How to Reheat Big Mac? 7 Methods Explained
Big Mac has a very special place in everybody’s heart. Juicy, meaty, and incredibly satisfying, it is a type of fast food that can never have haters. Still, as with all other tasty delights, sometimes you can overestimate yourself and buy one too many. Fresh and warm is the best way to go with this burger. So, how to reheat Big Mac?
To reheat Big Mac, you can use your oven, waffle maker, microwave, air fryer, pan, grill, or toaster oven. You need to take out the vegetables whatever method you choose, and you even need to separate buns and meat for some methods. Whether in the air fryer or the oven, your Big Mac won’t be the same, but you can revive it to a great extent.
As Big Mac falls in my top three types of fast food, it’s needless to say that I’ve spent a substantial amount of time searching for ways to bring my leftover Big Mac to life again.
Still, I must say that a Big Mac is best when freshly made, and generally, I’m not a fan of reheating fast food. Still, each of the reheating options has its strengths and weaknesses, so you have to be careful and somewhat skillful in this aspect.
In the following paragraphs, I will explain how to reheat your Big Mac, store it, and how long your Big Mac can last.
How to Reheat a Big Mac in the Oven?
Reheating your Big Mac in the oven is a good solution; however, you must be careful not to overcook your sandwich. When using your oven for this purpose, you have to have some things in mind before you start.
First, don’t put your Big Mac in a cold oven. You should start preheating about ten minutes before putting your Big Mac inside. Set the temperature to 356 °F, i.e., 180 °C, and wait.
In the meantime, take out the lettuce or any other fresh or pickled ingredient from your Big Mac. Fresh and pickled food do horribly when heated; they release liquid and make your sandwich soggy and wet. Not only will your Big Mac lose its consistency and taste, but the lettuce, pickles, or any addition of this type, taste very, very bad when heated.
Another thing to keep in mind is to tightly wrap your Big Mac in aluminum foil before you put it into the oven. The aluminum foil will prevent your Big Mac from burning, as it will physically protect it, and will also allow for the hot air to circulate and heat your sandwich evenly.
If you are in a hurry and you want to decrease the reheating time, you can either cut your Big Mac in half or in a few pieces to speed up the process. Still, if you do this, you have to know that your Big Mac will resemble a Sloppy Joe more than a Big Mac. It will be tasty, though.
Once you place the Big Mac in the oven, wait for ten minutes and take it out. Poke a few holes in the foil to let the air out. If the air trapped under the foil doesn’t exist, you risk having a wet and soggy sandwich. Let your Big Mac chill for 10-15 minutes, then add the fresh or pickled ingredients and enjoy.
If your Big Mac has been in the fridge, let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before you reheat it.
How to Reheat a Big Mac in the Toaster Oven?
Reheating your Big Mac in a toaster oven isn’t the best decision to make, as it could burn the patty. It is possible, though, but you need to be very careful.
Use the broil option of your toaster oven and check your Big Mac every minute. Touch the buns and exam the patty, but don’t leave your sandwich for more than 5 minutes.
Don’t forget to take out the lettuce, pickles, or other fresh/pickled additions. They will not only ruin your Big Mac, but they may smell up your toaster oven.
Let your Big Mac sit on the counter for ten minutes if you plan to reheat it straight from the fridge.
How to Reheat a Big Mac in the Microwave?
When you reheat your Big Mac in the microwave, the first rule is to remove the original packing and place it on a microwave-safe plate. The original Big Mac packing isn’t suitable for microwaving, so don’t experiment with this.
Another thing to do is to remove the fresh/pickled ingredients. Leaving them inside the Big Mac when microwaving it would be even worse than leaving them in while reheating it in the oven.
Because of the specific way the microwave works, the fresh/pickled ingredients will release even more moisture and will completely ruin your sandwich.
The microwaving itself can really dehydrate your sandwich, so you need to cover it with a damp towel to prevent this from happening. The towel shouldn’t be wet, but just a little damp with enough moisture to help your Big Mac retain its natural moisture, nothing more.
Microwave in 30-second sequences at moderate temperature. After each sequence, check to see how your Big Mac is doing. It usually doesn’t take more than two 30-second cycles, so a minute in total.
After taking it out of the microwave, let your sandwich rest for about a minute before you eat/serve it.
If freshly out of the fridge, your Big Mac should sit at room temperature for ten minutes before microwaving.
How to Reheat a Big Mac in Air Fryer?
Air frying is a great way to reheat your Big Mac, but you have to do some preparatory work first.
In addition to taking out the fresh/pickled ingredients, you should disassemble your Big Mac before placing it in the air fryer.
The air fryer is an excellent solution for meat, but for buns, not so much; therefore, you have to remove them and toast them separately. Whether on a grill or a frying pan, just not in the air fryer.
