Advice for a nervous cook, can I re-heat chicken pie?

runswithpencils · 13 May 2016 at 7:56AM

Hi guys,

I hope you don't mind me posting, I'm a really nervous cook which gets in the way of me using leftovers, I always think I'm going to give us all food poisoning!

One of my biggest hangups is using leftover chicken.

On Wednesday I cooked a whole chicken, but wanted to be a bit more frugal and make it stretch, so yesterday I picked the remaining meat off of the bones and made a pie (my first one ever) I wasn't brave enough to keep the bones for stock, but maybe next time

It was really yummy but too big for the two of us, so we have half of it left, my question is, would it be safe to eat today? Could I re-heat it and if so, how long would I heat it for?

I really appreciate any feedback, me getting over my fears would go a long way to making our grocery budget stretch way further.

elsien · 13 May 2016 at 8:07AM

I think the rule is to only reheat cooked chicken once, which you did when you made the pie.
So it should be fine to eat cold, but not to reheat for a second time.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth · 13 May 2016 at 12:05PM

The roast chicken on Sunday is normally my chicken curry made on the stove on a Monday, reheated on Wednesday and then on Thursday. It does not get into the fridge! I have done this for a few years now will no effects.

tiger_eyes · 13 May 2016 at 12:27PM

I'd definitely eat it. I can't imagine that two healthy adults with normal immune systems would have any issues. If you're really nervous, you could cut off small pieces, reheat and eat them, then see how you feel. You'll still feel fine tomorrow and that should reassure you that the pie is just fine.

suki1964 · 13 May 2016 at 12:29PM

Yes you can. Just make sure it's hot all the way through

Good for you for making the pie

. Next time you are out shopping, look for the little tin foil dishes with lids. Next time make two smaller pies and stick one in the freezer for another day

Linda32 · 13 May 2016 at 5:11PM

Hi,

This is what I do with chicken. Cook one whole then slice into portions and freeze.

Then when you want to use it, make a note to defrost in the fridge the night before.

Then you have a portion of fully cooked cold chicken, so now you can use that portion in anything called for chicken, knowing it is already cooked through

you know these recipes that say cook until the chicken is cooked through. How can you tell when it is in with other ingredients?

SO if you wanted to make a pie, then these your portion, if you wanted to make a curry, again these your portion to use.

During the summer months now we often just eat it cold with salad without re-heating it at all.

HTH

Marktheshark · 13 May 2016 at 5:25PM

With re-heated Chicken what makes you ill is the toxins secreted by bacteria.
You can reheat and kill all bacteria, but the toxins secreted by the bacteria whilst alive will still make you very ill.
The its ok if it is reheated piping hot is an ignorant urban myth .
The time bacteria has had to reproduce on the warm food is the important part.
Chicken that has been heated twice and reheated a third time is asking for trouble.

SmlSave · 13 May 2016 at 7:37PM

I'd heat it up again and eat it. I'd eat it cold too

Not been ill yet from reheating meat twice, touch wood

ivyleaf · 14 May 2016 at 5:18PM

I'd heat it and eat it. When I roast a chicken I use the leftover meat to make a simple curry, but it makes 4 portions and there are only two of us, so half the curry us put inot the freezer once it's cooled down.

We then reheat it a couple of weeks later and it has never made us ill. I do make sure the meat is very hot though.

pigpen · 14 May 2016 at 5:50PM

heat and eat... make sure it is super hot though.. or the pastry might be soggy..

theoretica · 14 May 2016 at 6:41PM

If it is fine to eat cold, heating it up quickly won't make it poisonous. As Mark above says, what is bad is time spent luke warm, and especially time spent like warm when the bacteria haven't just been killed off.

The reason for heating to piping hot is to kill the bacteria which would otherwise merrily multiply while it was warm and cooling down. So my personal way of treating it is that either I only warm up what is going to be eaten immediately or I cook it again- heat to piping hot.

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Advice for a nervous cook, can I re-heat chicken pie?

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