These foods can become poisonous when reheated

Spread the love

Read Time:3 Minute, 21 Second

Caution is advised when eating leftovers from the previous day. This is because some foods can even become poisonous when reheated.

When cooking, the eyes are often more significant than the stomach. All too often, some food is left over. But reheating is not always advisable. Some foods can form dangerous toxins when they are reheated, which is often due to incorrect storage. For your health, be careful when reheating the following foods:

Cooked rice
Cooked rice can be eaten the next day without problems, provided it has been stored correctly. Cooked rice should not be left at room temperature but placed in the fridge immediately. Room temperature promotes the growth of harmful bacteria. The spore-forming Bacillus cereus, which prefers to multiply on cooked rice if it is not cooled correctly, causes food poisoning with diarrhea and vomiting. Heating does not kill the bacterium’s spores, so improperly stored cooked rice should be thrown away.

Potatoes
Like rice, cooked potatoes should be stored in the fridge. Leftover tubers sitting on the kitchen table for a few hours or days should not be reheated. As with rice, Bacillus cereus can multiply on potatoes if they are cooled to room temperature after cooking and not immediately placed in the fridge. Heating is not enough to kill the bacteria. If the potatoes are placed in the fridge immediately, they can be eaten within one to two days without any problems.
Pasta
When reheating pasta, it’s easy to make mistakes that can pose a health risk and, in exceptional cases, even lead to death. If cooked pasta is stored incorrectly, spaghetti, macaroni, penne, and the like provide a perfect breeding ground for the spore-forming and heat-resistant bacterium Bacillus cereus, which can cause unpleasant gastrointestinal illnesses. Pasta should be stored in the fridge immediately after cooking and eaten the following day. If the cooked pasta has been standing around at room temperature for a while, you should think twice about reheating it.

Mushrooms
Prepared mushrooms are also not compatible with room temperature. They tend to form toxic compounds when cooled too little. They tend to form toxic compounds if they are not cooled sufficiently. At the same time, their protein structure can change dangerously. Mushrooms should be put in the fridge immediately after preparation and eaten thoroughly warmed up the next day at the latest. Reheating in the microwave is not advisable, as the mushroom dish may not be heated evenly; therefore, not all germs are killed. In addition, mushrooms should only be reheated once, as the protein in mushrooms turns into incompatible substances if they are reheated repeatedly. To be safe, mushroom dishes should be eaten in one go.

Spinach
Spinach should not be reheated a second time. If the leafy vegetable is left at room temperature for too long, its nitrate can turn into nitrite, which harms health. If you still want to eat leftover spinach the next day, cool it quickly and store it in the fridge. If the spinach has already been in the fridge for two days, it should not be put on the plate but in the bin.

Egg dishes
Reheating cold scrambled eggs sounds strange to many, and their gut feeling is right. This is because reheating scrambled eggs, omelets, and other egg dishes is not entirely safe. If egg dishes are left at room temperature for too long, salmonella can develop. So it’s better not to reheat them.

Chicken
If cold chicken is reheated from the fridge, it changes its protein structure and can be challenging to digest. This can result in indigestion. Chicken meat becomes susceptible to Salmonella when stored for a long time and loses flavor when reheated. Cooked or roasted chicken should be kept in the fridge for three days and reheated well before eating. It should be reheated in a pan or oven, not in the in the microwave. In the microwave, the meat is not heated sufficiently in some places so that bacteria can survive.