Why Does Microwaved Chicken Taste Bad?

The Results

When it came to storage, almost all of us tasters agreed that freshly cooked chicken did not have WOF. But there wasn’t much we could do about the rubbery, lunch meat-like taste of the leftovers that was typical of WOF. We pretty much all agreed on that one thing. One thing we did agree on was that storing breasts in Tupperware made them smell the least bad, even if the chicken had been deboned before being frozen.

With our palates primed and our stomachs still relatively empty, we moved on to the tests of flavorings and Maillard browning. Across the board, we generally detected WOF in the leftovers regardless of whether the thighs were browned or not. Adding flavorings to the meat, through either fats or spices, did decrease the intensity of WOF, though, for the most part, we could still pick the leftover thighs out of the lineup. Probably because of their milder flavors, the different oils produced more mixed results.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the least offensive leftover in the entire experiment was the chicken initially marinated with lemon, followed closely by the chicken seasoned with rosemary. Whether this is attributable to flavor-masking or to the antioxidant effects of these seasonings couldnt be determined (and its worth noting that one out of four testers still picked up some WOF notes from these samples). Decker suggests that seasonings work best to prevent oxidation reactions when theyre mixed with ground meat, where they can coat a larger surface area than just the outermost layer.

From the reheating-methods portion of the testing, the clearest result was that microwaving does gross things to chicken and should be avoided at all costs. Compared with the other reheating methods, the microwave gave the chicken an unappealingly spongy texture that, combined with WOF undertones, is no way to win over the leftover-leery. Reheating leftover breasts sous vide resulted in the lowest degree of WOF detected, followed by reheating in the oven, which may be more practical for the home cook.

As our guts processed the massive quantity of chicken we had just consumed, we processed our results. The most universal finding from our taste-testing was more philosophical than anything else: When you put a bite of food in your mouth and critically scrutinize it for any funky flavor, more often than not, youre going to find it. Perhaps this is the root of the problem with WOF: If youre the type who tends to give leftovers the stink eye in the first place, youre definitely going to pick out the WOF when you reheat them the next day.

The Science of Warmed-Over Flavor

Stopping WOF starts with understanding precisely where it comes from. Scientists and observant eaters alike agree that the flavor is most noticeable in cooked meats that have been refrigerated for 24 hours or more, then reheated. Though its especially obvious in leftover fish and poultry, discerning connoisseurs can pick out the WOF bouquet in most reheated meats. These flavors are the result of a series of chemical reactions that begins with the deterioration of specific kinds of fats known as polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs. (Fatty acids are the precursors to the fats that build up in an animals body, like the stuff you trim off a chicken thigh or hope to get rid of at the gym.) PUFAs, in particular, are found in the membranes of cells.

The muscles that we consume as meat are made up of millions of microscopic cells, each of which is surrounded by a membrane of tightly organized fat molecules that behave like an oil drop in water.* That membrane serves as a barrier to enclose all the machinery that makes the cell tick. The amount of PUFAs in cell membranes differs from animal to animal; chicken and fish have a much higher concentration of PUFAs in their cells than lamb, pork, or beef, hence their increased tendency toward WOF.

*Unsaturated fats tend to behave like oils; “unsaturated” refers to the fact that the carbon chains that make up their molecular structure arent all paired with hydrogen atoms. The presence of free carbon in these chains gives fats the ability to flow. In contrast, because the carbon chains in saturated fats have bonded with as many hydrogen atoms as they can, theyre stiff and waxy, like a candle—this is why foods high in saturated fats, like butter or lard, have a solid consistency. PUFAs are called “polyunsaturated” because theyre missing hydrogen atoms at many positions along the fatty-acid chain.

Eric Decker, a professor of food science at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, has spent his career trying to thwart WOF. He explains that part of the challenge is that the chemistry behind WOF is so speedy. “The reaction is really fast—its probably the fastest lipid oxidation in any food,” Decker says. “Its occurring as soon as you take the meat out of the oven…its probably starting in the oven itself.”

The process goes something like this: When youre cooking a chicken breast, the heat starts to break down the cells that make up the muscle. Each cell membrane deforms, like a stick of butter melting, and the proteins within the cells begin to lose their shape, or denature. This is bad news if youre a cell, but good news if youre about to eat a couple million of them in the form of a chicken breast—all that breakdown allows melted fat to permeate the meat and loosens up gristly connective tissues, resulting in juicier, more tender chicken.

Right out of the skillet, that chicken is delicious, but that very same tenderizing breakdown process creates the potential for WOF to develop. When certain proteins denature, they loosen their hold on iron molecules. Free iron roams around cells and catalyzes a chemical reaction between PUFAs and oxygen. That reaction in turn creates free radicals, the cell-destroying agents that antioxidant foods and juices supposedly keep in check. Those free radicals start a chain reaction that transforms the normally inoffensive PUFAs into by-products with the tastes and aromas of warmed-over flavor. Theyre not harmful to eat, but they stink. And, unfortunately, once the reaction starts, theres nothing you can do to stop its malodorous spread.

