Kitchen

[JillyMarie]

Keep rice in the fridge for no more than 1 day until reheating. When you reheat rice, always check that it's steaming hot all the way through.

I learned this the hard way.  Had no idea that I could get so sick from eating leftover rice.  Rice is cheap so now anything left over goes in the garbage.

[Zhills]

I have cooked rice and left it in the fridge until we ate it also but today, the way foods are grown and handled, I don't think they are as safe as they used to be.

A machine packs stuff in Chinese made plastic and who knows how it has been handled or where it has been prior to packaging. 

Buy a thermometer and be careful!

[shoesnbags]

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@Zhills wrote:

I have cooked rice and left it in the fridge until we ate it also but today, the way foods are grown and handled, I don't think they are as safe as they used to be.

A machine packs stuff in Chinese made plastic and who knows how it has been handled or where it has been prior to packaging. 

Buy a thermometer and be careful!

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@Zhills 

I was wondering the same thing.  Given that some of us who live in areas where rice is a staple have never taken these precautions and no one in the family got sick. 

Maybe it's similar to not eating raw eggs, which used to be safe but now carry Salmonella because of the way chickens are warehoused.  I buy rice grown locally right here in Louisiana, but who knows if that makes any difference.

[loriqvc]

Actually, the main problem with rice is bacteria that is embedded in the grain; it has nothing to do with packaging. You can find a lot of information about this from simple online searching; here's an overview from America's Test Kitchen:

"While it's one of the most common foods (in some countries providing up to three-quarters of daily energy intake), rice may not be the best choice to eat as leftovers. Why? Rice of all types can be contaminated with the spore-forming bacteria called Bacillus cereus. Present but dormant in all raw brown and white rice varieties, the spores are not killed by the boiling cooking water—instead, they are actually revived and converted into potentially harmful live bacteria as the rice cools.

If the rice is consumed shortly after cooking there is no problem, as very few bacteria have had the time to multiply. But if the rice is saved, and even stored in the refrigerator for too long, the amount of bacteria will grow. With enough time, the bacteria, which is responsible for 2 to 5 percent of all reported food-borne illnesses, can form enough heat-stable toxin to make a consumer sick within a few hours. The risk is not high, but has most commonly been observed in cooked rice that has been left out for several hours, then refrigerated, and then fried.

To play it safe, follow these guidelines from the USDA when storing and reheating leftover rice:

- Do not leave rice sitting out for more than 1 hour before eating or refrigerating.

- Reheat rice to 165 degrees as measured with a food thermometer.

- Dispose of refrigerated rice after 3 to 4 days."