Preheat your air fryer for four to six minutes and set the temperature to 350 °F, i.e., 180 °C. Place the patty into the air fryer and heat it for two to three minutes on each side.
While in the air fryer, sprinkle one tablespoon of water on each side of the patty to rehydrate it, as the air fryer might dry it a bit more.
Toast the buns on a grill or a pan and then reassemble the Big Mac.
Don’t forget to let your Big Mac rest at room temperature for ten minutes after you take it out of the fridge.
How to Reheat a Big Mac in the Oven?
To do this, you should remove the fresh/pickled ingredients, as with the other methods. As with the air fryer, you should disassemble your Big Mac if you want to reheat it in the waffle iron too.
Coat the hot plates with some cooking oil, not much, just one thin layer, and place the patty on the plate. Cover the patty with the tip plate, but don’t press. When you hear your patty sizzling, that’s your sign that it’s done.
Next, toast your buns on the waffle iron. The procedure is the same as with the patty. Over the plates with a bit of cooking oil and place the buns on them. Don’t cover the buns with the top plate.
Check the buns if they are warm, and remove them from the waffle maker. Reassemble your Big Mac and enjoy.
How to Reheat a Big Mac on the Stove?
This is a great reheating method with great results, but it is a bit of a procedure. You will need to disassemble the Big Mac and heat the patties separate from the buns here.
Needless to say, you have to remove the fresh/ pickled ingredients here as well.
You will need a frying pan or a skillet which you will heat at medium temperature (212 °F, i.e., 100 °C). Coat the frying pan/skillet with a thin layer of cooking oil, put the patties and bottom bun in the frying pan/ skillet, and let them sizzle for a minute. Then cover sprinkle put two tbsps. of water in the pan/ skillet and cover it.
Let the patties and bun cook for two minutes on each side. Toast the outer buns separately.
If you just took your Big Mac out of the fridge, don’t forget to let it sit at room temperature for ten minutes before you reheat it.
How to Reheat a Big Mac on a Grill?
This may be the best way to revive your Big Mac and have it taste very close to freshly made. Separate the buns and the patties and grill them on the rack for about five minutes on each side.
Of course, you need to remove the fresh/ pickled ingredients.
Set the temperature to 300 °F, i.e., 150 °C, and let them cook for five minutes per side. Before placing the buns and the patty on your grill, preheat it at the same temperature for five to ten minutes.
The standard compulsory ten minutes on the counter rule applies here as well if you have just removed your Big Mac from the fridge.
Can You Reheat a Big Mac the Next Day?
As a member of the fast-food family, Big Mac is highly perishable, and it is best to eat it the day it’s made. However, that isn’t always possible, so reheating it the next day is a viable option, but only under one condition; if it’s been refrigerated.
You can’t leave a Big Mac out of the fridge overnight, as you will risk it going bad. If stored correctly in the fridge, your Big Mac will be good for three days. Still, you should make sure that it’s been properly cooked.
If your Big Mac hasn’t been properly cooked, even if it’s slightly undercooked, it poses a health risk the longer it stays uneaten.
How Can a Big Mac Sit Out?
When it comes to the shelf life of perishable food left unrefrigerated, the standard rule is that it isn’t safe two or three hours after it’s been cooked.
Still, this amount of time varies depending on the particular type of food and what it contains. Dry perishable foods can stay unrefrigerated longer than three hours and still be safe to eat, but the moister the food is, the more dangerous it is to eat it if not properly refrigerated.
Because it contains lettuce and pickles, which are pretty moist ingredients, your Big Mac doesn’t stand a big chance of survival out of the fridge for over two hours. However, if you remove the pickles and lettuce, you may give it a fighting chance.
Still, let’s not forget that likely, the buns have already absorbed the moisture, and even if we remove the lettuce and pickles, it may not be enough.
Another factor is the exact room temperature the warmer the room, the more perishable the Big Mac. However, in any case, you should play it safe and refrigerate your Big Mac if you don’t plan on eating or serving it in the next couple of hours.
Can You Put Big Mac in the Fridge? How to Properly Store It?
You can refrigerate your Big Mac for up to three days. The preservatives in the recipe itself could make it safe for four days or more, but it is best to play it safe when it comes to food.
To properly refrigerate your Big Mac, tightly wrap it in aluminum foil and place it on the top shelf of the fridge. Take it out for at least ten minutes before the time you plan to eat or reheat it.
A word to the wise, it is always better and safer to reheat your Big Mac before eating or serving it. Since it’s made of beef, the more thermally processed the meat, the safer it is.
If you want to freeze your Big Mac, that’s a good idea too. It will be ok for up to three months in the freezer, but not longer. Wrap the Big Mac in plastic foil after removing the lettuce and the pickles from it.
Place the foil-wrapped Big Mac in a freezer baggie and press out the excess air. Your Big Mac is now ready for storing in the freezer.
