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How To Reheat Steamed Buns? Top 4 Methods

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When it comes to reheating any food, there are almost always different ways of doing it, but how do you reheat steamed buns, also known as bao buns?

They are steamed, so it doesn’t make sense to reheat them in a pan full of oil or anything like that because you will change their texture. If you are ok with changing their texture, you are lucky, there are many more ways to reheat steamed buns for you, but if you want to keep them the same, there are just a few ways.

We will talk in this article about every method to reheat steamed buns. Even if they change the texture of the buns, maybe they are the best in your specific circumstances.

You will see that some methods are faster than others, but the quality has to suffer, while others are slow, but you will have almost the same texture as the one that is recently done.

reheat steamed buns

How to reheat steamed buns?

The best way to reheat steamed buns(bao buns) is by using a steamer. Reheating steamed buns with a steamer will keep their texture and taste as good as possible. To do this, you have to set up your steamer, let the water boil, lower the heat when the water boils, place the buns, cover the steamer with a dishcloth before putting the lid and warm them for about 8 minutes until they are hot.

This is by far the best way to reheat steamed buns if you want to keep the quality as high as possible. But to do this, you need certain circumstances. First, you need a bit of time because the setup can take a few minutes plus the 8 minutes you need for them to be hot; also, you need a steamer which some people don’t have.

If you are at work, this method of reheating steamed buns is almost impossible since there are few chances you have a steamer, and 10-15 minutes can be a lot of time when you have a small break.

So I will give you some extra ways to reheat the steam buns that maybe are more suitable to your circumstances.

Read Also: The Best Way To Reheat Salmon

Three other ways to reheat steamed buns

  1. Microwave. Reheating steamed buns in the microwave is by far the best method to reheat them if you are in a rush. This method takes around 1 minute, depending on how well the microwave works. You need to wrap the buns in a dump paper towel and place them in a microwave for 30-60 seconds. Better check them after 30 seconds if your microwave works well. The downside of this method is that the buns will dry out very easily.
  2. Oven. Reheating steamed buns in the oven can work because the oven will reheat them uniformly, but it is not a very efficient way of doing it because the buns will get crispy and a bit dried. If this is your only option, sure, it is better than throwing them away. The thing is that they get crispier on the outside faster than getting hot on the inside. A good way to get around this is by covering them with a oven-safe bowl in the first few minutes, or a tin foil tent.
  3. On the Stove. You can swap the food steamer with this method which will not be as convenient, but you can do it. You need to get the water to a boil in a pan before putting the steamed buns on top by using a sieve. You have to put sheets of cooking paper or some green leaves like lettuce leaves in the sieve before putting the buns to not stick to the bottom of the sieve.

So as you can see, there are some extra ways of reheating the bao buns that will keep their texture more or less. But at the same time, there are a few ways of reheating the steam buns that should be avoided, which we will discuss next.

How you should not reheat steamed buns

There are a few ways to reheat food that works great for the types of food that need a crispy outside, like fried chicken or french fries. But when it comes to steamed buns, that is the tricky part, they need to remain soft and fluffy on the outside, and the inside need just to be warm, not fried or anything like that.

So here are a few reheating methods you should avoid if you want your buns to have the same texture:

  1. Grilling. By grilling them, you will burn the outside way too fast, and the inside will not be hot enough. If you want the inside to be hot enough, you have to burn the outside way too much.
  2. Pan Frying. Frying them in a pan will make them crispy, but you can not call them steamed buns after that. I guess it can work, but it will not be the same food. You will end up with pan-fried steamed buns, which are actually a thing.
  3. Air-fryer. It can work the same as pan-frying, but if you bought steamed buns, I would guess that you would like them to have the same fluffy texture after reheating them.
fried steam buns

fried steam buns

How to store steamed buns?

You can store steamed buns in a few different ways depending on when you intend to eat them.

The best way to store steamed buns is to freeze them after they’ve been cooked. This way, you can keep them fresh for up to six weeks.

You can place them in an air-tight container and store them in the refrigerator if you plan to eat them in the next few days but not more than four days.

Frozen buns will take longer to reheat than those kept in the fridge.

If you keep them at room temperature, it is preferable not to keep them for more than two hours because the harmful bacteria can grow inside them.

Read Also: Can You Eat Raw Cauliflower?

Conclusion

The conclusion is that there are many ways to reheat steamed(bao) buns, but it really depends on the circumstances you are in which way is the best for you. 

The overall best way to reheat them is to use a food steamer, this way, you keep the best quality out of your steamed buns.

The ways that I said not to try are not necessarily wrong, but they will change the texture of your steamed buns, so if that’s not a problem, you can try them as well.

I hope after reading this article, you know how to reheat the steamed buns to enjoy them as you like.


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