“You shouldn’t reheat spinach,” is the common opinion. However, that is only half the truth. Under these conditions, you can safely reheat spinach.
Why reheating spinach can be unhealthy
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / No Longer Here)
The assumption that spinach shouldn’t be reheated is a kitchen rule from before the fridge. Because at room temperature, bacteria convert the nitrate from the spinach into harmful nitrite.
In conjunction with certain protein breakdown products, nitrite can form carcinogenic nitrosamines. High nitrite levels can also lead to nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. The longer the spinach is exposed to room temperature, the more harmful nitrite is produced.
Babies in particular should therefore not eat “stale” spinach or spinach that has been stored for a long time.
Warning: the same rule applies to all other nitrate-rich vegetables such as rocket, kale, beetroot and chard, as well as mushrooms and fish.
Warm up the spinach: then there is no danger
So that you can warm up your spinach without hesitation, you should prevent the formation of dangerous nitrites. To do this, proceed as follows with your spinach leftovers:
- Let the leftover spinach cool down quickly and put it covered or in a box, e.g. made of glass (to be bought online at** Avocadostore), in the fridge. Low temperatures greatly reduce nitrite formation.
- If you want to reheat spinach, you shouldn’t wait longer than a day or two. Because nitrite is also formed in the refrigerator, albeit at a much slower rate.
- When reheating spinach, heat it above 70 degrees Celsius for at least two minutes.
If you follow these simple tips, you won’t have to throw away leftover spinach in the future.
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