When you dine out, you often envision a chef freshly preparing your meal from scratch. In many high-quality restaurants, this is largely the case. However, in most busy, large-scale, or chain restaurants, efficiency is key. To ensure speed and consistency, many menu items are partially or fully pre-cooked and then simply reheated to order. The microwave, along with other tools like steam tables and heat lamps, is a standard piece of equipment in many professional kitchens. While not inherently bad, consumers might be surprised by which dishes often fall into this category. Here are 10 types of restaurant dishes that are frequently reheated or microwaved.
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1. Soups of the Day
Most restaurants do not make their soup of the day from scratch for every single order. Soups are typically made in a large batch in the morning or the day before. They are then cooled and stored. When a customer orders a bowl, a portion is ladled out and reheated, often in a microwave or on the stovetop. This is a standard, safe, and efficient practice.
2. Complex Pasta Sauces (e.g., Bolognese, Marinara)
Rich, complex pasta sauces like a long-simmered Bolognese or marinara develop their flavor over hours of cooking. It’s impractical to make these to order. Kitchens prepare large batches of these sauces ahead of time. When you order pasta, the cook will reheat a portion of the sauce and toss it with freshly cooked pasta. This ensures consistency and speed.
3. Many Appetizers (e.g., Spinach Dip, Stuffed Mushrooms)
Appetizers that are baked or served hot in a crock, like spinach and artichoke dip or stuffed mushrooms, are often pre-made and portioned. When an order comes in, they are quickly heated in a high-powered microwave or a salamander broiler to be served hot and bubbly. This allows for very fast service at the beginning of a meal.
4. Most Desserts (e.g., Lava Cakes, Bread Pudding, Cobblers)
Unless you’re in a high-end restaurant with a dedicated pastry chef, most warm desserts are not baked from scratch to order. Popular items like chocolate lava cakes, apple crisps, cobblers, and bread puddings are almost always pre-made. They are then reheated in a microwave or oven just before serving, often with a fresh scoop of ice cream or a drizzle of sauce.
5. Side Dishes (e.g., Mashed Potatoes, Mac & Cheese)
For consistency and speed, many side dishes are prepared in large batches. Mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, rice pilaf, and creamed spinach are often held in a steam table to keep them warm. If an order needs to be hotter, a quick trip to the microwave is a common kitchen practice to bring it up to serving temperature quickly.
6. Braised Meats (e.g., Pot Roast, Short Ribs)
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Dishes involving long, slow cooking times, like braised short ribs, pot roast, or osso buco, benefit from being made ahead of time. In fact, their flavor often improves after a day of resting. These meats are cooked in large quantities, cooled, portioned, and then the individual portions are reheated in their sauce to order. This is standard practice for slow-cooked dishes.
7. Quiche and Other Baked Savory Pies
Quiche is baked in a large pan and then cooled. When a customer orders a slice, it is cut and reheated. A microwave is the fastest way to do this in a busy kitchen. This ensures the egg custard is warm and the cheese is melty. This is standard procedure for any dish that is baked as a whole and served by the slice.
8. Components of Combo Platters
On large combination platters, especially at casual dining chains, some components might be pre-cooked and held. Items like pre-cooked ribs, pulled pork, or certain types of sausages might be reheated and sauced to order, while other components like grilled chicken are cooked fresh. This allows for complex plates to be assembled quickly.
9. Most Rice Dishes (Unless at a Specialty Restaurant)
Unless you are at a restaurant that specializes in rice dishes (like a risotto-focused Italian spot or a paella restaurant), the rice served as a side is typically made in a large batch in a rice cooker and held in a warmer throughout the service. A portion is simply scooped onto the plate when needed. It’s not made fresh for each order.
10. Most Sauces and Gravies
Nearly all sauces and gravies—from pan sauces and gravies for meats to finishing sauces for fish—are made in batches ahead of service. It would be impossible to create these complex sauces from scratch during a busy dinner rush. Portions are reheated on the stove or in a microwave as dishes are being plated. This ensures consistency in every serving.
A Standard for Kitchen Efficiency
The use of microwaves and reheating pre-prepared components is a standard and necessary part of most modern restaurant kitchens, especially in high-volume or chain establishments. It is not necessarily a sign of poor quality. This practice ensures consistency, speed of service, and food safety when done correctly. Dishes that require long, slow cooking often even improve in flavor by being made ahead. Understanding this reality helps diners have more realistic expectations of the “behind-the-scenes” process of their meal’s journey to the table.
Does it bother you to know that certain restaurant dishes are often reheated or microwaved? Which types of dishes do you expect to be made completely from scratch when you dine out? Share your thoughts!
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