While the answer to whether or not you can microwave tater tots can be answered by a simple YES, perhaps a more appropriate question would be- do tater tots heated in the microwave taste as good as tater tots cooked in a traditional manner?
While you can heat tater tots in the microwave, their taste and texture can be affected. Most of the time, microwave heated tater tots are soft and mushy, lacking the crispy texture you would expect of a tater tot.
If tater tots are heated for too long in the microwave, they can become as hard as a rock and inedible.
The best way to heat or reheat tater tots is by baking them in an oven, using a toaster oven, and even pan-frying them. But sometimes you’re not able to cook them using this method, and you have to microwave them. Of course, a microwave toaster oven combo will give you excellent results with tater tots, but you can still get delicious tots with a regular microwave if you follow the right steps.
We’ve provided instructions for how to microwave tater tots if it’s the only method of heating you have.
How to Microwave Tater Tots
- Place the tater tots on a microwave-safe plate, spacing them out so they’re not touching.
- Microwave for 30 seconds
- Open the microwave and flip the tater tots.
- Microwave again for 30 more seconds
- Open the microwave and test the tater tots. If they were frozen, you might need to microwave them longer. If they’re still not heated through, repeat steps two through four until they are heated. Use caution as they become hot!
If you want to make the tater tots crispy, you can stick them in the oven to bake.
Some tater tot brands now make tater tots in microwavable packages so that they turn out crispy in the microwave. In that case, follow the instructions on the package and enjoy!
Now add some ketchup and maybe some hot dogs cooked in the microwave, and you have a quick and tasty snack.
Photo By: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
