven. When you use a microwave to reheat your empanadas, it may affect the taste and texture which may result in them being dry and gummy, unlike the one you reheat in an oven to give you something flavorful and slightly crispy.
When you want to reheat your empanadas, you must carefully follow the necessary steps. The taste will be affected if you try to omit any of the steps. This and many more are the things you will find in this article. Continue reading to find out more.
How To Reheat The Best Empanadas
You can make your empanadas in advance and later reheat without losing the texture or taste if you follow the right steps. When you want to reheat empanadas, it requires some attention because you need to consider two different factors. The first factor is the dough- the dough could get dry easily most especially when you use a microwave, it will become warm, but it will be dry, gummy, and hard to chew.
Secondly, you must also consider the filling of the empanadas. Several fillings are contained in empanadas including minced meat, mushrooms, and vegetables. Most especially when your empanadas fillings are contained with meat, the filling may accidentally get dry when you reheat and the taste that dry empanadas will give you will not be as good as when it was just cooked. Because of these factors above, you need to know the right steps to follow to properly reheat your empanadas. You wouldn’t have to start preparing fresh batches of empanadas every time the craving of empanadas comes to you. You can freeze them decently and they can also be stored inside your fridge for some days.
Everyone knows that time is very scarce in this age and even those that enjoy cooking may not have enough time to help them prepare their empanadas every time they want to eat them because cooking them can be quite time-consuming, most especially from scratch. You can diligently save time by preparing them in larger batches that will be enough to be eating by your family for several weeks and then reheat them as you need the empanadas.
Ways To Reheat Empanadas
To reheat your empanadas, you can get the best outcome by using three methods;
- A deep fryer or skillet at a temperature of 325°F: Allow a small amount of oil to preheat in the skillet, ensure the oil can cover your empanadas and allow them to get fried to golden.
- Oven: Allow the oven to preheat to a temperature of 300F, put the empanadas on your baking tray in single layers, and allow it to bake for up to 10 minutes.
- Toaster Oven: This is done similarly to how you use the regular oven, you only need it to spend a longer time.
These methods listed above work well for already cooked empanadas and it can also work well for uncooked empanadas. Can you use a microwave? Most especially if that is the only thing you are left with, you can also get your empanadas reheated in it, but it is not really the ideal option even though it will still work out.
When you want to use a microwave to reheat your empanadas, put your meal in a microwavable dish, and microwave it in intervals of 15 seconds. It is recommended not to microwave for too a longer period so that the texture will not go bad.
A Step-By-Step Guide to Reheating Empanadas
You can reheat empanadas from different states, it could be frozen which is yet to be cooked or has been cooked, it could be the once from the fridge or those kept outside your fridge for some hours. You will need different approaches to reheat each of these states of empanadas. You must fully be aware of what you are supposed to do if you want to preserve the taste of your empanadas. Continue reading below to check out our guide with different steps.
How to Reheat your Empanadas in the Deep Fryer or a Skillet
This is the most used option to make empanadas from the beginning is by using a skillet or deep fryer and you could also reheat them this way but you have to be careful not to burn them and the method is suited only for frozen empanadas. Check below for the steps:
- You don’t have to defrost the empanadas, allow them to remain frozen
- Pour enough oil that will cover your empanadas completely and preheat.
- Allow the empanadas to fry at a temperature of 325°F.
- Don’t allow the empanadas to fry for too long, once they turn golden, you can remove them.
- Allow them to cool by sitting on paper towels for one or two minutes before you eat.
How to Reheat your Empanadas in an Oven
Reheating your empanadas in an oven is the best-recommended way to reheat your empanadas even though it is being rivaled by toaster ovens. You can ensure the tastes of empanadas when they are baked instead of being warmed up in a microwave.
- You will begin by placing the empanadas on a grill rack or oven-safe pan beside one another.
- Allow the oven to preheat to a temperature of 300°F.
- Heat your empanadas for up to 10 mins.
- Use aluminum foil to cover the empanadas for the final two minutes when you are about to finish the process of reheating.
- Check the empanadas and see how crispy it is, if you are happy, then you can finish the process of reheating.
How to Reheat your Empanadas in the Toaster Oven
You use the toaster oven as a substitute for a normal oven and it works just fine to reheat empanadas. This is a better option than the microwave. The only con of it is that the toaster oven will not get to reheat as a lot of empanadas at a time, unlike the normal oven. Check below for the steps:
- Place the empanadas on your toaster rack by laying them beside one another. You are not required to layer them at all.
- Allow the toaster oven to become heated at a temperature of 300°F.
- Heat the empanadas for about 10 mins.
- A longer time might be required for the reheating process. Endeavor to check the dish after the 10 minutes to test the warmth of the pastries. If it is not warm throughout, place the dish back into your toaster oven to back for more minutes until you are satisfied.
How to Microwave Empanadas
We have said this before, using a microwave is not good enough because it could turn soggy and some of the taste might also be lost most especially of the empanadas are microwaves from freezing. If, however, you only have a microwave, you can still achieve something decent using it but you have to be careful;
- Put the empanadas inside a microwavable plate or dish
- Out them beside one another without allowing them to overlap
- Allow them to reheat under low-medium heat for an interval of 30 seconds.
- After every 30 seconds, check the empanadas and ensure that they’re not too gummy or soggy.
- You should continue the reheating process if they seem fine and allow them to reheat until they are warm throughout.
How to Reheat your Frozen Empanadas
Apart from the method listed for frozen empanadas above, you could also use your oven or toaster oven to reheat them from frozen:
- Unwrap your empanadas if they were wrapped individually before freezing.
- Allow the toaster oven or oven to preheat to a temperature of 300°F.
- Put the empanadas on the oven rack beside one another.
- Allow it to heat slowly and check them at intervals so that they will not heat up too much.
You now know how you can reheat your empanadas and it will help you to save time and prepare many batches in advance. You also do not need to throw away leftover empanadas, all you need to do is to reheat them.
Related Questions
Can you freeze unbaked empanadas?
You can freeze unbaked empanadas by placing them on your baking sheet after you have lined it with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. You must make sure the pastries are not overlapping. Freeze them to solid and then place them inside the freezer bag where they can stay for about three months. The earlier you eat your empanadas, the better it is.
How to freeze empanadas?
If you want to have a wonderful taste of empanadas after reheating them, you have to have frozen them properly. Use plastic wraps to wrap the pastries individually if they have already been baked to prevent any risk of freezer burn. Put them in an airtight container after you have wrapped them. Also, remember to put a label on it.
