Reheat

I’ve taken to smelling my plate of food when I take it out of the microwave. This isn’t merely to enjoy the aroma (although frequently that’s part of it), or to elicit smart-ass comments (although somehow they arise from this) but to sense how thoroughly and evenly the food has been heated.

I can’t smell heat (and neither can you), but our noses are sensitive to differences in air temperature. Just like you notice the difference when when you step outside into a chilly morning, you can sense the difference between warm, moist air rising from hot food and the cooler, drier air above cold food as you breathe in through your nose. Briefly nosing around the plate can give an indication of whether or not it needs a little more time in the microwave.