Have you taken Paella dish before? It is a very delicious Spanish rice dish full of seasonings, meats, seafood, and vegetables. It is a meal that is cooked as well as served traditionally inside a pan. Paella is a dish you can cook in a large batch and after putting in so much effort in preparing and cooking paella, you will easily realize that you have cooked too much.
The good thing is that this may be turned into a blessing if you can make some very smart moves, it could be turned into something positive. You will do this by properly storing it and then reheating it when you want to eat it. The question you are then likely to ask yourself is how you can reheat paella.
There are four ways you can reheat your paella and all you need to do is to select one of them, they include inside a microwave, steamer, frying pan, or oven. The best method to use is to use the frying pan where you will add additional liquid to help retain its texture. However, before we proceed to show you how you should reheat paella, you should first understand how you should properly store it until you want to allow it to undergo the process of reheating.
How to Store your Cooked Paella
Anytime you have leftovers of paella, there is no reason for you to waste the delicious meal, all you need to do is to store it inside the fridge or freezer so that you can eat it in the future. It is very simple to store cooked paella, follow the steps below:
- Transfer your paella from your pan into an air-tight container and allow it to be cooled completely before you use the lid to cover it. You may then place it inside the refrigerator.
You need to allow your food to become cooled before you place it inside the refrigerator most especially when you are working with certain absorbent foods like rice. Putting paella inside the refrigerator while still warm will cause a difference in the temperature between your warm paella and the fridge which will lead to condensation within your container. It will eventually cause the paella to become soggy.
The moisture should be allowed to first escape by placing the paella on your countertop. If it gets too dry, it is easier adding more water later than trying to save the possible soggy rice. You can only store paella containing seafood inside the fridge for a maximum of 24 hours because seafood could become spoilt very fast. You are not advised to risk the consequences of eating seafood that has expired.
Paella that has non-seafood such as chicken or chorizo could be stored for about one week. Ensure you always double-check to see if it is still very fresh before you reheat it.
How to Reheat Cooked Paella
There are some choices you will have to make when you want to reheat delicious paella. You have four possible methods you can use to reheat the paella; a microwave, an oven, a pan, and a steamer. Each of them has its upsides and downsides. Let’s check their differences, upsides, and downsides below:
Reheating your paella inside the microwave
You could reheat your paella inside a microwave, but it is the least ideal method. It will work out if you don’t have enough time or you are rushing. Follow the instructions below to get it right:
- Get your microwave-friendly container and add some oil spraying or wiping it evenly over the bowl.
- Proceed to add the paella evenly to your bowl and ensure you have no clumps.
- Allow it to microwave for about a minute.
- You should check the middle of the container for the temperature to see if it is hot enough. If not, stir it and continue to heat it in 30 seconds intervals, ensuring you stir it each time.
- You importantly need to stir it in between the intervals because the center of the container will not heat as fast as the other areas. When you stir, the paella has a higher chance of heating more evenly.
Do not use a microwave if you are reheating paella containing seafood because the texture could become rubbery.
Reheating your paella inside a steamer
You could also use a steamer to reheat your paella and it will give you an outcome that is generally flavorful and moist. It will also reheat it quickly. You could get a bamboo steamer if you do not already have your steamer. You only need to put the paella evenly inside the steamer and allow it to steam for about 8 minutes.
Irrespective of how you have chosen to reheat the paella, every information needed is no longer strange to you and you can store it, reheat it, and then serve it to enjoy it.
Reheating your paella inside the oven
Reheating your paella inside an oven will take a longer time than all of the other options, but you will not be putting in much effort. You will get an outcome of texture and flavor that is very close to when it was cooked originally:
- Get a very strong ceramic container (you could use a casserole container or something close) and spread your paella evenly on it in thin layers.
- Don’t forget that the thinner they are layered, the faster the paella will cook. This means you should not spread the paella too thin so that it will not result in crunchy paella.
- Proceed to add some water, about a half-cup for two cups of paella. This is to ensure that the paella is moist but not soggy.
- Use foil to cover your dish and cook it at a temperature of 350°F for about 20 to 25 minutes. When it is about 10 minutes, open it, and stir it to ensure it is evenly cooked.
Reheating your paella inside a frying pan
Reheating paella inside your frying pan has been discovered to be the best possible method to use to get the same texture as when it was originally cooked. It takes some more effort and time to cook paella inside the pan than some other methods, however, it is still the best possible one you use.
- Begin the process by removing your paella from the refrigerator and place it on the counter for a minimum of 30 minutes. This will allow it to thaw naturally and get it ready for the process of cooking.
- Proceed by turning the oven burner to a medium setting.
- Add some olive oil, allowing it to heat up for some seconds.
- You should then add the paella into the pan.
- To ensure that it is evenly cooked, even the paella out within the pan. This is to ensure that half is not cold and the other one hot.
- For some minutes, stir it until it is cooked and reheated.
The paella could begin to fry or cook slightly more than your desire, but if you continue to stir it, you will avoid any of the parts touching the base of your pan for too long and the outcome will be perfectly even and finely heated. In case it begins to dry or become stuck to the pan, add a splash of water and/or oil and not both of them at a time because since oil and water do not mix well, there could be splattering. Don’t forget to stir it solidly.
Related Questions Asked
Can I eat paella straight from the fridge?
Though some people do it, you are not recommended to do it. Just like any food left for some days, it will have the potential of foodborne illness such as food poisoning. It could still be very delicious, but bacteria could have developed on it during storage and you will need to destroy it in the process of reheating it. The process of reheating is only for some minutes and it will also improve the flavor.
Are there any safety concerns when reheating paella?
We have two safety concerns when you are reheating paella, check them below:
- If the paella is made with seafood
- How long it can be safely stored
As previously mentioned, you should only store seafood paella for up to 24 hours for the best result and do not freeze it. Chorizo, chicken, and some other types of non-seafood foods can be safely stored inside the refrigerator for about a week or you can even freeze for about a month.
Can you freeze cooked paella?
If you want to store your paella for a longer time, freezing is another way to do it most especially if you will not be eating the leftovers within one week. Just put it inside the freezer and it will stay for about one month before you might need to discard it. Ensure you do not forget the date you cooked it and you could do this by labeling it where you can add the date of cooking.
When it is time to defrost the frozen paella, remove it from the freezer one day before the day you want to eat it and transfer it into your fridge, leaving it for up to 24 hours. It would have defrosted through enough after the stipulated time and should be ready to be reheated through any of our listed four methods above.
