Reheating a cheeseburger is pretty simple, but if you don't do it right, you can end up getting your hamburger soggy and unappealing. The trick is to take apart the hamburger and reheat the meat and buns separately before putting them back together.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Overall Process
Step 1. Separate the hamburgers
Make cheeseburgers separately, dividing them into pieces: Bread, meat, spices, and vegetables.
- It may be tempting to microwave the whole cheeseburger without separating it into pieces, but doing so will end up with soggy/mushy bread and vegetables. Each component of a cheeseburger contains a different level of moisture, which is part of the reason heating the hamburger as a whole together produces uneven and undesirable results.
- Scrape the spices from the bread and meat. A little bit of seasoning may stick, but most of the seasoning should be removed.
- Also consider dredging the cheese. This won't affect how the meat is reheated, but the cheese may melt during the heating process if you don't scrape it.
- Sort vegetables and other toppings. Lettuce and tomatoes have a tendency to get soggy/mushy during storage, so you need to throw them away. Pickles, onions, bacon, and other toppings that contain less water tend to be fine and can be stored.
Step 2. Heat the hamburger
Heat hamburgers "by themselves" in the microwave, oven, or on the stove.
- See the “Different Ways to Recook Hamburgers” section for additional information.
- The microwave is the quickest method, but it's also much easier to overcook it if you use it. If you're more concerned with quality over speed, an oven and hob might be a better choice.
Step 3. Add a slice of fresh cheese
Most original hamburger cheeses melt completely when you heat the meat. As a result, you need to add fresh cheese to it.
To slightly melt the cheese into the meat, place the cheese on top during the last part of the heating process. You can add the cheese after you've warmed up the meat, but it probably won't melt at all if you wait until the process is complete
Step 4. Heat the bread
The best way to reheat a cheeseburger bun is to place it in the oven for a few minutes, but if you don't have much time, you can use the microwave.
- See the “Different Ways to Reheat Hamburger Bread” section for additional information.
- If you are already using the oven or stove to reheat hamburgers, it is recommended that you also use the oven to reheat hamburger buns. Although the process is more time consuming than a microwave, ovens tend to produce higher quality results.
Step 5. Rearrange the pieces
Place the meat on the bottom of the bun, then add the spices and vegetables. Cover with the top bun.
- Substitute existing seasonings, including soy sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, and special sauces.
- Vegetables that can be salvaged from the original hamburger can be reused, but you should consider substituting for vegetables that are runny or wilted.
Part 2 of 3: Different Ways to Reheat Hamburgers
Microwave
Step 1. Place the meat on a microwave-safe plate
Sprinkle the surface with a few drops of water.
Place the meat in the center of the plate so it can be heated evenly. #*Hamburger meat can lose its moisture while in the refrigerator, so if you don't sprinkle the meat with a few drops of water before you put it in the microwave, it may dry out and become elastic/chewy
Step 2. Microwave until warm
Heat the meat on high heat for 30 to 90 seconds, working in 15 second to 30 second intervals.
- The exact amount of time may vary depending on the thickness of the hamburger and the wattage of your microwave.
- If you want to add a slice of fresh cheese, place it on top of the meat and microwave both of them for another 10 seconds.
Oven
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius)
Prepare a small baking pan lined with non-stick aluminum foil.
Step 2. Arrange the meat on the grill pan
Place the meat in the center of the grill pan. Sprinkle the surface with a little water.
Hamburgers can lose moisture while in the refrigerator, so sprinkling a few drops of water over the meat before heating can prevent it from drying out too much in the oven heat
Step 3. Put the meat in the oven for 10 minutes
Place the meat in the preheated oven and cook until it is evenly heated. This process usually takes about 10 minutes, but can take more or less time depending on the thickness of the meat.
If you want to melt extra cheese into the meat, place a sheet of fresh cheese over the meat for the last 1 or 2 minutes
Stove
Step 1. Put the meat in the skillet
Place the hamburger in the skillet. Place the hamburger in a small stainless steel or cast iron skillet.
Make sure the pan you are using has a lid
Step 2. Add a little liquid
Fill the pan with enough water to cover the bottom.
- Alternatively, you can add a little beef stock or cooking oil instead of water to give the meat an extra dimension of flavor.
- The extra liquid will prevent the meat from becoming too dry during cooking. Also, some of the moisture lost when the meat is refrigerated can return to the meat as the steam soaks into the meat.
Step 3. Cover and heat
Place the skillet on your stove, cover and heat over medium to medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes.
- By covering the cauldron, you are allowing steam to build up in it. This steam is the main heat source responsible for cooking meat.
- If you want to add a piece of fresh cheese, remove the lid and place the cheese over the meat for 30 to 60 seconds. Leave the pan uncovered while the cheese melts.
Step 4. Discard the liquid
Remove the meat from the pan and transfer to a plate with a paper towel for 30 seconds. This rest period will allow excess water to drip out.
The liquid in the pan can be drained at this point
Part 3 of 3: Different Ways to Reheat Hamburger Bread
Oven
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius)
If you've preheated the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) to preheat the hamburger, you can keep it at that temperature.
Step 2. Wrap both loaves in aluminum foil
Wrap each loaf in a separate sheet of aluminum foil. All sides of each loaf should be covered.
- The aluminum foil will prevent the bread from burning while in the oven. The extra insulation should also help spread the heat more evenly throughout the loaf.
- You can put bread wrapped in aluminum foil on the cake pan, but this is not a must.
Step 3. Bake until warm
Place the wrapped bread in the oven and heat until it is thoroughly warm. This will take approximately 5 minutes or less.
If your oven is set to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius), you only need to preheat it in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes
Microwave
Step 1. Wrap both buns in paper towels
Loosely wrap the two loaves together in a clean, long paper towel.
These paper towels can help control and balance the humidity of the bread as it heats up
Step 2. Put in Microwave until warm
Place the bread in the microwave and cook on high heat for 30 seconds, or until both breads are evenly warm.
- Lay the buns side by side rather than placing one on top of the other.
- If you need to reheat the bread for longer than 30 seconds, turn it over before reheating for some additional time.
Step 3. Done
The Things You Need
Reheating Meat(Microwave)
- Microwave resistant dishes
- Microwave
Reheating Meat (Oven)
- Oven
- Small baking pan
- Aluminum foil
Reheating Meat (Stove)
- Small pot with lid
- Stove
Reheating the Bread (Oven)
- Oven
- Aluminum foil
Reheating Bread (Microwave)
- Paper towels
- Microwave
