If you're anything like me, your desk lunch is usually comprised of leftovers. Since I started making a big batch of slow cooker chicken on Monday night for Tuesday mornings, my meal prep during the week has become a seamless process. However, that big batch of slow cooker chicken isn't just for dinners and I often bring a few scoops for my desk lunch. My options are pretty limited once I pack the chicken up in a microwaveable bowl.
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It's either tacos, a hearty salad, or just eating the filling with a fork and calling it a day. Since I'm avoiding salads due to the dangerous E. coli outbreak in romaine lettuce, I've eaten tacos for the last 14 desk lunches. I was a little bored with my standard taco lunch, mostly because my flour tortillas were just so...sad.
This hack isn't groundbreaking in flavor or texture, it really is just about reheating leftovers. However, this is the most efficient way I've found to make a better leftover taco. Behold, the paper towel shelf trick. Welcome to one of my many favorite microwave hacks.
I have no idea what to officially call it, so that will have to do. Essentially this hack lets you reheat your filling without splattering it all over the company microwave and warm your tortillas at the same time. The steam the paper towel collects from the filling in the microwave-safe bowl and warms the tortillas while the heat from the microwave does its job. It also keeps the tortillas moist, but not soggy, and takes no longer to cook than it normally does.
I reheated my leftovers for 1 minute and when I pulled it out, both the filling inside the microwaveable bowl and the tortillas were the perfect temperature. Soft to the touch without being too hot, those were the best tortillas I've made tacos with during lunch. Because the filling is covered, you don't even have to clean your microwave after. Now, I'll never make leftover tacos the same way again.
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I'm sure everyone has their own version of this hack, but I've never seen this on a list of life hacks before. The best hacks should make life easier and since this prevents me from cleaning a microwave every time I reheat the same ol' shredded chicken filling, it's incredibly functional for me. I've even tried this hack out with leftover tacos (think the ones from the breakfast meeting that are still sitting out for lunch).
Simply empty the filling into a microwave-safe bowl and on top of the paper towel you cover it with, add the tortilla to the top. The reheated taco tasted so delicious when I put it back together. So there you have it, the best way to reheat tacos in the microwave.
