How To Reheat Beef Wellington Without Ruining The Pastry

While leftovers can be an exciting treat for the next day, they also have the potential to reheat poorly and be a far cry from their original glory. Beef Wellington, for instance, proves to be a reheating challenge — as if it wasn't enough to already be one of the hardest dishes to make from scratch. A brief stint in the microwave may overcook the meat (or, conversely, not heat it all the way through), and it could render the pastry portion soggy and limp. 

That being said, you can successfully reheat beef Wellington in the oven. Preheat to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and place the leftovers on a tray, loosely covering with foil to lock in heat and moisture. If you're reheating only slices, bake for 15-20 minutes; for an entire Wellington, double that time. As opposed to quickly reheating the dish in the microwave, the oven does the job more slowly and evenly, resulting in a crispy pastry exterior.

Of course, if you don't have time to reheat your beef Wellington in the oven, your second best bet is to use a skillet. Give each side of it a good sear, let the meat rest, and you're ready to serve. Keep in mind that your pastry may not get as crispy with this method, although the skillet is certainly an improvement over microwaving.

Unfortunately, leftover beef Wellington can still be a disaster — even if it was reheated properly — if you haven't stored it correctly. Stuffing an entire Wellington into a plastic bag or other food storage container, for instance, will result in a buildup of condensation and, ultimately, a very soggy pastry.

Instead, avoid common food storage mistakes by placing sliced beef Wellington into an airtight container lined with paper towels to absorb any extra moisture, which might otherwise destroy the pastry's delicate texture. If you don't have an airtight container on hand, wrap your Wellington with paper towels and plastic wrap or foil to protect it from both bacteria and the smells of other foods in your refrigerator. After all, you'll want leftovers to taste like Wellington, not like those bad eggs you somehow keep forgetting to throw out.

Also, allow your beef Wellington to cool before you wrap it up for refrigeration, but don't keep it out at room temperature for more than two hours. The longer food sits out, the more vulnerable it is to bacterial growth, which will ruin it completely.

As is the case with any food, beef Wellington won't last forever, no matter how well you store it. In optimal conditions, you can keep beef Wellington in the refrigerator for up to four days, but after this period is up, you should either throw away or freeze any remaining slices. Each day it sits in the refrigerator, the quality will further decline, so it's in your best interest to eat it as quickly as possible.

If you move your leftovers to the freezer, be sure to keep them wrapped and in some sort of airtight container to ward off freezer burn. Lay your food flat, and press out any air that remains, before freezing, too. Once frozen, your Wellington should last another two to three months, but again, the longer it sits, the more its quality will suffer. 

When you decide to thaw it, move the Wellington back to the refrigerator and eat it within the next several days. Avoid refreezing, as this will only lower its quality further.