According to Decker, because the reaction involves cell membranes rather than the visible white fat that marbles meat, buying lean cuts doesnt help reduce WOF, nor does trimming excess fat from your chicken. Dark meat, like a chicken thigh, is dark because of high concentrations of iron in its cells, making it particularly susceptible to WOF. Decker also says it probably doesnt matter how the chicken is raised—whether its organic, free-range, or raised in feedlots. “The only thing that would help would be to feed the chickens vitamin E,” he says. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that makes its way into cell membranes and protects them from degradation, but, while Decker notes that some vitamin E is generally fed to all livestock, putting an entire barnyard on a high-antioxidant diet just to control WOF wouldnt be cost-effective.

On the industrial scale, commercially produced meats, like cold cuts and precooked chicken, are processed with phosphates and vacuum-packed while still hot to minimize WOF. Vacuum-packing sucks out all the air, limiting the oxygen thats available to react with iron. Phosphate, on the other hand, pairs up with all the free iron and holds on to it, preventing it from catalyzing chemical reactions. In a vacuum with little free iron, WOF will develop more slowly.

Without the amenities of a meat-processing facility, home cooks have a more limited range of options to slow down WOF-inducing reactions. The best way, according to Decker, is to take a page from the industrial playbook and limit cooked meats exposure to oxygen as soon as feasibly possible. You dont have to take your dinner guests plates while theyre still eating, but you might pack the leftovers tightly in heat-safe containers after everyone is served. If youre especially sensitive to warmed-over flavor, you may even consider investing in a vacuum sealer of your own. “The faster you vacuum-pack it, the more effective its going to be,” Decker says.

Flavorful sauces are another potential solution, since they create a barrier to air, which will slow down WOF-forming processes—especially in soups, stews, or curries in which smaller morsels of meat are fully submerged. These may even be doubly effective if flavored with ground herbs or spices that are known to quash free radicals. “Rosemary and oregano are good antioxidants, so they could have some protection,” Decker says. As an added benefit, a punchy sauce will help mask any WOF when you reheat the leftovers the next day. Unfortunately, no matter how powerful the antioxidants in a sauce, theres no way they can suffuse an entire, intact piece of meat, like a chicken thigh. “Theres not a lot you can do,” Decker admits.

Though WOF seems like an insurmountable obstacle, I was invited by the editors of Serious Eats to try to devise workable strategies for circumventing these oxidation reactions in a home kitchen, using our understanding of the chemistry behind them. We tested out a number of different approaches.

You Should Never Reheat Chicken In The Microwave. Here’s Why

FAQ

Why does a chicken make a popping noise in a microwave?

Essentially, when the water molecules within the chicken expand, they turn into gas, forming piping hot steam. However, because the steam isn’t able to escape the meat easily, the chicken ends up retaining too much pressure from the microwave radiation, causing it to make a popping noise or even explode.

Is microwaving chicken bad for You?

“The most obvious result of the testing on reheating methods was that microwaving chicken is gross and should be avoided at all costs,” he wrote, adding that the chicken had an “unappealingly spongy texture” and tasted like it had been warmed over.

Why does reheated chicken taste weird?

Before we delve into why the taste is weird, let’s understand why reheated chicken has an odd taste in the first place. When chicken is cooked, its proteins undergo a process called denaturation.

Can You microwave chicken?

Britannica says that solid foods that are high in water content, like potatoes, squash, eggs, and of course chicken, should not be microwaved. This culinary principle has to do with some basic laws of chemistry. Essentially, when the water molecules within the chicken expand, they turn into gas, forming piping hot steam.

Can You reheat chicken in a microwave?

Even though microwaves are great for making buttery popcorn late at night or quickly cooking a frozen meal, they’re not the best for everything. This is true even if all you’re doing is warming something up. One prime example of this is chicken. Let’s get something out of the way right up front: Sometimes ,you just don’t have time to turn on the oven to reheat your food.

How do you know if Chicken has gone bad?

Signs that chicken has gone bad include a sour or foul smell, a slimy texture, or a change in color. If you notice any of these signs, avoid reheating and discard the chicken. Should I remove the bones from the chicken before reheating to improve the taste? Removing the bones before reheating chicken is not necessary for taste improvement.

Why does chicken taste bad after you microwave it?

Fat Oxidation: Chicken contains fats that can oxidize during cooking and storage. When reheated, these oxidized fats can produce off-flavors that some people may find unpleasant.

Why does warmed up chicken taste weird?

The ones present in chicken are mostly polyunsaturated fatty acids or PUFAs. “These PUFAs are especially prone to oxidative rancidity during storage, especially in products that have been pre-cooked and stored in the refrigerator. This can result in an off flavor known as warmed-over flavor,” says Tuell.

How to microwave chicken without it tasting bad?

How to Reheat Chicken in the Microwave. Place the boneless, skinless chicken pieces in a microwave-safe dish, making sure smaller pieces are in the center and larger pieces on the outer edge. Add a tablespoon or two of water, this will help keep the chicken moist. Cover the dish with a damp paper towel or plastic wrap.

Why do I hate the taste of reheated chicken?

The flavor is variously described as “rancid,” “stale,” and like “cardboard,” and even compared to “damp dog hair.” Warmed-over flavor is caused by the oxidative decomposition of lipids (fatty substances) in the meat into chemicals (short-chain aldehydes or ketones) which have an unpleasant taste or odor.