Reheating rice

Chuzzle

Brown Rice......

Originally baked in the oven and partly eaten Saturday evening. Unfortunately I forgot to put it in the freezer as soon as it had cooled and it got left out in the kitchen overnight. DH then stuck it in the freezer Sunday morning. I had planned to reheat it and use it tonight but now I'm not so sure if it would be safe to.

What would you do? If you would still reheat it how would you say the best way would be microwave or in a pot of water on the stove top?

Norman_Bean

Personally I would use it and reheat it in the microwave, however I am on a mission to reuse all scraps.
Could be a bit dodgy as I believe rice is one of the worst things to reheat with regards to food posioning ....
So in conclusion yes I'd eat it but wouldn't give it to the kids ....
HTH a bit

Norman x

LuckySeven_2

Hi, I wouldn't use it as it was left out overnight and rice (apparently - I'm not sure how true) is as bad as chicken for bacteria growth and food poisoning.

If you'd put it in the fridge or freezer on Sat night, then I'd say eat it, but not if it's been left out overnight.

HTH

lolarentt

If it was only out overnight then it will be fine, it's not exactly summer heatwave time at present - I leave cooked dishes to cool right down anyway, which takes some while.
Anyway surely everyone leaves their left over Saturday night curry/rice overnight and finishes the next day! (only joking!)

2009ismyyear

I know that rice is always touted as a source of food poisoning but we ALWAYS have some left and it sometimes gets left out to cool down overnight (not in mid summer) and have never had any probs - just heat it through thoroughly!

Chuzzle

I'm of the mind that I will give it a try - we're all fair strong stomached in this house!


Lolarenett - lol yes that and kebabs for breakfast! hahahaha

Swan_2

eat it up

I've left cooked rice lying around for at least 2, maybe 3 nights, forgot all about it then made rice salad with it & survived

usually I'm a bit more careful about cooling & chilling though, honest :whistle:

heavenleigh

I'm with the eat it brigade, i have been know to venture into the sitting room on a Sat/Sunday morning to find leftover takeaway rice from the night before that i can't even remember buying never mind eating :0) have still eaten it for breakfast/lunch :0)

Heffi1

I have just googled this as I always thought rice was one of the worst for food poisoning from reheating, it is taken from the food standards agency Link http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/keepingfoodsafe/asksamcooking/#A220063

I've heard that reheating rice can cause food poisoning. Is this true?

It's true that you could get food poisoning from eating reheated rice. But it's not actually the reheating that's the problem – it's the way the rice has been stored before reheating.

Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, bacteria that can cause food poisoning. When the rice is cooked, the spores can survive. Then, if the rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores will germinate into bacteria. These bacteria will multiply and may produce toxins (poisons) that cause vomiting or diarrhoea. Reheating the rice won't get rid of these toxins.

So, the longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that bacteria, or the toxins they produce, could stop the rice being safe to eat.

It's best to serve rice when it has just been cooked. If that isn't possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour) and keep it in the fridge for no more than one day until reheating.

Remember that when you reheat any food, you should always check that it's steaming hot all the way through, and avoid reheating more than once.

Caterina

When I did my food hygiene certificate they scared me with this rice info, which is very true, because apparently bacillus cereus does not die at 100 degrees Celsius (the temperature of boiling water). However, if you FRY the rice in hot oil, the oil reaches much higher temperatures and the bacillus is very likely to be zapped.

I always eat reheated rice even against health advice, but if you have a delicate stomach or a weak disposition/immune system, perhaps you ought to compost it instead, it is your choice after balancing all the advice of all the OSers.

I know that there is a past thread somewhere about this subject and that the advice was, just like here, mixed, some would some wouldn't! Good luck.