Steak is a delicious food that most people eat in their dinner. The steak is available in various sizes, thickness and taste flavors. When you have leftover steak in your fridge, you can’t eat it cold as it is neither tasty nor safe.
Many people believe than reheating steak in the microwave is not good. It’s true but there is a safe way to microwave steak without losing its taste and I am going to share it.
Is Steak Already Cooked?
Yes, Steak is already cooked and it is warm when you order it at a restaurant. The chef at the food cafe or restaurant cooks steak properly and then serves in your plate. So, the steak is already cooked and you can eat it as long as it is warm and fresh.
If you eat half of steak from the plate and keep the leftover for later, you should put it in the refrigerator ASAP. According to food experts, you should put steak in an airtight container in the refrigerator within 2 hours of cooking it.
You can get leftover steak out of refrigerator when you want to eat it and keep it at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Thereafter you need to reheat leftover steak before serving it in a plate.
Do You Need to Reheat Steak before Eating?
Yes, you need to reheat steak before eating if it is leftover steak. When the steak is served, it is warm, fresh and safe to eat but the same is not true for leftover steak.
When you want to get leftover steak in use i.e. lunch or dinner on next day, you must reheat it. The leftover steak kept in refrigerator is neither safe nor delicious like the fresh steak you ate yesterday or the day before.
Therefore you need to reheat leftover steak before eating it. The reheating process will make the steak warm and will give its original taste to let you enjoy eating it like a fresh steak.
Can You Reheat Steak in the Microwave?
Yes, you can reheat steak in the microwave but do consider some safety precautions. Many people recommend not to reheat steak in the microwave because it can overcook steak which will ruin its taste.
The overcooked steak becomes dry and loses its original taste, so you may think why I suggest to reheat steak in the microwave.
Because using a microwave for reheating steak is the quickest way to reheat it and I have some techniques to prevent overcooking and taste issues when microwaving steak.
You can reheat steak in an oven but it will take around 30 minutes. On the other hand, the microwave reheats steak in 2-3 minutes. So, you can microwave steak for reheating it and do follow my tips to maintain its taste & flavor and prevent steak from drying out.
How to Reheat Steak in the Microwave
When you decide to reheat steak in the microwave, take care of microwave timer and power level i.e. temperature. Because the microwave can make steak dry, crispy, rough and tasteless if you reheat steak in the microwave for longer or at a high power level.
The excess heat inside the microwave can overcook steak and burn it in some cases. You need to be very careful when using a microwave to reheat leftover steak because there is no way to correct steak taste or texture after it’s overcooked or burned.
In order to make it easier for you, I have found a method with some tricks to reheat steak in the microwave safely. Here I provide a step-by-step method for reheating steak that I use, you should read and follow it.
- Get the leftover steak out of refrigerator and keep it on kitchen counter for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Get a microwave-safe bowl or container and put the steak in it.
- Add some meat juice or gravy on and around the steak in the container.
- Cover the top of steak with a damp paper towel.
- Close the bowl/container with a microwave-safe lid.
- Set the microwave at 50% power level and put steak bowl inside it.
- Run the microwave for 30 seconds and flip steak with a safe tool.
- Run the microwave for another 30 seconds and flip the steak again.
- Repeat step 7 and 8 again, then get it as the inner temperature reaches 165°F.
In this way, you can reheat steak in the microwave without drying it out and keeping its original taste for an enjoyable eating experience.
What Happens When You Reheat Steak in the Microwave?
When you reheat steak in the microwave, the electromagnetic waves pass through the steak from all directions. These hot microwaves flow continuously to heat up steak quickly and efficiently.
The steak plate or bowl rotates during the heating process as it is placed on the glass turntable of the microwave. Continuous rotation allows the steak to get reheated evenly. It means that the microwave will reheat steak properly without leaving any portion cold.
It takes 1 to 3 minutes to reheat steak in the microwave, while the same process takes 30 minutes in the oven. So, reheating steak in your microwave will save a lot of time yet provide the same original taste when you eat it.
FAQs about Reheating Steak in the Microwave
When you have leftover steak in your fridge, you can get it out in lunch on the next day. You need to reheat steak before you serve it and it won’t take long if you use a microwave for reheating leftover steak at home.
Here I provide some important questions about how to reheat steak in the microwave to help you understand the process and do it without any mistakes.
Q.1 Is it safe to reheat medium rare steak in the microwave?
Yes, it is safe to reheat medium rare steak in the microwave at 50% power level for 1 to 3 minutes with flipping steak after every 30 seconds.
Q.2 How long should you microwave leftover steak?
You should microwave leftover steak for 1 minute to 3 minutes but never longer than 3 minutes. You should flip steak every 30 seconds to heat it evenly and properly.
Q.3 What is an ideal temperature to microwave steak?
An ideal temperature to microwave steak is 165°F (i.e. 74°C) that heats up the steak properly and also keeps its original taste as it is.
Final Thoughts: Microwave Leftover Steak
You can reheat leftover steak in your microwave with help of the safest method I have explained above. The microwave allows you to reheat steak in less than 3 minutes but you need to do it carefully to avoid drying it out and overcooking issues.
You can add some meat juice or gravy on steak before you put it in the microwave. The juice/gravy will help to prevent steak from drying out during reheating process and it will also add some extra taste to the steak.
