Rice is a popular addition to many dishes, but most of us can agree that it can be a faff to cook. If you don’t buy microwavable packets or have a dedicated rice cooker, you have to spend time monitoring how much water is in your pan to make sure your rice doesn’t burn or come out too watery.
Because of this, it can be tempting to cook a large batch of rice so that it’s cooked and ready for multiple dishes at once. But this usually isn’t advised unless you’re going to use it all in one day – as rice can be dangerous when stored incorrectly.
In a video shared on TikTok, a chef named Joshy Jin explained that rice is notoriously “tricky” to handle when it comes to leftovers because of a bacterium called Bacillus Cereus, which produces spores that live on raw rice and can survive the cooking process.
Once your rice is cooked and then cools down, this bacteria can start to multiply. This means it’s vital to store any leftover rice in a cold place like your fridge as quickly as possible after cooking.
Joshy went on to explain that in a commercial kitchen, cooked rice is considered a “really high risk” product that would never be used the next day and must always be served fresh to avoid potential contamination.
But there’s one mistake people often make when it comes to eating leftover rice, as they think reheating the rice will kill the bacteria. While this might work with some other foods, reheating may not be a good idea with rice.
He said: “The bad news is these bacteria produce a toxin that will survive heating again. The toxin they create is tasteless, odourless, and you can’t see them. And that’s the tricky part. A bowl of rice that looks absolutely normal can make you sick.”
The chef then shared his recommendation for storing leftover rice if you absolutely have to. He said that you should wait for the cooked rice to stop steaming, and then tip it out onto a plate that allows you to spread the rice thinly to help it cool down faster.
This method cools the rice down in about 10 minutes. It can then be covered and stored in the fridge.
Joshy said: “Put it in the fridge and it’s good for two days. But, to be honest, rice is always best when it’s freshly cooked. If it’s not for fried rice, I recommend just cooking enough for the day.”
Is it dangerous to reheat rice?
According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), reheated rice can cause food poisoning. The problem is not the reheating itself but the way the rice is stored before it’s reheated.
Rice must be cooled down quickly and placed in the fridge as soon as possible to prevent bacteria from growing. Refrigerated rice should be kept for no more than one day before reheating, and it should be steaming hot all the way through before consuming.
They state: “Uncooked rice can contain spores of a bacterium called Bacillus cereus. This bacterium can cause food poisoning. The spores of Bacillus cereus can survive being cooked. The longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that the bacteria or toxins will make the rice unsafe to eat.”
In some rare cases, Bacillus cereus can cause infections that lead to organ failure and even death, but these cases are extremely rare. Most cases of food poisoning are rarely serious and usually get better within a week.
For more information on food poisoning, including when to call 111 or 999, visit the NHS website.