Should you, or should you not reheat rice?

[Lord Pikey]

Another brew time argument for the good people of Pistonhead land to answer.

Should you, or should you not reheat rice?

is it safe? what are the arguments against?

and if you shouldn't how does that microwave Uncle bens stuff get away with it

Cheers

Lord Pikey

[Puggit]

I believe rice is one of the main causes of food poisoning - so be careful!

FSA said:

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 piping hot all the way through, and avoid reheating more than once.

Edited by Puggit on Friday 31st October 08:34

[james_tigerwoods]

I've sometimes cooked once and then reheated once (to piping hot temparatures) to no ill effect.

HTH

[Taita]

You can reheat it, as long as when you originally cook it, you cool it quickly.

[wrightyrs]

Always,never had any problems.

[Shar2]

I often reheat rice. As long as it's heated right through then you shouldn't have a problem.

[oldbanger]

You can reheat rice - just have to make sure you do it properly (piping hot throughout). Cooked rice can harbour bugs (high starch, high surface area) so needs to be reheated to above 68 C as this is the threshold after which most bacteria is killed. This will stop any fod poisoning unless it was infected with Staphyloccocus aureus (a bacteria commonly on the skin and the cause of the yellow colour in zits) as it's actually a toxin produced by this bacteria that causes the poisoning, rather than the bacteria itself, as in the case of Salmonella for example.

[eightseventhree]

I have been reheating rice for years with curry and Chinese, make sure its not been left out on the side over night but in the fridge covered/sealed .

I usually give it a good 3 - 4 mins in the microwave on full heat.

Edited by eightseventhree on Friday 31st October 08:47

[TheDetailDoctor]

I've been eating day-old chinese & india food for years as a Monday morning wake me up when I get into work at 6:30, never done me any harm.......YET

[eightseventhree]

Infact back when i was a student i think have have had 2 day old rice reheated before. Saying that i think over the years i have developed a cast iron stomach

[james_tigerwoods]

Back when I was a student, I'd cook a batch of rice in a microwave rice cooker at the beginning of the week and I'd reheat it all 3-4 times over the course of that week.

I'm still here, alive and kicking and never had food poisoning (due to rice anyway)

[minerva]

I microwaved rice on Monday and left in on the side of my kitchen then ate it gradually for lunch over the next three days, everytime thinking I really should put that in the fridge and every time forgeting. So, I finished it on the Wednesday, having cooked it 77 hours previously and it never having seen the inside of a fridge or being re heated.

I think, ladies and gentleman, that makes me the winner!

[warmfuzzies]

I believe that the tell tale sign is a pink tinge, though YMMV, and as an aside the toxins when present cannot be destroyed by microwaving them, so be careful.

K.

[eightseventhree]

I think 77 hour rice is a little over the top as it only takes 8 mins to cook normal white rice and 20 mins for brown.

Saying that i have even reheated egg-fried rice on numerous occasions . .

[james_tigerwoods]

77 hours will give you al dente Brussel Sprouts - HTH

[shadowninja]

My mother always reheats rice and we

[thehawk]

H&S over the top IMO. Half the worlds population survives on rice, most Chinese places will have it sitting around all day.

[HundredthIdiot]

Repost.

And wrong forum.

[Marcellus]

theoretically you shouldn't reheat rice...it is one of the largest causes of food poisoning from take aways and restaurants.

just like theoretically you shouldn't speed....

[Correct Change]

Reheating rice doesn't bother me if it's for me; I have a cast iron stomach. If it's for other people I'm a bit more cautious.