20 Forgotten British Reheating Tricks That Make Yesterday’s Dinner Taste Freshly Cooked

Forgotten British Leftover and Reheating Tricks

The video’s central idea is to match the heat to the food: use dry heat to restore crispness, and gentle, moist heat to warm foods that should stay soft.

The 20 Tricks

20. Revive a Stale Loaf

Run a hard loaf under cold water for a few seconds, then put it directly on the oven shelf at moderate heat for about 10 minutes. The crust becomes crisp while the center softens. Eat it the same day; the video says a revived loaf goes stale faster the second time.

19. Reheat Set Porridge

Cook oats thick in a large batch, then cool them in a clean drawer or tray until firm. Cut into slices for later.

To reheat, break a cold slice into a pan with a splash of water or milk. Warm slowly over low heat, stirring with a wooden spurtle until smooth. Add a pinch of salt at the end.

As a variation, fry slices in dripping until golden at the edges and serve with bacon.

18. Warm the Plates

Warm plates before serving to help reheated food stay hot longer. Use an oven, warming oven, or sink of hot water:

• Warm plates for about 10 minutes in an Aga or Rayburn warming oven, or on a low oven shelf.
• Alternatively, stand them in hot water and dry them just before serving.

17. Restore Mashed Potato

Put leftover mash in a saucepan with a good splash of milk and a knob of butter. Heat gently, beating with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes.

Add the liquid first, use low heat, and then beat. High heat can make the bottom catch before the middle warms.

For an oven variation, put the mash in an ovenproof dish, rough up the surface with a fork, dot with butter, and bake in a hot oven until crisp and golden on top.

16. Reheat Custard and Delicate Sauces in a Double Saucepan

Use a double saucepan, or set a smaller pan or pudding basin over a pan of simmering water. Warm custard, cheese sauce, or bread sauce gently, stirring now and then with a whisk. Add a drop of milk if it has thickened in the fridge. The video says this takes about 10 minutes.

Avoid direct high heat, which can scramble custard, split cheese sauce, or scorch bread sauce.

15. Steam Leftover Rice

Put cold rice in a pan, sprinkle over 1–2 tablespoons of water, cover tightly, and warm over low heat for a few minutes until the steam plumps the grains.

The video’s rice-safety advice is to cool cooked rice quickly, ideally spread on a tray; refrigerate it within about an hour; eat it within a day; reheat it only once; and make sure it is steaming hot throughout. It warns that reheating does not destroy toxins that may form if rice is left warm for hours.

Day-old rice can be preferred for frying because the grains have firmed up.

14. Reheat Macaroni Cheese

Pour a generous splash of milk over the leftovers, working some into the corners. Cover tightly with foil and heat in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and, optionally, add grated cheddar and breadcrumbs. Return the dish to the oven or put it under the grill until the top bubbles and browns.

The video mentions a small 2014 BBC Trust Me, I’m a Doctor experiment with a University of Surrey nutrition scientist. It found a smaller blood-sugar spike after reheated pasta than freshly cooked pasta, but the video notes that this was a small study, not a final conclusion.

13. Restore Fish and Chips

Heat the oven well. Spread the chips in one layer on a tray, making sure none are touching, and place the fish on a wire rack above so air can circulate. Heat for 10–12 minutes.

Alternatively, toss the chips in a dry frying pan over medium heat until sizzling. Don’t pile or cover them; trapped steam makes them soggy.

12. Reheat Pies and Pasties

Put the pie in a low-to-moderate oven with a loose sheet of foil over the crust. Heat for 20–30 minutes, then remove the foil for the last 5–10 minutes to crisp and brown the pastry.

Setting it on a preheated baking tray can help crisp the bottom crust. The filling should be piping hot in the center; the video describes checking the middle with a knife.

11. Re-steam Christmas Pudding

Set the pudding basin in a large pan of simmering water, with the water about halfway up its sides. Cover and steam gently for a couple of hours.

For the traditional flaming presentation, pour warm brandy over the pudding and light it. Leftover slices can be fried in butter until crisp and caramelized at the edges.

