How Long Is Leftover Rice Good for, From a Food Safety Expert

After telling myself numerous occasions, “I’ll get to it in a couple of days,” leftover rice is often the primary to go unhealthy. But it surely’s not fully my fault. That’s as a result of, in accordance with Trevor Craig, a meals security skilled and company director of technical coaching and consulting at Microbac Laboratories, cooked rice undoubtedly isn’t as shelf steady because the bottle of ketchup that’s been hanging out within the fridge since ‘92. In reality, only a few days, eating leftover rice is out of the query for this meals security skilled. Forward Craig shares the potential penalties of consuming spoiled rice and how one can accurately retailer it to spare you from any sudden surp-rices (ha).

So, how lengthy is leftover rice good for?

In accordance with Craig, leftover rice might spoil sooner than you suppose. In reality, he says it’s often across the four-day mark. So, why the tremendous fast turnaround time? Craig says micro organism is in charge. “The micro organism present in rice is known as Bacillus cereus, which is often present in soil and dirt and may contaminate meals in the course of the rising, harvesting, processing, or cooking levels,” he says.

Though cooking rice, in principle, ought to eradicate the presence of this micro organism, it isn’t at all times foolproof. In flip, this could make cooked rice unsafe to eat. “The rationale it’s the most important concern is as a result of this micro organism can type spores that defend it from excessive temperatures, which means raw rice can have spores of Bacillus cereus, which may survive even when the rice is cooked,” Craig says.

That’s when issues get difficult and the danger of foodborne sickness begins to rise. “As soon as it’s out of the excessive temperature it exits the spore stage and again to vegetative cells which are harmful,” Craig says. To not point out, different types of micro organism—except for Bacillus cereus—that may additionally contaminate cooked rice. “There are different micro organism, as nicely, that may be launched to rice after cooking that may be harmful relying on the circumstances and if it’s in a position to multiply,” he says.

Two key components that may affect bacterial development: time and temperature. “For those who go away your rice out at room temperature, the spores can develop into micro organism and multiply,” Craig says. The longer the circumstances are good for micro organism to develop, the extra probably you’ll expertise a food borne-related illness. This doesn’t solely apply to leftover rice; he additionally notes that different grains, like pasta and quinoa, are equally as inclined. “They’re particularly dangerous as a result of they’re excessive in starches and customarily don’t have something in them to forestall bacterial development,” Craig says. “Additionally they typically preserve a excessive quantity of accessible water for the micro organism to make use of and develop as nicely.”

What occurs when you eat expired rice?

Finest case state of affairs: Leftover rice doesn’t make you sick. However that will not at all times be the case, particularly if a considerable amount of micro organism are concerned. Within the occasion that’s the case, right here’s what to anticipate. “Bacillus cereus releases two forms of toxins that every trigger a special sickness: One causes diarrhea, whereas the opposite causes vomiting,” Craig says. In accordance with him, signs will often current themselves inside six to fifteen hours of consuming the contaminated meals. “The signs of Bacillus cereus meals poisoning are just like these of different meals poisoning, together with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdomen cramps,” he says.

How do you retailer cooked rice safely?

For starters you’ll wish to be certain that you’re consuming cooked rice that was saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for now not than 4 days. (Nonetheless, when you’re trying to lengthen this timeline, Craig recommends freezing the cooked rice, which will help purchase a while.) That stated, that is all contingent on whether or not or not the rice was correctly cooked and saved within the first place. In different phrases, at all times sustaining cooked rice on the appropriate temperatures is probably going your finest guess in the case of avoiding leftover rice-related sickness.

To take action, shortly cool and retailer cooked rice within the fridge as soon as it’s made, particularly when you’re not going to eat it immediately. “Rice shouldn’t be unnoticed for greater than two hours after cooking it as a result of micro organism can develop quickly at room temperature. In case you are not planning to eat the rice inside two hours of cooking it, you must refrigerate it instantly in a tightly-sealed container after it cools,” Craig says. This helps stop micro organism development or improvement of spores. Professional tip: Retailer the container away from or above uncooked merchandise to reduce the danger of cross-contamination.

Then, when you’re able to dig into your (safely saved) leftover rice, ensure it’s adequately warmed up. “When reheating rice, ensure it’s heated to an inside temperature of at the least 165°F to kill any micro organism which may be current,” Craig says. Even then, although, cooked rice can nonetheless be contaminated. As such, Craig stresses the significance of dealing with rice safely (and accurately) earlier than it’s even cooked too. “Cooking will kill micro organism however will not at all times break down toxins, that are the harmful components of the micro organism. So, when you retailer it incorrectly or for too lengthy, reheating the meals will not make it suitable for eating once more,” he says. The underside line? When unsure, don’t threat it.

Learn how to make a straightforward cauliflower fried rice dish: