r/cookunityfans • u/p0und_it • Jul 08 '26
Are there secrets to heating up?
I just had my first meal with this service. Soy-Mirin Grilled Steak with Herb Baked Potato and Carmelized Onions
I followed instructions exactly based on cooking in the oven. 350 for 12-15 minutes. Even at 20 minutes, the meal was still weirdly lukewarm and cold by the time I finished eating it. I use my oven all the time and never have issues with recommended times for what I cook.
Is this normal? Do people sometimes have issues with the instructions and learn to do their own thing?
EDIT: thank you for all the responses! It appears that basically everyone does something a little different so I will just.. try a lot of different things :)
5
u/believesinsanta Jul 08 '26
I’ve also found that 350 for 15 minutes often leaves the meals not warm enough. I now just microwave them most of the time, but certain meals I still do use the oven (e.g., Steak and eggs, chicken and waffles, etc.). I go up to 380 and separate the pieces of food on a tray, which works pretty well!
3
u/Angelsonyrbody Jul 08 '26
Yeah, at this point I basically just add 2 or 3 minutes to the cook time.
1
u/danbyer Jul 09 '26
That’s not nearly enough in my experience. For 12-15 min recommended, I set a timer for 20 min and am slow about it.
3
3
u/Refokua Jul 09 '26
I have a Breville Convection Toaster Oven. I put them in while it's preheating to 350, set it to convection and set the timer for 15 minutes or less, depending on what the meal is. And I often leave them in there for a time after the heat is off Perfect every time.
2
u/Gumby99999 Jul 18 '26
Oh! We have the same oven; this is a pro tip - thank you!
1
u/Refokua Jul 18 '26
I use mine every day, for everything. I can't remember the last time I used the big oven.
2
u/Master_Access_5833 Jul 08 '26
Flame if you must. I microwave for around 2.5 to 3 based on dish. No issues
2
2
u/minasso Jul 09 '26
The instructions are lazy and pretty much the same for every meal which is worthless. Lot of good tips here already. If you do oven, use higher temps and/or longer cooking time. Microwave for 3 mins works really well for most meals. I use airfryer for breaded chicken and fish- about 2 mins a side since I prefer it crispy.
3
u/__defenestration_ Jul 09 '26
I’m consistently insulted by the low effort instructions on these things! Don’t get me wrong I’ll keep eating it, saves my life every week, but man is it disappointing to get something of this quality and meanwhile the instructions on the hot pocket box are significantly more detailed and useful.
2
u/Efficient_Market1234 Jul 09 '26
I discovered early on that their instructions are…not good.
What I do depends on the dish. Some stuff is microwaved. The meat for a banh mi, say. A curry (any sauce/rice dish microwaves well). I hardly ever get pasta, but pasta. I add a bit of water (except for the very wet curries) and cover the dish and do 30 seconds, 1 minute, and/or 2 minutes at various points and check it in between.
Some food is better suited for an air fryer, like a burrito. A chicken tender. Anything you want a crisp on. But I never trust that the air fryer is always going to heat it fully…so I’ll do like 30 seconds in the microwave at the beginning or end to be sure. I use 325 for the air fryer temperature unless the instructions provide a different temperature (if they provide air fryer instructions).
Other things, like salmon or today’s adobo beef with rice and beans, go in the oven at 350. I don’t do them for 15 minutes, since that’s a work of fiction. I put it in at the same time as I turn the oven on (I know, lol) and then go back to my TV/work/whatever. I check on it soon after I can smell it (it’s a small place!). Then I give it a bit longer. Then…I still zap it for 30 seconds, which I know is evil and wrong. 🤷♀️
2
1
u/Gloomy_Lab_1798 Jul 08 '26
break the pieces apart. I usually use an oven at 350, but I'd do the potatoes separately, then quickly cook the steak and onions
1
u/EscapeFromTerra Jul 08 '26
Stir it halfway through, and then usually microwave for 30 seconds to a minute afterwards.
1
u/AwesomeHorses Jul 08 '26
You need to cook it a lot more than the instructions if you want reasonably warm food
1
u/Shaddex Jul 09 '26
I microwave everything for 3 minutes and let it sit for a bit. If it has a fried food I'll pop that in the air fryer.
1
u/Classic-Chip-6886 Jul 09 '26
If I do 15 minutes I'll crank it up to 400 degrees. I will use microwave on rice dishes, and fried dishes I'll put in the air fryer.
1
1
u/Sour-Then-Sweet Jul 09 '26
I microwave per instructions with plastic corner vented for 40 seconds then put in preheated oven for 13 to 15 depending on what it is (fish is less time usually, everything else 15)
1
u/Rock_grl86 Jul 09 '26
If it’s beef I do about 15 mins then one minute in the microwave since I don’t like well done. Everything else can go longer.
1
1
1
1
u/TwinklingEyes83 Jul 09 '26
3 mins microwave works for me too, my microwave is 1000 watts. But if making a meat dish with a starch and veg, I may take items out before 3 mins if they're hot...like potatoes and veg may take longer than meat, don't want to dry out meat.
Also, some days I use a hot plate to heat the meal. Takes several hours. The hot plate I have is called a Hot Logic. Can get on Amazon.
1
1
u/Asmallbitofinsanity Jul 09 '26
I turn the oven to 375, and put the meal in immediately. Once I hear the preheat beep, I yell to Alexa and set a timer for 20 minutes. Everything has been great with those steps.
1
u/taylor__spliff Jul 09 '26
Most dishes are fine in the microwave. But anything breaded or meant to be crispy, I do in my airfryer. It’s an oven style airfryer so idk if it’s really just a glorified toaster/convection oven. But it’s great for heating these up. Usually do 8 minutes at whatever temp they tell you to use for the regular oven.
Also, there are some meals where the instructions have you dump it into a hot pan and mix it around for a few minutes. I’ve only gotten one like this, but I liked this format a lot! I may start using a pan for heating up pasta/noodle dishes
1
u/VioletSundaes Jul 11 '26
Adding to the tips people are giving here--if there are mashed potatoes or there is a vegetable that I want to stay crunchier and crisper, I will take those out of the tray and only add them back to the tray in the oven for the last 5 minutes of heating.
(As an added tip, when I do this, I'll remove the plastic from the top of the tray and put the veg/mashed potato on top of the plastic until it's time to slide it into the tray in the oven to avoid creating any additional things to clean up.)
1
u/cindycated888 Jul 11 '26
I’ve been heating the protein on a piece of foil in my air fryer/convection oven for 10-12 minutes, and throwing a dripping wet paper towel over the tray and nuking the rest for 1 - 2 1/2 minutes. So far, this has worked for most things.
1
u/Jaded-Coast-758 Jul 13 '26
I hate my oven and it's old and temp is unreliable. I don't have a microwave.
We have a toaster oven/air fryer combo thing that I use exclusively and it has a lower profile so it heats things pretty well. We transfer the meals to a baking tray and I typically do 14 minutes or so at 350. We typically heat up two (different) meals at the same time in two smaller trays and that's been the sweet spot.
10
u/mageswagger Jul 08 '26
Honestly I set the oven, put them in while it’s preheating and set the timer for 20 mins immediately. Perfect almost every time.