10. Make Fried Bread

Use thick slices of stale bread and the dripping left in the pan after frying bacon and sausages. Press the bread into the fat and fry until deep golden and crunchy on both sides.

Stale bread works better than fresh, which can soak up too much fat and become heavy.

9. Re-crisp Yorkshire Puddings

Heat the oven as hot as it will go, then place the puddings on the shelf or a tray for 3–5 minutes. Use very high heat for a short time; low, prolonged heat can leave them tough and leathery.

Serve them filled with leftover gravy and roast beef, or with golden syrup.

8. Make Stew Ahead and Reheat Gently

The video recommends making stew a day ahead so the flavors mingle and the gravy sets as collagen turns to gelatin.

Lift off the solid fat cap if desired, saving it for frying. Reheat the stew slowly over low heat, adding a splash of water or stock if needed, until it bubbles steadily; simmer for a few minutes. Don’t boil it hard, which can toughen the meat.

7. Reheat Boxing Day Turkey

Put sliced cooked turkey in an ovenproof dish or on foil. Add a few spoonfuls of stock and a knob of butter, seal tightly in foil, and heat in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes. Spoon the pan juices over the meat.

Heat leftover stuffing and pigs in blankets uncovered so they crisp rather than steam. The video suggests serving the turkey with bubble and squeak, pickles, and cold cranberry sauce.

6. Make Rissoles from Leftover Meat

Mix finely minced cold cooked meat with leftover mashed potato or fresh breadcrumbs, chopped onion, and a spoonful of gravy or a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Shape the mixture into small cakes, roll them in breadcrumbs, and shallow-fry in dripping until golden on both sides.

Serve with peas and brown sauce.

5. Make Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie from Leftover Roast

Put chopped or minced leftover roast meat in a dish and moisten it with leftover gravy. Add leftover carrots and peas if desired, then cover with mashed potato. Rough up the top with a fork so it browns and crisps, and bake until golden.

Lamb makes shepherd’s pie; beef makes cottage pie. Some families added vegetables under the potato or cheese on top.

4. Warm a Plated Dinner over a Saucepan

Plate the meat, potatoes, and vegetables, then add gravy. Balance the plate over a saucepan of gently simmering water and cover it with a second upturned plate or a saucepan lid. The rising steam warms the meal and keeps it moist. For a cold plated meal, the video says this takes about 20 minutes.

Use a tea towel to handle the hot plate. Keep an eye on the water level and top it up from the kettle as needed.

3. Reheat Roast Meat under a Gravy Blanket

Arrange cold sliced roast beef in a shallow dish, slightly overlapping, and pour hot gravy over it until the meat is submerged. Cover and warm in a gentle oven for 15–20 minutes, or warm the slices in gravy in a pan over low heat.

Never let the gravy boil; the video says a rolling boil can make the meat tough. Making extra gravy at Sunday dinner leaves enough for reheating.

2. Make Roast Potatoes Crisp Again

Heat a roasting tin with a spoonful of dripping or lard in a hot oven until the fat shimmers. Add the cold leftover roast potatoes, turn to coat, and roast for 15–20 minutes until crisp.

Cold potatoes should go into hot fat; the video warns that cold fat can make them greasy.

1. Make Bubble and Squeak

Roughly mash leftover mashed or roast potatoes with leftover cabbage, sprouts, carrots, peas, or other vegetables. Chopped meat can also be added.

Press the mixture into a hot pan with a generous spoonful of dripping. Leave it undisturbed until the bottom forms a deep golden crust, then flip it—either in one piece or in chunks—and crisp the other side. Patience is key: don’t keep moving the mixture before the crust forms.

Serve with cold turkey and pickles, or top with a fried egg.

Presenter and Referenced Sources

The presenter is unnamed in the subtitles. The video is from Once Upon A British Time. Referenced sources include the BBC programme Trust Me, I’m a Doctor (2014), a University of Surrey nutrition scientist, and Maria Rundell’s A New System of Domestic Cookery (1806).