Heating up spag bol

corblimey

I made some spag bol yesterday, ate half of it and covered the rest. Now I'm wondering if I should plate out the rest and just bung in the micowave for a few minutes or heat it through on the hob? Is it 6 of one, etc?

BuffyBot

Once it is heated through thoroughly and has been stored correctly up until then, it should be fine.

bonkey

If you only have sauce and are doing fresh pasta, I'd do it in the pan, but a micro will do fine.

I dunno how pasta reheats in a micro though...

Tree

pasta reheats a bit dry but passable, handy for college lunches where the alternative is equally dodge canteen pasta

rubadub

To microwave pasta, rinse it well and cover with a plate on top.

When doing large batches of spa bol, I save the jars of sauce, then fill them to the brim with the s.bol while still piping hot. I then sit them in a basin of water to cool them quickly, then stick them in the fridge. Most airborne contaminants should be killed by the hot sauce inside, the cooling stops bacteria growth. The cooling even seals the lids back down (the little button doesnt pop when pressed).

If you are going to freeze them do not fill to the brim or the jar will crack when it expands.

bonkey

rubadub wrote:

The cooling even seals the lids back down (the little button doesnt pop when pressed).

<off-topic>

The whole idea of those buttons is supposed to be to allow you to have faith that the jar hasn't been opened / tampered with since it was originally sealed.

Nice to know that its a load of cobblers.

The Sweeper

rubadub wrote:

When doing large batches of spa bol, I save the jars of sauce, then fill them to the brim with the s.bol while still piping hot. I then sit them in a basin of water to cool them quickly, then stick them in the fridge. Most airborne contaminants should be killed by the hot sauce inside, the cooling stops bacteria growth.

How long would you store them in the fridge for?

rubadub

bonkey wrote:

<off-topic>

The whole idea of those buttons is supposed to be to allow you to have faith that the jar hasn't been opened / tampered with since it was originally sealed.

Nice to know that its a load of cobblers.

Nah, it still is true with normal jars on shelves, unless somebody goes to the bother of boiling up an open jar and sealing it again. Steam is given off by the hot sauce, when it cools it condenses and forms a vacuum pulling in the lid. Not only does it show if it has been opened it shows if it was spoiled. Tinned and jarred foods are heat treated, usually steam pressurised which sterilises them. If there are lots of contaminants they can sometimes survive, they will start to grow after a few months and give off gases which will cause the button to pop out.

bashed tins on shelves can cause tiny holes in the bent corner, it can lead to air entering the can and contaminating.

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

How long would you store them in the fridge for?

I leave my jars in the fridge for up to a week, I keep my fridge pretty cold. Like I said, I pack the jars while piping hot so any (well most) contaminants will be killed if they do get in (unless you are in a sterile lab/room there are millions of airbourne contaminants). If it does contaminate during the week my button should pop up, of course inspect the jar for visible mould, then smell it. NEVER sniff moulds! you can inhale nasty stuff. Many people find mouldy jars and automatically go to sniff it, just to see how bad it really is!, thats why I say LOOK for mould first.

When reheating foods it should be heated to boiling for a good 10mins, (I say should but I never bother myself and have survived this far).

BTW fridges harbour lots of bacteria, they should be bleached out every few months. My fridge in work is disgusting, I am always finding crap that people have left there and forgotten about.

If you are really paranoid you can pressure cook jars of food which will allow them to last indefinitely. In the US large pressure cookers are popular. You can get rice and add it dry with a set amount of water into a jar with a loose lid. You can put lots of these jars in a pressure cooker. Cook for 60mins and then open the cooker up and tighten the lids immediately. These jars will last a VERY long time. This is the same way that any canned/tinned food is done, and why it has a huge shelf life.

If you are using any commercial jars of sauce and plan on saving it, then open quickly spoon out your required amount and seal it immediately. Preferably have the jar chilled in advance and chill immediately afterwards. Tilt the jar over if possible since most contaminants fall vertically downwards, do not leave jars sitting there, at least put the lid loosely on.
My brother and I used to always buy the same cream cheese and he always moaned that his was mouldy after a few days, mine would last over a month. He would fully remove the foil liner lid and leave it sitting about. I would lift the foil lid slightly and scoop some out.

NextSteps

Reheating pasta? Don't. Scrape off the sauce, throw out the pasta, and prepare some more. Please.

corblimey

No, it was just the bolognaise part I was reheating. I made fresh pasta. I didn't trust my ability to get the temperature right when reheating on the hob, so I bunged it in the micro for a few minutes. tasted okay to me, and I didn't go blind in one eye, so I guess it worked

chuckles30

handy tip for anyone freezing bolognese or anything like that - keep your plastic containers from your indian/chinese takeaways etc. I thought I had way too many of the things until I went on a cooking spree last weekend...then I finished up almost running out of them....and space in my freezer. At least they will expand a bit without shattering if filled too full.

BTW - I've been defrosting/reheating all my home-made frozen dinners in the microwave for years now and I'm still here...with no horror stories to tell

dellas1979

I would eat spag bol the next day.

What I do it let it cool down. Then cling-film it on a plate-put in fridge.

Next day, really hot pan. Put in some extra virgin olive oil. I would normally add a little salt too.

It is absolutely delicious and one of my favourite things to eat.

Yum.