Why You Should Think Twice About Eating Leftover Rice
I don’t want to have to cook at night, especially if I’ve had a rough day. Only then did I really feel the benefits meal preparation. However, while foods like chicken breasts and vegetables are great for meal prep, the main source of carbohydrates—rice—and a favorite for many—is not the best food to reheat. If you’ve ever asked “Is it safe to eat leftover rice?” here’s what you need to know about reheating it safely.
There is a small but real possibility of getting food poisoning from eating leftover rice or pasta. The effect is sometimes called “fried rice syndrome,” because fried rice is usually made with leftover rice. Not only can stale rice upset your stomach, you might even land yourself in the emergency room.
Here’s why you may want to avoid preparing large amounts of rice over the coming week, and how to properly store and prepare rice to prevent possible food poisoning.
Want to know more health tips? Check out 12 probiotic foods to comfort your stomach and Learn why the ‘rizempic’ trend could be dangerous.
Why is leftover rice a risk for food poisoning?
All varieties of uncooked rice may contain spores Bacillus cereusa type of bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illnesses such as vomiting or diarrhea. The spores are heat-resistant and will not die when cooked. When the rice cools and enters Food danger zone between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheitthe bacteria begin to multiply rapidly. There are approximately 63,400 cases of B. cereus food poisoning in the United States each year. According to the Cleveland Clinic.
The risk of food poisoning increases when rice is left out for more than an hour, when bacterial spores multiply. If you eat the rice immediately, bacteria are not a problem. Illness is more likely to develop if rice is left at room temperature for a few hours, refrigerated and eaten a few days later. If your rice has been sitting at room temperature for two hours or at 90 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour, it should be thrown away. food network.
What’s the best way to store rice to avoid food poisoning?
To prevent food poisoning, you should put leftover rice in the refrigerator as soon as you finish cooking it – UK National Health Service recommendations Store it “preferably within an hour” – and limit the time leftovers sit in the refrigerator.
However, you want to be careful not to put containers of hot food in the refrigerator, as this will increase the temperature of other foods and may cause bacteria to grow there. food network It is recommended to portion large batches of rice into smaller containers and then cool the rice to room temperature (about 70 degrees).
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) recommends keeping rice in the refrigerator for no longer than a day before reheating, while the USDA recommends Food Manager App Cooked rice is said to last four to six days. The Food Network says you can continue to reheat rice for three to four days while it’s in storage, while the NHS advises against reheating it more than once.
What’s the safest way to reheat leftover rice?
If you plan to reheat rice, make sure it is steaming hot from the microwave or stove top and has an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Next time you’re craving rice, limit the amount you make to what you and your dinner companions plan to eat that day. This also helps prevent food waste and has the added benefit of avoiding food poisoning.
