How to Reheat Tamales, Even From Frozen

Steaming: the best way

Set the steamer up as if you were cooking them: an inch or two of water under the rack, the tamales standing on their folded ends, a lid on top. Times vary by source. Pati Jinich reheats refrigerated tamales about 20 minutes and frozen ones about 45. America's Test Kitchen (ATK) re-steams a big batch 15 to 20 minutes, and Taste of Home adds about 10 minutes for frozen tamales. Because the times differ, go by the thermometer.

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) says reheated tamales should reach 165°F. Taste of Home pushes an instant-read thermometer through the husk into the center. Reheating is no step down: Rick Bayless lets freshly steamed tamales cool completely and re-steams them about 15 minutes for the best texture.

Oven and skillet

For the oven, Taste of Home wraps each tamale tightly in a few layers of foil and bakes them at 425°F for 20 minutes, turning them halfway. Food Network instead sprinkles them with water on a sheet pan, covers the pan with foil and heats them at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Either way, the foil holds in the moisture that keeps the masa from drying out.

The skillet gives a crisp outside. Tasting Table takes the husks off, warms about a teaspoon of oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat and cooks the tamales covered for about 10 minutes, turning them every 2 to 3 minutes. Thaw frozen tamales first for this one, and check the center.

Microwave: fast, with care

ATK's method for up to 6 tamales: set them on a large plate with 1 tablespoon of water, cover them with damp paper towels, wrap the plate in plastic wrap and microwave at 50 percent power until hot throughout, about 4 minutes. For a single tamale, Food Network wraps it in a wet paper towel and microwaves it 30 seconds to 1 minute.

FSIS warns that microwaves leave cold spots. Check the temperature in several places and let the tamales rest a minute before the final reading.

From frozen, and how long they keep

FSIS's tamalada guidance: refrigerate any tamales not eaten within 2 hours, keep them up to 4 days, and on the fourth day eat, discard or freeze them. FSIS's general leftovers advice says 3 to 4 days, and Food Network says up to 5, so we go with 3 to 4. Frozen tamales stay safe indefinitely, but the quality windows differ: FSIS says within 6 months, ATK 3 months and a Pacific Northwest Extension guide 1 to 2 months. For the best texture, aim for the shortest.

Food Network prefers thawing frozen tamales overnight in the refrigerator. FSIS says reheating leftovers straight from frozen is safe, just slower. If you are timing a whole Christmas Eve, our Christmas dinner planner can count back from dinner. For a big batch to freeze, see what a tamalada is and our tamales hub.

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