How Long Is Cooked Rice Good For?
Across many different cultures around the world a popular staple dish is the one and only…rice ! Rice is such a versatile food and can be eaten, prepared and cooked in so many different ways !
Often times when we cook rice with out a doubt there’s always some leftover! This is often the case in many homes but has it ever left you wondering how long is cooked rice good for ? It’s just one of those foods we always end making too much of somehow and think that we can just put away in the fridge and eat it again the next day.
We’re going to look at what is rice , how to cook boiled rice properly and pin point how long is cooked rice good for. No matter how much we love it , we need to make sure we are consuming it safely!
So, what is the definition of rice?
According to BBC Good food... ‘rice is a grain, the seed of a type of grass, which is the most widely grown and the most important source of dietary carbohydrate on Earth‘.
We’re pretty sure many of you rice eaters out there would agree that when you eat rice it leaves you feeling like you have eaten something substantial and always makes you have that satisfaction that home cooked food should.
There are many different types of rice that are grown around the world, of which a large percentage (25%) is grown in China. I’m sure you can name a few common rice types off the top of your head but…
Did you know that there is nearly 50,000 different varieties of rice?
Absolutely incredible right ?! With so many different types of rice each type also has different methods of being cooked . Our favourite rice grain is Thai fragrant jasmine rice , a type of long grain rice with a wonderful scented aroma! We like to have it boiled as a nice side dish alongside stew dishes and often use it when making fried rice. In this article we will focus on how to cook boiled rice as this can sometimes be a little tricky to get right when making it on a pan.
How To Cook Boiled Rice
How To Cook Boiled Rice
Equipment
- Small-Medium Sized Saucepan
Ingredients
- 500 g Thai Fragrant Jasmine Rice
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- ¾ tsp Salt
- 700 ml Boiled Water
Instructions
- Heat the pan over medium heat . Add in the rice and add in the water just about 1 cm above the top of the rice. Add in the olive oil, salt , stir and cover with a lid. Leave to boil until the water evaporates to the level of the top the rice. A this point reduce reduce the heat to the lowest heat setting for about 10 mins and cover with the lid again .
- Stir the rice over using a fork (a little trick to help stop mushy rice grains) and also a good time to check if the rice has softened enough for you . If not, continue to cook with the lid on. You can add a little water only if it's getting very dry but literally only add little drops if required otherwise you will end up with soggy mushy rice.
- When served, the rice should have soft grains with a yummy fluffy texture !
Now you’ve made yourself some rice , you have some have some leftover and wondering….
How Long Is Cooked Rice Good For?
Short answer is it’s best served as soon as it’s been cooked and ideally should avoid reheating it.
However, because we all don’t like wasting food often times we store rice in the fridge when we have some leftover. If you do this it should be for no more than 1 day and can only be reheated once otherwise it could put you at risk of food poisoning .
Reheating rice isn’t the issue it’s actually more to do with the bacteria that can be found in uncooked rice and the risk that the spores can survive even once the rice has been cooked . It’s very important to avoid leaving cooked rice at room temperature as this is the perfect breading ground for bacteria to grow and produce toxins that can cause very bad food poisoning.
In A Nutshell…
How long is cooked rice good for?
As per NHS guidelines :
- Rice is best eaten when freshly cooked.
- If you need store leftover rice, only allow it to cool ideally within an hour before you refrigerate it .
- Leftover rice needs to be consumed with 1 day of being cooked and can only be reheated once in order avoid bacteria growth and food poisoning.
- When reheated make sure this is done thoroughly and that the rice is very hot.
Disclaimer: Please note this article is intended for information purposes only and not advice. The guidelines for food safety might be different for your country, so please do check. This information is based on UK food safety guidelines.
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Please also check out delicious Chorizo and Prawns Risotto recipe!
