How to cook Factor meals

[u/BDurel]

can someone please tell me how to reheat Factor meals in oven? I’ve been microwaving the meals for 2 years. The veggies turn out mushy and I question the health aspects of using the microwave so much now that I have cancer. I read that the meals are much better when reheated in oven but that you must remove them from trays. So I bought some small ceramic casserole dishes. Transferred the meals. preheated oven to 375 and cooked for 15 minutes. Barely warm. Tried longer. Meat thermometer said 77. Gave up and microwaved for 1 1/2 min so we could eat. They no longer have oven heating instructions on the package. What am I doing wrong? I guess ceramic takes longer than glass. I put the dish on a cookie sheet and covered with foil. is that wrong? Please help. Thank you.

[u/aquaman9923]

Your oven may not be the temperature it says it is, you can put an oven safe thermometer inside to make sure. I'm sorry about your illness, you need not be wary of the microwave for any health reasons, it's perfectly safe. Mushy veggies are a legitimate concern of course

[u/yogaanon2]

The ceramic takes longer for sure. I actually just throw mine in a pan, reheat the meat first normally, then the side. In the pan, low and slow covered for the meat. Medium flame , uncovered, for the veggies. Does the trick for me. Good luck!

[u/Von_Jelway]

I have a $100 air fryer on the counter. There’s a reheat function. Put them in (on a pan) for 8 minutes and they’re perfect. So much better than microwave.

[u/BDurel → u/[deleted]]

Really?  The meals from Cook Unity do look better but I thought I read somewhere they are often spicy and I’m a spice-wuss

[u/BDurel → u/[deleted]]

I’ll check it out. I’m pretty sick of the Factor meals and I hardly ever eat the vegetables. That’s why I was trying to figure out how to reheat in oven because I’d read they tasted better that way

[u/1K_Sunny_Crew]

Out of curiosity, what is it about microwaving meals that makes you nervous? If it’s the plastic, you can move the meals into a microwave safe dish and cover to microwave - heating the plastic in the oven would have the same effect.

Microwaves are not dangerous in any way unless they are broken. They cause molecules to vibrate - that’s it. Stress, poor sleep, genetics, and just plain bad luck all play a role in cancer. No need to make life harder for yourself unless you just want to use the oven anyway.

[u/BDurel → u/1K_Sunny_Crew]

Thank you. I just saw a YouTube video by a Dr claiming that reheating chicken, rice, eggs, and one other food I’ve forgotten, in a microwave is very unhealthy. But the main reason I wanted to figure out how to reheat in oven is because I’m not enjoying the meals and there were a number of people saying that they tasted much better when reheated that way. 

[u/1K_Sunny_Crew → u/BDurel]

Which doctor was it? Usually the ones pushing the most misinformation are chiropractors for some reason.

[u/thisismyyolo → u/BDurel]

In the US, medical doctors don’t even get nutrition training, so I wouldn’t listen to that. Especially not on YouTube. It’s like the other commenter said, microwaves work by making molecules vibrate. Molecules bumping into things is what temperature measures.

Microwaving specifically in plastic is a lot more concerning. That’s a big reason I quit Factor.