The Stodgy, comforting and delicious taste of tamales tempts one to prepare some ahead of time. They are convenient since you will put them in an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze them for months. That means you will never lack ready tamale to satisfy your cravings or treat your guests.
Hot tamales are full of flavor and spices and are best served with rice plus Pico de gallo. Some avoid reheated tamales since they presume that they are less tasty than the fresh ones. Note that they will retain their original freshness and flavor when you reheat using the proper method.
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How to Reheat Frozen Tamales – A Complete Step
Different methods are in existence when reheating your tamales. They depend on your intended outcome. Reheating either with a skillet or an oven will make your tamales crispier.
Reheating using steamers or instant pots will help them retain their original form and texture. While the oven and air fryers help you reheat them in an efficient and an easy way.
Note that, time taken to reheat tamale depends on whether it is frozen or refrigerated. The frozen one will take longer to reheat than the refrigerated one. Some methods will take even 5-10 extra minutes to reheat the frozen one.
Below Are Amazing Ways To Reheat Tamales.
How to reheat tamales in a steamer?
Reheating with a steamer is a popular way since it will help the tamales regain their original flavor and texture. Here is the simple process.
1. Add 2-3 inches of water to a pot.
2. Place the steamer basket on the pot and ensure that the water does not reach its bottom.
3. Cover it with a tightly fitted lid and wait for the water to boil.
4. Meanwhile, ensure that the husks tightly wrap the tamale well.
5. Grab a tong and use it to place the tamales in a basket to avoid burning.
6. Reduce the heat and allow them to steam for the next 30 minutes.
How to steam tamales without a steamer?
There are various ways of reheating the tamale. Maybe you’re used to reheating with the steamer. What if it is not available? You can use these ways below.
A. Boiling in water
You wouldn’t risk dropping the tamales in hot water since they will become soggy. If you have packaged ones that are frozen, follow these steps to reheat them.
1. Heat some water; allow it to boil steadily before minimizing the heat.
2. Pick your prepackaged frozen tamales and dip them in water. If you had cooked some at home, wrap them using the husk first and put them in the sous vide bag before sealing it.
3. Since you don’t have a steamer basket, place it in water.
4. Have the tong or a metal rod ready to prevent the plastic wrap from touching the ends since it can melt.
5. They should be ready in the next 25 minutes.
B. Reheat using a microwave
It’s the fastest way of reheating the tamale though not the best. The tamale can easily dry out. But you can achieve good results if you follow these steps.
1. Thaw the tamales in the refrigerator.
2. Wrap them using a husk and moisten them.
3. Space the tamales in the safe plate
4. Heat them for 2-3 minutes.
C. How to steam tamales in an instant pot?
If you’re looking forward to enjoying some tender and moist tamale, then the instant pot is the way to go. Remember that your tamales are already cooked and require only reheating. It will take lesser time when reheating. Below are steps to follow
1. Get a good instant pot and heat it to a high setting
2. Dampen the tamales to ensure that they don’t dry out.
3. Place them on the pot without overcrowding them.
4. Warm them in the instant pot for 10 minutes
5. You can then serve with your favorite accompaniment.
Also read: Does Snack Pack Pudding Need to Be Refrigerated?
D. How to reheat tamales on a griddle or stovetop?
If you reheat using either the Griddle or the stovetop, you will get crispy and favored tamales. The process could be involved compared to others above, but the results are wonderful. Note that, unlike other methods that require you to reheat the tamale when wrapped in the husk, the stovetop method recommends its removal.
Be careful when reheating since you can burn them easily. Follow this process once you remove the husk
1. Dampen the tamales
2. Place the Griddle on your stovetop and add 1spn olive/vegetable oil.
3. Set the heat at the medium and leave the pan to burn for three minutes.
4. Place the tamale on the Griddle without overcrowding them.
5. Cover them using a lid and keep on flipping after every three minutes.
6. They should be ready in the next 10 minutes.
7. Use the meat thermometer to confirm.
Also read: Does Mike’s Hard Lemonade Need To Be Refrigerated?
E. How to reheat tamales in oven?
Reheating using an oven will help you enjoy the entire flavor and the tenderness of the tamale. Note that you can’t put the tamales in the oven while it’s still wrapped with the husk. Follow these steps upon removing the husk.
1. Preparation – Wrap the tamales separately using aluminum foil. You can’t risk allowing the air, so wrap them two more times and squeeze the air out.
2. Preheat the oven up to 325 degrees F.
3. Open the oven-safe dish and arrange the tamales without overcrowding them.
4. Leave the dish to heat for 10 minutes before flipping them over.
5. Allow them to heat for the next 15 minutes.
6. Text their internal temperature using the meat thermometer; remove the meat if it’s 165 degrees F.
Conclusion
Tamales can remain fresh for months if cooked and stored well in the refrigerator or a freezer. They will regain their freshness and flavor once you reheat them using the right methods. Various reheating options are in existence, and each method provides some unique results. The time you take reheating the frozen tamale is slightly more than when reheating the refrigerated tamale. Other than reheating using the steamer and the microwave, you can use the stove, oven, instant pot, among other ways.