Why is it unwise to reheat rice?

Answer 1

I reheat rice all the time. Just put it in a pot with a little bit of water (like a tablespoon) and it will be moist when it's done. Just make sure you get it really hot when you reheat it and it will kill all the bacteria. It is absolutely fine as long as you get it hot enough.

Answer 2

Because rice often hosts 'bacillus cereus' a spore forming type of food posoning bacteria with a very short period of generation - about 10-20minutes. So if you have some cooked rice that has been left out, luke warm for a period - the spores (which will still be 'alive' even after cooking...but wont cause a problem if immediately consumed) - can germinate and the bacteria will subdivide every 10minutes (in a nice room temp place).

This means rice can quickly become contaminated to a level which will give you a nasty dose of diarrhea and stomach cramps. Lightly rehaeating the rice may not kill the 'bugs' - but moreover it won't de-tox the food which will have the poisons in it created by the thriving bacteria.

This is why it is more likely that it is the rice that give you the runs after a dodgy curry - rather than the curry - or the beer!

(Having just noticed Salmonella mentioned - it is NOT salmonella bacteria that cause the problem with rice - salmonella is a problem with undercooked poultry though. In this case it is the bacteria which actually poison you...which means that IF you KILL the bacteria in by cooking the food thoroughly you will not get poisoned - even if there was some salmonella on the 'chicken' say, to sart with.)

Answer 3

Why is it unwise to reheat rice? It is not unwise at all, but it is however, unwise to store rice improperly.

Make sure any leftover rice is stored in an airtight container in the fridge as soon as it cools, and do not store it for more than 2 days.

You can reheat rice in the microwave providing you add a splash of water, depending on how dry your rice is to start with, and how moist you like your reheated rice.

Another way to reheat rice without adding water is to steam it.

As for bacterial growth mentioned - I have reheated rice all these years and have never encountered any problems. There is probably more bacteria in our mouths or on our fingers than on leftover rice! It might be unwise when people kiss their dogs on the mouth just before they eat any reheated rice LOL!

Answer 4

Rice absorbs moisture, all the water you put it in while you cook it, which is all locked in the rice after it is initially cooked. If the rice has been sitting around for a while, the moisture will start evaporating off the rice which would draw out all that moisture that's all locked up inside to the outside to be evaporated. (Keeping it in the refrigerator would slow this process, but then there is the heating process to worry about) Reheating that rice would make it turn out more drier and crunchy than what it was before. Also, since the rice would lose its absorbity property, adding more water won't help. It would taste awful and all your guests would get upset that you serve them reheated dried rice. This is not to mention about any bacteria that likes to settle on moist surfaces such as rice.

Answer 5

Reheating rice is fine providing you have refrigerated it soon after it was originally cooked, and don't keep it too long before reheating and consuming.
Rice is one of the biggest sources of "Food Poisoning" in the UK
It can be infected with Bacillus cereus, which produces toxic food poisoning rather than Infective food poisoning.
These exotoxins, produced by the bacterium are not destroyed by a brief period of heating, as it is not the bacterium itself which causes the illness, but the chemicals it has produced.
If the rice is heated sufficiently to kill the bacterium the toxins may survive and still cause food poisoning when the rice is eaten.
It can take up to 30 minutes cooking to destroy exotoxins - which might by then produce rice (and toxin) pudding.

Buy your rice from a reliable source.
Keep your kitchen clean
Cover any leftover rice and refrigerate after your meal
Use it up within a day or two

I have used rice up to a week after initially cooking it, and have never fallen ill as a result, but I live in a cold place, where few cereal crops are grown, so there will not be many spores of the relavent bacterium in the atmosphere

Answer 6

If you want to reheat rice, just use it in a fried rice recipe, with a sauce, or add a bit more water to avoid it turning out overly dry. I personally like throwing leftover rice in with some frozen stir fry veggies and heating the two together in a skillet. The rice soaks in the moisture that the veggies give off as they thaw. Best of luck!

Answer 7

If you want to cook rice and eat it later, here's what to do. Cook it, then put it into a colander and rinse it with cold water until you are sure it is cold and has stopped 'cooking'. Leave to stand (covered) until all the water has drained, then transfer to the fridge in a covered container.

When you want to reheat it, (up to 24 hours later), put it in a colander and boil a full kettle. As soon as the water has boiled, pour over the rice evenly to heat it up. Use a slotted spoon to serve immediately.

Perfect rice.

Answer 8

Fried rice is re cooked rice....in a bowl like saute pan.....it is best achieved with day old rice......it is not unwise to reheat rice....it you have some method of redistributing moisture.

Answer 9

Don't think it is. I microwave the rice, add a spot of water and cover with cling film (saran wrap in u.s.a) melt a little butter in the frying pan, fry off onions until soft then add the rice, season with a little salt and add a little egg if you like, adding an egg yolk in the middle of the pan, push the rice and onions to the edges and when it is scrambled mix it altogether and you get a delicious egg fried rice. YUM!

Answer 10

Rice is particularly prone to a nasty food poisoning bug. It can be extemely unpleasant and in some cases life threatening.

Rice is so cheap why reheat it? Cook some more fresh.