How To Reheat Egg Foo Young Without It Getting Soggy

Egg foo young is a dish that's been around for hundreds of years; it's commonly associated with Chinese-American cuisine. Put simply, it's a fried omelet with soy sauce gravy, and it's usually paired with fillings like meat, seafood, and crunchy vegetables. The dish is easy to make at home, too, but whether it's your go-to Chinese restaurant dish or you're cooking it yourself, the leftovers tend to get soggy. Reheat them in a skillet on the stovetop, or in the oven — definitely not the microwave — to rebuild that crispy texture before enjoying them a second time.

We love modern-day refrigeration, but it isn't always kind to leftovers. As food cools off to in its airtight container, condensation forms, creating a moist environment that causes the food to get soggy. In egg foo young, the eggs are mixed with a gravy-like sauce, so soggy texture on those leftovers is almost unavoidable. But by reheating the leftovers in a skillet or the oven, that water has a chance to evaporate, helping the exterior of the egg foo young crisp up back to its original texture. If you're looking for the crispiest texture, though, a skillet is probably your best option.

You can use whatever skillet you have on hand, but if you own a seasoned cast iron pan, now is the time to put it to use — according to Reddit users, at least. "It gets that crisp [Maillard] reaction that you don't get from takeout that's been sitting in a Styrofoam container," one user wrote. Don't put the heat too high, or the egg foo young's exterior could burn before the interior is fully warmed, and keep an eye on the dish to know when it reaches your desired temperature and texture. There's no need to add any oil to the skillet unless you're intentionally looking for a crispy exterior, but if you want a steamed reheated version of the dish, add a little water instead, which will evaporate around the egg foo young as it cooks, steaming it.

You can also reheat the egg foo young in the oven. It might not develop as crispy of an exterior as it would in a pan and will take a bit longer to warm through, but it's the second best option. Some Reddit users also swear by reheating leftover Chinese takeout in the air fryer, so that might be a good alternative for a quick reheat. Just avoid the microwave at all costs — it won't relieve any of that soggy texture.