Microwaving Canned Food?

Hi All,

I know you're supposed to serve refridgerated canned food only at room temperature.

Rather than waiting, is it a good idea to microwave it for a second before serving it? And I'm guessing it's not a good idea to re-refridgerate it after?

Thanks for the replies.

Just give it 3-5 seconds and mix it really well to make sure there aren't hot or cold spots.

I always give mine a half and hour, but there have been a couple of times that the food was given straight from the firdge

The cats still ate it anyways.

Here is what I do with refrigerated leftover canned food.

First get your hands wet and sprinkle some drops of water on the cold cat food and in addition cover the bowl with a wet papertowel. This is to restore some of the moisture that the microwave may take from the food and prevent the food from splattering in the microwave.

Microwave the food for only 7 seconds. Stir it thoroughly with a spoon and serve.

Here is what you can do if you want to store canned food that comes from really large cans. Treat it like raw. I do this with Wysong au jus rabbit which only comes in 14 ounce cans. Spoon some in individual snack size zip lock bags and place in fridge or if you're not going to feed the food within the next couple of days freeze it to thaw out later. If you're going to feed the food within 3 days just put it in the fridge. float the baggies in really warm, almost hot but not boiling tap water until the food is room temperature or slightly warmer. Serve. You're less likely to have hot spots with this method.

Do not put food that has been heated back in the fridge. Better to scoop out only what your cat will eat and store the rest.

Prior to bringing home Zek, I would usually mix in a little hot water and stir to give the food an even temperature and consistency. With Zek, the boys split a can at nearly every meal, so there are no leftovers.

My two always seem to know it's been microwaved, I wonder if it changes the smell or taste slightly

I find that the best way for me is to scoop out what I want to feed them, put the rest in the fridge and mix some hot water into it after it sits out 10 minutes or so. This takes the edge off of it, but doesn't change the flavor and the little bit of added water makes more gravy (which is what they like the best anyway).

Mellie can tell when food has been microwaved, and turns up her nose at it. I always feed her fresh out of the can and serve the leftovers to the boys, who don't seem to mind nuked food. I warm up the cans in a bowl of hot water before opening, so her food is warmed up, too.

Some microwaves heat more than others so you'd have to do some experimenting re time in order not to over-heat the food.

I just run the water until it's really hot, add a couple tablespoons to the food, stir it up and serve. Bijou and Mika don't seem to mind and the food is warmer from the hot water (and more gravy as someone else has already said). If I've just finished boiling the kettle for my instant coffee, I'll add a couple tablespoons of that hot boiled water instead of tap water.

Riley usually just eats his breakfast cold. Some brands I will add hot tap water to make gravy, but the Merrick is already wet enough. He won't wait long enough for it to sit out to room temp. The minute I get up he is nipping at my legs until I get his food down

Is cold food bad for him?

I give half the can fresh and the next day microwave the other half. The girls don't seem to care if it's been microwaved...in fact, they are all over me crying when I heat up my own food in the microwave!

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

Is cold food bad for him?

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I doubt it. It's just some of us are used to picky-pickies who want it warm

Originally Posted by JellyBella

I doubt it. It's just some of us are used to picky-pickies who want it warm

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Ahh ok. Well, I think Riley would literally starve to death in the 5 seconds it would take to microwave it at least he thinks so!

I thought everyone microwaved the food-I usually put it in there for 7-10 seconds. She doesn't seem to mind and my vet suggested doing that instead of just leaving it out to reach room temp. I might try adding hot water-a great way to get more fluids in her.

I only warm the leftovers on cold winter mornings. I use the hot water method most of the time, but if I'm in a hurry I just microwave it for few seconds and stir.

Something else you can do instead of mixing hot water into the food itself is, if you just opened a can, to swish the hot water around inside the empty can and make a kind of a gravy to pour on the food. My cats love their wet food "au jus" and it cleans out the can before putting it in the recycling bin.

I don't microwave canned cat food. I just warm it with very hot water from the sink and mix it up good before serving. By the time its mixed and put in the bowls its cool enough for them

Chase will rarely eat anything that's been in the microwave. He'll only eat certain foods cold, though. I tried adding hot water, and that didn't go over well either. So I usually end up having to spend extra money for 3 oz. cans when possible. I may have to try the putting it in a baggy in hot water thing someone mentioned..