Onions rings are delicious, crispy, and probably one of the best fast food snacks out there. In fact they’re so great you often wish you got more with your burger and fries, right ? Well, what happens when you get a serving so large you can’t eat all of it in one sitting ? You leave it for another day.
But can you reheat onion rings ? How do you get that crispy texture back without frying them ? Will they still be as good reheated as they were first ? what if they turn out soggy ? Don’t worry, there’s a way to get your crispy onion rings back the next day. Take a look.
Can you reheat onion rings ?
Yes, you can reheat onions rings and bring them to the same crispy texture they had initially. All you need is medium heat and either a non-stick frying pan or an oven. The key is not not add any more oil. otherwise they’ll just be overly greasy.
You need to heat the ‘dry’, and the remainder of the oil already on the onion rings will take care of the crispiness for you. Keep in mind that whenever you want your onion rings back, you need to take them out of the fridge at least 15-20 minutes before heating them up.
Otherwise the inside will be very different from the outside, in terms of heat and texture. Kind of like a steak. Now let’s look at how to actually heat up the onion rings again.
Read also: Can You Reheat Gravy ?
1. Reheat in a non-stick, dry frying pan
In a non-stick frying pan or a pre-seasoned cast iron pan, add your room temperature onion rings. The pan can be cold, it’s fine. As you turn on the heat and the pan heats up, the rings will heat up as well. Keep them on a medium flame, and do not cover them.
Let them sit in the pan for about 3 minutes on each side. More if you want them extra crispy, less if you want them to be just warm. They won’t be like fresh onion rings, but the heat will give you back some of the crispiness on the outside.
2. Reheat in the oven or toaster oven
Another option is to turn on your oven or toaster oven, and set it to medium-low heat. Set them on an oven-safe plate or tray, depending on how many onions rings you have. The oven will heat them from the outside in, and it may take about 10 minutes, as it’s a low heat.
If you use a higher heat, they may crisp up on the outside while the inside may still be a bit cold, so just give them some time.
3. Microwave then crisp up in the oven
If you want to try something different, you can microwave the onion rings a little before you pop them in the oven. This way you know they’re warm on the inside, and only need to crisp them up in the oven. Or in a frying pan, it’s up to you. Remember to not add any oil if the rings have been previously cooked.
How to fix soggy onion rings
The best way to fix soggy onion rings is to pop them into the oven or toaster oven, or even a dry frying pan, for a few minutes. The extra heat on the outside will crisp up the outer coating, while leaving the interior softer. Of course, the more you leave the onion rings to dry bake like this, the more they will dry out.
This is a very common scenario when reheating onion rings in the microwave. You need to cover the plate with a bowl so ensure they get evenly hot, but this traps moisture and you end up with soft onion rings.
How do you keep onion rings warm ?
If you’re in the process of reheating several batches of onion rings, or simply want to keep them warm and crispy, there is a way. Keep your oven on a low temperature, the lowest it can get. If it’s an electric oven it can easily keep your food between 50 and 100 C/122 to 212 F. Toaster ovens can do that for you as well.
Another option is to cook all your onion rings as usual, set them all on an oven-safe plate and loosely cover them with aluminum foil. Then, about half an hour before you want to serve them, heat up the oven. As is comes up to temperature, it will heat up the rings as well.
How long do onion rings last ?
You can keep cooked onion rings in the fridge for up to 3 days, as long as they’re in an airtight container. Do not reheat all of them at once if you only need a few, you should only reheat them once. SO take as many as you need, close the container, and come back for more if you need to.
If you don’t have an airtight container then plastic wrap will do just fine. Be sure to double wrap it, to make sure no air escapes and the plate is well sealed before putting it in the fridge.
Read Also: Can You Reheat Lasagne ?
Can you freeze onion rings ?
Yes, you can freeze onion rings and than reheat them in the oven. Just remember to thaw them before reheating otherwise you get a high contrast in texture and heat between the middle and the outside of the rings.
When freezing onion rings be sure to place them in a freezer-safe bag, and you may want to place them all in a single layer. Or with as least overlapping as possible, just to be sure that you gen an even freeze and then an even thaw.
