However, with a bit of meal planning, and most importantly, food safety precautions, you can have perfectly fluffy rice at-the-ready for curry dishes, chickpea spiced rice, fried rice, coconut rice pudding, and all your other favorite rice recipes. Simply cook it in advance, store it properly, and refrigerate or freeze it for later. We’ll walk you through the best way to reheat it in the microwave, on the stovetop, and stir fry-style so that it doesn’t come out dry or tough, too. But before we jump in, we must debunk a common food safety myth: that rice is unsafe to save and reheat. This is simply not true. While leftover rice is highly prone to being mishandled (which can cause contamination by a bacteria called Bacillus cereus), it’s absolutely safe to eat—so long as you follow the proper steps and safety precautions.
How to Store Cooked Rice
After you’ve cooked your rice to perfection, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says to cool the leftovers quickly to avoid having it remain in the temperature danger zone of 40 F to 140 F for an extended period. To further reduce bacteria growth, cool your rice faster:
Divide it into shallow food containers and seal them with a lid.Place hot food directly into the fridge or freezer. Risottos or paellas will freeze better than plain rice.
Do not leave rice or any hot food sitting out for more than one hour, and always store rice at 40 F or below. (This includes making sure that your fridge is at this temperature or lower.) Finally, if any leftovers have been left out for longer than two hours, toss them. It’s just not worth the risk of food poisoning.
How Long Can You Keep Leftover Rice?
The USDA recommends storing leftovers for the following periods:
Dispose of leftover rice in the fridge after three to four days.Dispose of leftover rice in the freezer after three to four months.Store foods at a safe temperature. According to the USDA, room temperature is 90 F, which is the ideal temperature for bacteria to grow. Bacteria grow rapidly between 40 F and 140 F.
How to Reheat Rice Safely
When reheating rice, make sure it is piping hot throughout. To do so without drying out your grains, follow these instructions based on the method you’re using to warm them. Fact: It’s also perfectly safe to eat your leftover rice cold, so long as it was cooled and stored correctly when you first cooked it.
