Safe to reheat lasagna after already having heated it?
May 27, 2023 8:13 AM Subscribe
Yesterday, a friend brought me homemade lasagna with ricotta and (cooked already) ground beef. We heated it up, but it wasn't fully heated. We were in a hurry due to a birthday party, so I ate some of it (kind of lukewarm) then put it in the refrigerator. It was really good. Is it safe to bake again (this time, to doneness)?
So it's been cooked, then cooled, then partially heated, then cooled again?
Technically speaking you can reheat lasagne as many times as you want as long as you heat the leftovers to a safe temperature (165F/75C) each time. The only thing that might happen is that the texture of the food might change and it won't taste quite as good as the first time.
However, I (personally) would be cautious given you partially heated it that one time (though I'm quite paranoid about these things). Since you put it right in the refrigerator it might be okay, but if I were you I would make really sure it's at a safe temperature and probably would only reheat it once more. Might be an excuse to ask for more delicious homemade food, though!
posted by fight or flight at 8:22 AM on May 27, 2023
Technically speaking you can reheat lasagne as many times as you want as long as you heat the leftovers to a safe temperature (165F/75C) each time. The only thing that might happen is that the texture of the food might change and it won't taste quite as good as the first time.
However, I (personally) would be cautious given you partially heated it that one time (though I'm quite paranoid about these things). Since you put it right in the refrigerator it might be okay, but if I were you I would make really sure it's at a safe temperature and probably would only reheat it once more. Might be an excuse to ask for more delicious homemade food, though!
posted by fight or flight at 8:22 AM on May 27, 2023
It'll be fine. And if you find yourself in this situation in the future, it's better to cut and remove the portion that you're going to eat right then and heat that up instead of heating up the entire thing.
posted by cooker girl at 8:37 AM on May 27, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by cooker girl at 8:37 AM on May 27, 2023 [9 favorites]
Whenever I see one of these "Can I eat this?" questions, my thought is usually, "I would eat that without hesitation". I grew up in a family that was kind of lax about food safety, and I've never really worried about it much myself as an adult. To the best of my knowledge, I've had food poisoning exactly once, and that was after eating in a dodgy restaurant in Eastern Europe. Think about all our ancestors who didn't have refrigeration.
posted by alex1965 at 8:48 AM on May 27, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by alex1965 at 8:48 AM on May 27, 2023 [7 favorites]
I’m immunosuppressed and I would totally eat this, so long as it wasn’t ever left sitting at room temperature. It sounds delicious!
posted by mochapickle at 9:34 AM on May 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by mochapickle at 9:34 AM on May 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
Whenever I see one of these "Can I eat this?" questions, my thought is usually, "I would eat that without hesitation". I grew up in a family that was kind of lax about food safety, and I've never really worried about it much myself as an adult. To the best of my knowledge, I've had food poisoning exactly once, and that was after eating in a dodgy restaurant in Eastern Europe. Think about all our ancestors who didn't have refrigeration.
This is pretty classic and dangerous survivor bias logic.
posted by srboisvert at 9:46 AM on May 27, 2023 [8 favorites]
This is pretty classic and dangerous survivor bias logic.
posted by srboisvert at 9:46 AM on May 27, 2023 [8 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks, all! My friend brought the lasagna to my home uncooked, so it was baked (unfinishedly) for the first time last night. I think what I'll do is just re-bake it, this time to doneness, and eat what I can, then eat the rest cold. I love cold lasagna as well.
Just wanted to double check and get a feeler for safety out there :)
posted by dubious_dude at 9:59 AM on May 27, 2023
Just wanted to double check and get a feeler for safety out there :)
posted by dubious_dude at 9:59 AM on May 27, 2023
Think about all our ancestors who didn't have refrigeration.
Think about all the graveyards full of people who died from food borne illnesses...
To answer the question, yes, I would eat this, but only because it was refrigerated after cooking. Had it been undercooked and left out, the answer would have been a hard no.
posted by ralan at 10:56 AM on May 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
Think about all the graveyards full of people who died from food borne illnesses...
To answer the question, yes, I would eat this, but only because it was refrigerated after cooking. Had it been undercooked and left out, the answer would have been a hard no.
posted by ralan at 10:56 AM on May 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
So the ground beef was cooked before the lasagna was assembled, but the lasagna as a whole was then not cooked, and you only warmed it up? And then immediately put it back in the fridge? Yes, go ahead, bake it and eat it.
If the beef hadn't been cooked when it came to your house, and you then only warmed it up and refrigerated it, I wouldn't eat it, even if baked to done-ness.
posted by gakiko at 10:57 AM on May 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
If the beef hadn't been cooked when it came to your house, and you then only warmed it up and refrigerated it, I wouldn't eat it, even if baked to done-ness.
posted by gakiko at 10:57 AM on May 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Quick report that all worked out, the lasagna was baked to proper doneness last night, and I thoroughly enjoyed having most of it last night, and had the leftovers cold tonight. No signs of food poisoning so far (not that I was too worried). Thanks for all the advice!
posted by dubious_dude at 5:17 PM on May 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by dubious_dude at 5:17 PM on May 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by coffeecat at 8:20 AM on May 27, 2023 [9 favorites]