Reheating food - who is right?

[MeredithGrey1]

I’m not sure if this is perhaps a stupid question, but me and DP are both convinced we’re right and the other is wrong and I need a verdict.

If you have some plain cooked meat (say, chicken drumsticks) that you could eat cold, but could also heat up and have hot, do you need to make sure they are heated through and piping hot, if you do heat them?

My OH thinks that you can eat them cold, and eat them hot but if you do heat them and the centre doesn’t get hot enough (ie the same temp you would need if you were cooking from raw) then it’s dangerous to eat. I think that as long as you’re eating right away, the centre being only lukewarm (this mainly happens due to messing up timings when reheating, I don’t aim for it) doesn’t pose anymore of a threat than eating it cold? Who is right?

If you are heating cooked food it needs to be piping hot. Warm is dangerous.

Warm, as in below 65, will allow any bacteria to multiply like crazy!

It needs to be piping hot all the way through the item, so your OH is correct.

Piping hot or properly chilled. Nowhere in between.

Watching with interest - I would have said the same as you OP...

I agree with your OH. Totally cold or piping hot.

chicken drumsticks that have been kept at the right temperature in a fridge are ok to eat cold. However, if you decide to heat them up, then bacteria start to multiply. By heating them through properly throughout, this will kill off the bacteria.

Cold or cooked properly all the way through. There is no in between.

My mum always told me it was a bad idea to reheat chicken at all, and I do still err on the side of caution.

if you decide to heat them up, then bacteria start to multiply
Yes, but OP says that she is going to eat immediately - they won't have time to multiply.

Agree with OH. cold or piping hot

senua the 'danger zone' for bacteria is between 5ºC and 63ºC, when it will double every twenty minutes. If OP takes a piece of chicken out of the fridge and sticks it in the oven, bacteria in the middle will start multiplying. If it doesn't reach 75 degrees it will be unsafe.

Hence best practice is to either eat straight from the fridge, or re-heat thoroughly.

they won't havetimeto multiply.

Gastroenteritis doesn't take that long. Totally hot or totally cold.