Leftover rice is more dangerous than you think, How do you re-serve it in a healthy and safe way?

Rice is a main dish on many international tables, even if its shapes and colors vary. In some areas, housewives resort to cooking it in large quantities and storing it for several consecutive days, on the grounds that it does not spoil if kept in the refrigerator or even at room temperature when the weather is cold.

However, a recent study revealed that reheating leftover rice comes with significant and sometimes unique health risks. Therefore, it is necessary to know the appropriate and inappropriate conditions for re-eating leftover rice, and ways to introduce it to the family without causing any health harm.

What happens to cooked rice?

According to the United Kingdom's National Health Service website, uncooked rice contains Bacillus cereus, a type of aerobic bacteria that grows at temperatures between 18-37 degrees Celsius (65-100 degrees Fahrenheit) and is highly adaptable to environmental conditions.These bacteria, which remain dormant in rice until water is added, can cause food poisoning.

Unlike other foods and the cooking process, cooking does not kill the heat-resistant germs or toxins produced by Bacillus cereus. Once water is added to rice, the bacteria grow and thrive in a warm, moist environment and can survive cooking.

Bacteria become dormant at very high temperatures, so it is preferable to eat rice immediately after cooking it, because they become active again when the temperature drops.

Rice is the most common food that contains bacteria that cause food poisoning. If left at room temperature, these bacteria will multiply and may produce toxins that cause stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea. These symptoms usually appear within one to several hours after eating spoiled food.

Within just 24 hours

Nutritionist and food safety and culinary consultant Toby Amedor tells Food Network that it is important to follow the correct practices to avoid food-borne diseases, noting that time and temperature are essential factors for determining the validity of food.

Amidor considered that it is safe to eat leftover rice, as long as it is cooled and stored properly, and at the appropriate time after preparation, explaining that the length of time it remains when served also plays a role in its safety, as bacteria grow quickly at temperatures ranging between 4-60 degrees Celsius (40 -140 F), so it must be served to family members hot to prevent bacterial growth.

On the other hand, some women may not be aware of the necessity of refrigerating the rice within only two hours of preparing it; If it sits for two hours at room temperature, or for one hour at 32°C (90°F) or higher, it must be thrown away immediately, because the bacteria reactivate and this could cause food poisoning for a family member.

Although there is no consensus on how long rice can be stored and remain usable, Amidor says that if it is cooked at the right temperature, harmful bacteria will be destroyed, and when it is cooled and stored quickly and reheated properly, up to two or three times, there is no problem with that. .

Meanwhile, the Food Standards Agency in Britain indicates that leftover rice should be consumed within just 24 hours, while the US Department of Health and Human Services confirms that leftover rice can be stored for up to 4 days.

How to reintroduce rice safely?

It is necessary for the housewife to realize that it is okay to eat leftover rice as long as it is refrigerated and stored properly, and at the appropriate time after preparation.

However, some steps must be taken into account when serving, storing, and eating a rice dish again, so that there is no risk to the health of family members:

Cook a limited amount to eat every day.

Serve the rice and eat it as soon as it is cooked while hot.

If there is leftover rice, it must be refrigerated as quickly as possible, ideally within one or two hours at the latest.

Keep the rice in the refrigerator for no more than one day until it is reheated.

Do not put rice in the refrigerator while it is hot, because it may increase the temperature of other nearby foods and expose them all to spoilage.

If the amount of cooked rice is large, divide it into smaller batches to cool, then place them in airtight containers or sealable bags, and store them at 4°C (40°F) or lower in the refrigerator or freezer.

When reheating rice, you must ensure that it is steaming hot all the time.

Do not heat all of the remaining rice. It is preferable to allocate the amount that the family will eat, heat it and eat it. If there is any left over, it cannot be refrigerated and must be thrown away.

It is not recommended to reheat rice more than once.