We just finished a gourmet-to-go meal, a seafood pasta that I paid too much for but tasted good. However, I'm not very good at reheating gourmet-to-go. The microwave is dangerous, especially if it involves seafood. It's too easy to make the shellfish rubbery. This time the man behind the counter gave me very specific directions, which I followed to the letter.
And they didn't work. ...
I totally get the concept. I hate overcooked seafood, and this he assured me would avoid that. The food would heat but not cook any further.
He told me to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While it was heating, take the seafood pasta (lobster, shrimp and scallops in garlic butter with linguine, yum) out of its plastic clam shell and put it in a covered dish. Then turn the oven off and stick the pasta dish in. Leave it in there with the oven off for 15 minutes.
I was a little skeptical, but he insisted this technique worked. He called it "dead heat."
So I followed the directions to the letter, and when the pasta came out, it wasn't hot. It wasn't even lukewarm.
I ended up heating our plates very carefully in the microwave, but I think I could make it work next time. I would either a) heat the casserole dish before I put the pasta in it or b) just leave the oven on and cook the dish at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
But if anyone has any better suggestions, I'm open to them. I need a chart that says, "Microwave the gourmet-to-go creamed spinach for 30 seconds and the pork loin with fruit for 45 seconds per plate" or whatever.
I wouldn't be so obsessive about it, but this gourmet-to-go stuff is expensive.
