If you have frequent interactions with kids in your everyday life, whether you’re a parent or a caretaker, you know how much joy cooking for them can bring.
And sometimes, kids may have a certain favorite dish that they just want to have at all times. But shaking things up and trying different things with the food you cook them can show them just how much variety there is in the world of food.
If your kids always prefer to eat chicken, for example, today we’ve got for you something a bit different than you might want to try with them. It’s a Mexican dish, and it’s called Tamale. What Tamale is, basically is a corn-based dough that you can fill with anything from cheese to chicken, or even vegetables, pork, and beef. It all depends on your preferences. If you have a Mexican Cookbook, chances are it contains this recipe.
But you don’t want to just go and make a ridiculous amount of it. No matter how much of an appetite kids can have, we all have our limits.
But in case you do fall into this mistake. I’m here to tell you that you can put it in the fridge or Compact Refrigerator for later use. But here’s the thing, Tamales have quite the complex texture. So if you’re thinking about reheating it to serve it again, you shouldn’t just rush to do so without knowing precisely the proper way to do it. But don’t worry; this is exactly why you’re reading this. We’re going to list off the 4 best methods for reheating Tamales without them losing their taste.
How are Tamales Cooked?
First things first, what you’ll want to have is a big pot that comes with a steaming basket.
You’ll have to fill the pot with water. When you do, be sure that the level of water when it starts boiling will not reach the basket. If it does, the Tamales will get wet, and you don’t want that to happen. When the water starts boiling, add a pinch of salt to it.
After that, take the Tamales and place them in the steaming basket in a standing position, not on their side. The opened side of the Tamales must be facing the top while the closed side of should be facing the basket.
When you’re cooking it on the stove, set it on high temperature. When the water starts boiling, decrease the heat and close the pot with a lid. I would advise that you use a transparent lid if you can so that you can know when the Tamales are done.
Depending on the inside dough, you’ll want to let the Tamales steam for 1 to 2 hours. Every 20 minutes or so, you should remove the lid and check how much water there is and add some if it’s needed.
Take a Tamale after one hour and after letting it cool off for about 7 minutes on the Cooling Rack, unwrap it and see if the dough is warm and firm.
If it’s all squishy and tender, wrap it up again and put back to boil until it gets firm. Check on them again every 12 minutes until you’re sure they’re ready to be served.
4 Simple Ways for Reheating Tamales
So now you know how to prepare Tamales. Next, we’re going to jump to find out how to reheat them if you ever need to. As delicious as they can get, the matter of the fact is, sometimes you just can’t finish them all.
Thankfully, it’s possible for you to reheat Tamales in such a way that they’ll maintain their taste as if they were cooked that very instant. And it’s good to know that you have a number of different options. You can use the Food Steamer, hot plate, Gas Cooktop, electric Skillet, Microwave, or the Convection Oven.
The Steamer
We’ve already talked about using steam for cooking, and with reheating, it’s going to be pretty much the same, albeit taking less time.
In the case that you’ve been keeping your Tamales in the freezer, let them thaw before you put them in the steamer. If you don’t, they’ll get all watery once you reheat them and they’ll lose all taste.
- Pour lukewarm water into the pot (Don’t forget what we talked about earlier, know where the level of water should stop)
- Set a medium high temperature and heat the pan
- Put the Tamales in the bowl in the position we talked about earlier (the ends should face the floor of the container)
- Cover the bowl with a lid and let the Tamales cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- When the Tamales are done, take them out of the pot and place them on a plate so that they cool down for around 5 minutes. Do the same thing we talked about in the cooking part for checking the Tamales. Just reduce the interval of time between every check to 3 minutes. Get your Dinnerware Set and serve.
Use the Oven
Are you looking for a crispy feeling? Well, then you should probably go with the oven. Besides the crispiness, it also maintains the fantastic taste of the Tamales, despite them being reheated.
- Crack the oven up to 425°. Use an Oven Thermometer to get that exact level.
- Take an aluminum foil and wrap the Tamales in it, each one separately
- Place them on a Pyrex dish and be careful when you do so. The Tamales must not be in contact with each other.
- Let them cook for about 20 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when they get a crispy, golden look. Get them out using your Oven Mitt then serve them.
The Microwave
You might not be the person who likes to get into much trouble when cooking. If you want the easiest and quickest route, the microwave is what you should go with. But I must say this is an option that I don’t recommend unless you have no other way because the microwave is going to dry out the Tamales.
- Place the Tamales on a plate (the plate must be suitable for a Microwave) and leave as much space between them as you can make. You can put on the plate a wet paper towel to get some steam when you turn the microwave on and to keep the Tamales from drying out.
- Turn on the microwave for 2 minutes
- Take away the paper towel and serve those delicious Tamales
Reheating with the Stove
This may be the best method of all the ones that we’ve mentioned. It’s not hard, and it’ll only take 10 minutes max. Besides, the Tamales will taste as if they were just prepared.
- Put a teaspoon of oil, either normal or Olive Oil, in a frying pan and preheat it on medium heat
- Take out the corn husk of the Tamales and put them in the frying pan
- Keep flipping the Tamales after every 2 minutes. They’ll be done when they have a golden, crispy look on their two sides.
How Should They Be Stored?
It’s really not that hard. Once you cook them, you can put them in an airtight Food Storage Container or FoodSaver and place them in the fridge for a few days. But if you want to keep them for even longer, you should put them in a plastic wrap and place them in the Chest Freezer. With that, they can still be consumable for months.
While you’re here, be sure to check out our kitchen product reviews!
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