Christmas food for many people is even better than Thanksgiving food. You’ll get roast beef, ham, or even a nice big pot of posole.
Who needs turkey and sweet potatoes when you have a brisket falling apart on your plate with some smothered green beans and cheesy potatoes au gratin? Yum.
Yes, you love your Christmas food, and you’d also like to properly reheat it so you can eat it again the next day. So, how do you do that?
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Can You Reheat Christmas Leftovers?
But wait, you’ll want to know if it’s even possible to reheat your Christmas leftovers.
After all, won’t your roast beef get tough? Won’t your potatoes become gummy?
Fortunately, for every dish listed here, and many others, you can reheat them just fine.
In fact, you can reheat pretty much any food that has been refrigerated or frozen. It’s simply a matter of taking the right approach and choosing the right appliance. For Christmas leftovers, we’ve got a mixed bag on our hands (pun intended), so we’ll take a couple of different approaches.
For foods that have been breaded and fried, we’re usually going to be best off using the oven or the air fryer to reheat them. For foods that have been baked or grilled, we’ll be more likely to find success using the oven or the grill.
But, really, the stovetop is an excellent choice when it comes to getting food back on your plate quickly and easily, and it works with almost every food listed here.
Let’s take a look.
Should You Reheat Christmas Leftovers?
Before we do, it’s helpful to cover all our food-safety bases. After all, no one wants to get sick from Christmas leftovers.
Here’s the thing to remember when it comes to food safety: if it didn’t get you sick the first time, you stored it properly, and it’s only been a few days since you first stored it, you’re unlikely to get sick eating your leftovers.
However, it’s always better to be safe than sorry, so the general guidelines from the USDA say to heat your leftovers to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Still, if you sneak a few bites of cold roast beef out of the fridge with a little mustard dipping sauce on the side, you’re probably going to be in the clear.
Best Tips for Reheating Christmas Leftovers
Roast Beef or Brisket
Now, in the vast majority of cases, you can totally eat your brisket or roast beef cold if you like it that way. Plenty of people enjoy a cold roast beef sandwich the day after Christmas. In fact, it’s almost better than the roast beef served fresh from the oven.
But, if you do want to reheat your roast beef, the best approach is likely going to be using the oven again.
- Place your roast beef in a shallow pan and pour some broth over the top.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and allow the roast beef to come to room temperature on the counter.
- Cover the roast beef and heat it for about 20 minutes before checking the temperature. If necessary, you can heat for another 10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Cheesy Potatoes
For cheesy potatoes, you can put them back in the oven, but you really don’t have to.
- Heat a saucepan on the stove over medium heat and drizzle olive oil in the bottom of the pan.
- Place your cheesy potatoes in the pan and stir to get the dish fully heated. If the cheese sauce is too thick, you can always add a bit of milk to loosen things up.
- When the potatoes are piping hot, serve them and enjoy!
Green Bean Casserole
For green bean casserole, your best bet is going to be placing the dish back in the oven or into the air fryer, so you get the crispy top that makes this dish so good.
The microwave will turn it soggy, and the stovetop might dry it out.
- To use the oven, simply throw the dish, covered, in the oven at the same time you heat your roast beef. Leave it for about 10-15 minutes and check to be sure it’s heated through.
- If you want to use the air fryer, you’ll need to line the basket with foil and heat the casserole for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Serve and enjoy!
Corn on the Cob
Corn on the cob is notoriously difficult to reheat. You can place it in the air fryer for a few minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or throw them in the oven alongside the roast beef for 5-10 minutes.
Another option is to toss them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes to get them back up to piping hot temps.
Slather with butter and salt and enjoy!
Dessert
What’s there to say about dessert? Enjoy it! Straight from the fridge.
If you’re looking to heat up apple pie before making it a la mode, you can add a slice to the air fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 2-3 minutes to get a nice, crispy crust.
Otherwise, just enjoy your desert!
What do you think? Do you have any tips for reheating Christmas leftovers? What is your favorite Christmas leftover meal or dish?
Let me know in the comments. I love to hear from my readers.
