Food Storage & Heating Instructions

Thanks for taking delivery of your chef created, delicious meals from Lake Effects Kitchen in West Michigan. Every meal is prepared with fresh, locally prepared ingredients right here in our own kitchens. They’re ready to eat when they arrive or you can store them for future consumption. Food storage and heating is simple. Just follow our simple instructions below.

Food Storage

  • Food has a guaranteed shelf life of 6 days upon delivery. Freeze any food that won’t be eaten within this 6 day period to ensure its freshness.
  • Prior to heating, thaw food in refrigerator for at least 24 hours for best results.

Heating Instructions

In Microwave Oven

  • Divide the food so there are no pieces larger than 2”
  • Try to clear a gap in the food in the center of the dish to be microwaved—this allows the microwaves to heat your food evenly.

From thawed:

Place food dish off center in microwave. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes, remove food & stir to redistribute the heat, and return to microwave on HIGH for 1 minute, repeating stirring and microwaving until food is desired temperature (coldest part of food must be at least 165 deg F)

From frozen:

Place food dish off center in microwave. Microwave on 30% power (LOW) for 3 minutes. Turn food 180 degrees in microwave (even if you have a rotating plate) and continue microwaving at 30% power (LOW) in 2 minute cycles, rotating each cycle, until food is thawed. Then follow “from refrigerator” directions above.

In Conventional Oven

  • Important: remove food from any plastic packaging it was delivered to you in, and place in oven-safe baking dish before placing in oven
  • Preheat oven to 350

From thawed:

  • Heat for 30 minutes, then an additional 10 minutes per pound over 2 pounds of food

From frozen:

  • Heat on middle rack for 1 hour, then an additional 15 minutes per pound over 2 pounds of food