Reheating Spinach

[Boppy]

So I’ve filled filo parcels with a concoction of spinach, chicken and feta and various herbs and spices. As I’m sliding the tray into the oven and discarding the empty spinach packet I notice the usual “do not re-freeze once thawed” warning on the side, then surprisingly, “spinach should never be reheated”.

In the past, I’ve bought all sorts of prepared foods (quiche, flan, pizza, dip, etc) that contain spinach and which have been reheated prior to serving. Does this mean I’m going to die from a strange spinach-related disorder at a distant, future time???

Why must spinach never be reheated? Does it become carcinogenic? Nuclear-powered? Why, why, why? I must know.

[biqu]

Here’s a previous thread on the subject.

[Boppy]

How did you find that? I did a search on “spinach” thinking it would have been asked before but that thread didn’t appear in the search results.

Thanks for the link, which sort of does answer the question.

[biqu]

@Boppy

How did you find that?

The hamsters looked favorably on my search technique today. I searched for “reheating spinach” (without quotes) in GQ, looking for threads from one year ago and newer.

[leenmi]

For those who don’t want to go to the link to get the answer:

actually, an old Home Economics’ Teacher’s tale, if such a thing exists. Being a Dane who took Home Economics, I have encountered this idea and did the reasearch, and there is some factual basis, althought it’s been mostly distorted. Parsley carries bacteria from the ground, obviously. If the parsley is cooked with the dish (in persillesovs, for instance), there’s no problem. But raw, chopped parsley is (was) sometimes used as garnish on a cooked dish, added just before serving. If this is done, and if the dish is then refrigerated, the bacteria won’t be killed. On the contrary, they’ll multiply and give off toxins. If you then reheat the dish the next day, you will kill off the bacteria, but the toxins do not get destroyed by heating. And then you’ll have a dish that can pose a risk. It’s not at all likely, but for some reason the warning has been hammered home to generation after generation. The spinach idea is somewhat similar: Spinach contains nitrates, and some bacteria convert nitrates to nitrites. Nitrites are dangerous for small children (under 1 year). Again, if you’re not careful, bacteria may increase the nitrite levels in the dish - and reheating can’t do away with the nitrites, just like it can’t do away with the toxins. And that’s where I think the myth is rooted: Neither nitrites from spinach nor toxins from parsley-carried bacteria can be removed by recheating the dish. Most people were told this in 7th grade, but the exact circumstances are lost in the mist of time and only the vague idea that reheating parsley and spinach is somehow bad remains. Have your Danish friends refer to this link, or use it as language training : http://www.forbrugerstyrelsen.dk/pj/pj320932.htm