If you’ve got leftover hamburgers, be careful you don’t re-cook (and over-cook) them when you get ready to serve them again. Following a few simple tips will show you how to reheat hamburgers so you can serve a tasty leftover burger for yourself or your family.
Make sure to use the reheat or warm setting (not cook) on a microwave.
Prep the Hamburgers
Let the hamburger get to room temperature. You can skip this step, but if you’re reheating a cheeseburger, a cold bun will usually stick to the cheese.
Don’t leave the burger out for more than an hour to avoid bacteria. The grease and condiments congeal when you put them in the cold refrigerator. This will make your bun stick to the meat or cheese, tearing parts of it off and leaving the shreds on the meat if you try to remove the buns cold.
If you try to warm the burgers in the microwave, even for 30 seconds, you’ll cook them instead of reheat them, unless you use the reheat setting on your microwave. Even so, warming the buns this way can turn them hard and crunchy once they begin to cool.
Gently pry the top bun off the burger and place it, upside down, on a plate. Remove any pickles, onions, ketchup, mustard, relish or other condiments from the hamburger patty and toss them out, or put them on top of the bun if you want to re-use them.
Carefully peel the patty off the bottom bun. Use a paper towel to wipe any condiments, bread or excess grease off the patty.
Choose your Hamburger Reheating Method
Reheat your patties without cooking them using one of several methods. You can put them in the oven at 400 degrees for several minutes. Place them on a rack if you want to get rid of excess fat.
You can reheat hamburger patties in the microwave using your reheat setting, doing so for 30 seconds on each side, or longer, based on your microwave.
You can put them in a frying pan, using medium heat to warm them. Spray some cooking oil on the pan to prevent them from sticking and cover them.
Another option for how to reheat hamburgers is to steam the patties, setting a smaller pan in a larger pan with some water, then covering the larger pan. Steaming is your best option for reheating the buns if you want them warm and moist. If you like the interior portion crunchy, fry or bake them to remove moisture.
If you want to add cheese to your patties, add that during the reheating process. Before you’re ready to serve, add fresh lettuce, onions and tomatoes for cool, crunchy, healthy additions.
One More Hamburger Tip
The next time you make your own burgers, make sure you pick the right grind (ground sirloin, ground chuck, ground round?). Check out this article to learn which is which, and what you should buy.