Cooking Staples a Second Time

Starch sets as it cools

Cooked rice, pasta and potatoes all firm up in the fridge as their starch molecules re-align. This is not a flaw: firmed rice grains survive a hot wok, cold potatoes brown better in a frying pan, and day-old bread soaks up custard without collapsing. The trick is to cool these foods quickly, in a shallow container, and refrigerate within an hour of cooking rather than leaving the pan on the stove overnight.

Reheat once, thoroughly, until steaming hot throughout. Repeated cooling and warming cycles are where both texture and food safety fall apart, so take out only the portion you intend to eat.

• Chilled rice: break up clumps with wet fingers, then fry in a wide, very hot pan.
• Stale bread: French toast, croutons, breadcrumbs, or a thick slice under the grill.
• Cold boiled potatoes: slice thick and pan-fry in a little oil until the edges are crisp.
• Leftover pasta: reheat in its sauce with a splash of water, not in a dry microwave bowl.

Freeze at the right stage

Freeze cooked rice in flat portions, shaped dumplings on a tray before bagging, and sliced bread with a sheet of paper between slices so you can pull out two. Thaw rice and bread in the fridge overnight; dumplings and most flatbreads can go straight from frozen to a steamer or a dry pan. Label everything with the date, because a month in the freezer makes all staples look identical.

Questions that come up