Have you ever heated a pizza slice in a microwave oven only to find it soggy when taken out? That’s a sure mood spoiler isn’t it?
Microwaves have become a commonly used appliance in most households nowadays. Even then, we rarely think or care about the proper heating procedures that must be followed when heating food in a microwave.
A lot of people keep repeating the same mistakes and complain about their food turning soggy or drying out after heating in a microwave.
Well, if you are currently dealing with the problem of soggy food, we have you covered. In this guide, we have discussed several effective ways of preventing sogginess. Besides following these tips, you must also be aware of the right heating techniques when using a microwave.
But first, let’s go through the tips to prevent sogginess one by one below.
How To Keep Food From Getting Soggy In The Microwave?
There are several hacks that prevent food from getting soggy when placed in the microwave. These hacks are effective and most importantly cheap. Let’s go through them in detail below.
Simply Place A Lid On Top
If you are heating a slice of pizza in the microwave and do not want it to become watery, simply place a cover lid on top of the plate and see the results!
This lid holds in steam and allows it to heat the food evenly. The steam settles on the inner side of the lid. You can see droplets of steam on the inside of the lid. If you hadn’t placed a lid on top of the food, those droplets on the lid would have settled on the food, making it soggy.
Needless to say, placing a lid on top of the food is perhaps the easiest and cheapest method of keeping the food crispy and fresh. Nowadays, varieties of cover lids are available online and offline.
The only thing you need to take care of is to ensure that the lid has small openings to allow excess steam to escape.
Wrap The Food In A Parchment Paper
If you have to retain the crispness of an item or revive the lost crispness of it, parchment papers are a savior. Wondering what makes them so effective?
These papers soak the excess moisture that’s released from foods inside a microwave. If you have to reheat items that taste bad without crispness like sandwiches, french fries, nuggets, pizzas, etc. using a parchment paper while heating is the ultimate solution.
You can simply place a parchment paper underneath the food or cover the food with a parchment paper and place it inside a microwave. After the food is heated with a parchment paper, you will find a hot, fresh, and crisp food item that would satiate your hunger to the fullest.
There are varieties of parchment papers available nowadays. Buy a bundle of them and use them to prevent food from getting soggy.
Cover the Food In A Paper Towel
Paper towels are a suitable alternative for parchment papers. Sometimes, people run out of parchment papers. In such times, use a paper towel to retain the crispness of the food while you heat it in a microwave oven.
Paper towels and parchment papers work on a similar principle. Homeowners simply have to wrap the food in a paper towel to get desired results.
Sometimes, food items like crackers, potato chips, cereals, etc. lose their crispness when kept in the open for long. You can revive their crispness by placing them on top of a paper towel and heating them in a microwave for some time. The paper towel will absorb the extra moisture from the food and help it to regain its dry, crisp texture.
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A Cup Of Water Might Be Useful
Isn’t that tough to believe? You might be wondering how can mug of water prevents food from becoming soggy. When you place a mug of water right beside a plate of food inside a microwave, the water will soak up moisture that would have otherwise settled on top of the food instead.
This procedure of heating food items along with a mug of water not only helps the food to retain its texture and not become soggy but also prevents the food from being overcooked.
The water will release steam which will prevent the food from burning out inside the microwave, if heated for too long. Besides, a glass of water absorbs some amount of microwave radiation too.
Using water is perhaps the most easy method for homeowners to ensure their food doesn’t become soggy and lose its taste.
Placing a cup of water works in both ways. It will prevent your cooked dishes from drying out and your snacks from getting soggy at the same time.
Don’t Heat At High Temperatures
How you heat the food affects its texture. For instance, if you heat it at an unusually high temperature, it ought to be soggy, because high temperatures would release the water content of the food, making it turn soggy.
Therefore, when heating a food item in a microwave, you must maintain the right range of temperature to ensure that the food’s water content doesn’t get released. Always heat the food at medium temperature.
Keep checking the food at regular intervals. We advise homeowners to stand near the microwave when the food is being heated and not engage in other household activities meanwhile.
Why Does The Microwave Make Food Soggy?
Now that we have come to know of the various effective methods to retain the crisp texture of snacks when heating a microwave, let’s find out the reason behind food becoming soggy when placed in a microwave.
Cooked food when heated in a microwave becomes soggy because the moisture released from the food when it gets heated is trapped inside the microwave. This moisture cannot escape from the microwave and settles down on top of the food, making it soggy.
Therefore, the only way to prevent the sogginess of food is by stopping the water molecules from settling on the food. We suggest using a parchment paper or paper towel or keeping a cup of water inside the microwave for this purpose.
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The Bottom Line
If you heat your food by following the right heating techniques in a microwave, the food will come out heated, fresh and crisp.
While heating food, make sure to check the item in regular intervals and switch off the appliance once you see steam coming from the food.