The best practices for cooking, storing, freezing and reheating rice safely
A lot of people are nervous when it comes to rice, and rightly so. There are dangers of food poisoning when it comes to rice but if you follow these simple instructions for cooking, cooling and storing rice you can enjoy it without any worry.
What Are The Risks With Rice?
Rice contains a bacteria called Bacillus Cereus. This bacteria is heat resistant so even when cooked, rice can pose a food poisoning risk.
After cooking, if rice is left at room temperature for too long this bacteria can multiply and release toxins. This is when food poisoning may occur.
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How To Safely Cook Rice
To safely cook rice follow these steps:
- Wash the rice before cooking. Rinse the uncooked rice in cold water a few times.
- Cook the rice until it is piping hot throughout - at least 75 degree celsius.
- Avoid cross contamination by not putting cooked rice in any container that has stored uncooked rice.
How To Safely Cool & Freeze Rice
Storing cooked rice is absolutely fine so long as you follow these steps:
- Cool the rice quickly. I spread it out onto a large tray so that the surface area is larger meaning it cools quickly.
- The maximum time you should leave it to cool is 1 hour but to be safe I cool it in 20-30 minutes.
- Transfer the cooled rice into any container that you want to store it in.
- You can keep it in the fridge for 24 hours or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
How To Safely Reheat Rice
The most important things to remember when reheating rice are:
- Reheat the rice until it is piping hot throughout.
- Only reheat it once. Any leftovers should be thrown away.
Reheating Rice In The Microwave
I reheat the cooked rice in the microwave.
Add a tablespoon of water for every portion and cook on high in the microwave.
Stir it several times to ensure the rice is piping hot throughout.
Product Recommendation
These silicone cubes are brilliant for freezing individual portions or rice.
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