My apologies if this has already been addressed but I cannot find anything on this topic. Can I use my Anova precision cooker to reheat food that is already cooked…such as chili, soup and stew…in a mason jar? Can I reheat in a mason jar if the cooked food is frozen? Is it OK if the jars are completely immersed in the the warm water or should they be standing upright with the warm water only covering the level of food in the jar? Thanks in advance.
Absolutely you can! They can be fully immersed.
Hey Ed, congratulations on getting past plastic.
However, this cook would stick around the kitchen if reheating food from the frozen state in a jar.
Yes, it can be done, but carefully.
Otherwise you could find yourself involved in a messy circulator rescue mission.
You know the energy from thermal shock builds up in hardened glass and can play nasty surprises on cooks, even with the tempered glass, as there’s only a number of freeze-thaw cycles glass they can endue.
And it’s not a predetermined number.
Have you considered refrigerated thawing before reheating?
It eliminates the potential problems.
When cooking or reheating fully immersed jars we only have the lid’s rings on finger-tight to allow any gases produced to vent from the jars while still preventing water from entering.
Happy cooking.
Thanks for additional insight. I suppose I’ll try to plan ahead as much as possible and either thaw in the refrigerator or use the to precision cooker, set to it’s lowest setting, to accelerate thawing by circulating ice water. That would be a safe option, wouldn’t it?
Meal planning in advance is a worthwhile habit to cultivate as it simplifies your meal preparation.
“Try not, - do.” Yoda Master
You don’t disclose the size of the jars, but you don’t need ice water to temper food products. Quart jars or larger could take a long time. And yes, it is a safe method as long as water is below 40F, out of the Food Danger Zone.
Using the top shelf of your refrigerator is so much easier.
Just a reminder to those doing this. Screw on the lids just finger tight. This allows gas to escape but water will not seep back in.