How should leftover food be reheated to ensure safety?

Reheating leftover food to an internal temperature of 165°F is crucial for ensuring food safety. This temperature effectively eliminates harmful bacteria and pathogens that might have grown during storage. When food is not reheated to the appropriate temperature, there is a risk of foodborne illness, as certain bacteria can survive and thrive even after being cooked once.

The recommendation to reach 165°F aligns with food safety guidelines that emphasize the importance of reaching this temperature for various types of food to ensure they are safe for consumption. This is particularly important for foods that contain meat, poultry, seafood, or dishes that have been previously cooked and need to be reheated completely.

Reheating to any temperature or just to the point of steaming may not provide adequate assurance of safety, as these methods do not guarantee that all harmful microorganisms have been killed. Therefore, the specification of 165°F is a critical standard for reheating leftover food properly and safely.