What does reheating mean?
Reheating means heating food that has already been cooked, usually after it has cooled. It is an everyday term especially associated with leftovers, take-away meals, and food prepared in advance. The word describes the practical process of restoring cooked food to a suitable temperature rather than cooking it from raw for the first time. In conversation, it can also imply that a dish has been kept since an earlier meal and is now being served again. Although reheating is simple and uncontroversial, some foods, particularly those involving certain dairy products or leafy vegetables, may change in texture or flavour when heated more than once.
To heat food again after it has already been cooked.
"We reheated the potatoes in the oven."
Usually transitive and commonly used with leftovers, meals, and other previously cooked food.
The act of heating previously cooked food again.
"Avoid reheating the dish more than once."
As a noun, reheating is common in food preparation and household contexts but is less frequent than the verb.
Plural forms are possible but uncommon; plural is more often implied by the surrounding wording.
"The reheatings were brief because the food was already hot."
Reheating is the second act of cooking: the meal is finished once, then brought back to temperature.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reheating come from?
The word is formed from the prefix re-, meaning “again,” and the verb heat. The underlying English verb heat comes from Old English hētan, meaning “to heat” or “to warm,” which is related to words in several Germanic languages. The prefixed form reheat therefore literally means “heat again,” and the present participle reheating developed from that verb.
Related word forms
How reheating is actually used
Common in everyday British and American English, especially in relation to leftovers, take-away food, and previously cooked meals. It is generally neutral and practical, though repeated reheating may carry a slight implication of food being kept for later use.
Easily confused with reheating
Reheating means heating cooked food again, whereas rehearsing means practising a performance or procedure before it takes place.