It\u2019s sooner than you may think. <\/p>\n
Few things irk me more than food waste<\/a>\u2014especially when I\u2019m the culprit. But when I haven\u2019t gotten around to cleaning out the fridge in a few days (maybe weeks?) I\u2019m bound to find a neglected item (or two) whose expiration date has quickly come and gone. Truth is, more often than not, it\u2019s the leftover takeout rice<\/a>. Big sigh.<\/em><\/p>\n After telling myself countless times, \u201cI\u2019ll get to it in a few days,\u201d<\/em> leftover rice is usually the first to go bad. But it\u2019s not entirely my fault. That\u2019s because, according to Trevor Craig<\/a>, a food safety expert and corporate director of technical training and consulting at Microbac Laboratories<\/a>, cooked rice definitely isn\u2019t<\/em> as shelf stable as the bottle of ketchup that\u2019s been hanging out in the fridge since \u201892. In fact, just a few days, eating leftover rice<\/a> is out of the question for this food safety expert. Ahead Craig shares the potential consequences of eating spoiled rice and how to correctly store it to spare you from any unexpected surp-rices<\/em> (ha).<\/p>\n According to Craig, leftover rice may spoil faster than you think. In fact, he says it\u2019s usually around the four-day mark. So, why the super quick turnaround time? Craig says bacteria is to blame. \u201cThe bacteria found in rice is called Bacillus cereus<\/em>, which is commonly found in soil and dust and can contaminate food during the growing, harvesting, processing, or cooking stages,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Although cooking rice<\/a>, in theory, should eliminate the presence of this bacteria, it isn\u2019t<\/em> always foolproof. In turn, this can make cooked rice unsafe to eat. \u201cThe reason it\u2019s the biggest concern is because this bacteria can form spores that protect it from high temperatures, meaning uncooked rice can have spores of Bacillus cereus<\/em>, which can survive even when the rice is cooked,\u201d Craig says.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when things get tricky and the risk of foodborne illness begins to rise. \u201cOnce it\u2019s out of the high temperature it exits the spore stage and back to vegetative cells that are dangerous,\u201d Craig says. Not to mention, other forms of bacteria\u2014aside from Bacillus cereus<\/em>\u2014that can also contaminate cooked rice<\/a>. \u201cThere are other bacteria, as well, that can be introduced to rice after cooking that can be dangerous depending on the conditions and if it\u2019s able to multiply,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Two key factors that can influence bacterial growth: time and temperature. \u201cIf you leave your rice out at room temperature, the spores can grow into bacteria and multiply,\u201d Craig says. The longer the conditions are just right for bacteria to develop, the more likely you\u2019ll experience a food borne-related illness<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t only apply to leftover rice; he also notes that other grains, like pasta and quinoa, are equally as susceptible. \u201cThey\u2019re especially risky because they are high in starches and generally don\u2019t have anything in them to prevent bacterial growth,\u201d Craig says. \u201cThey also generally maintain a high amount of available water for the bacteria to use and grow as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Best case scenario: Leftover rice doesn\u2019t <\/em>make you sick. But that may not always be the case, especially if a large amount of bacteria are involved. In the event that\u2019s the case, here\u2019s what to expect. \u201cBacillus cereus<\/em> releases two types of toxins that each cause a different illness: One causes diarrhea, while the other causes vomiting,\u201d Craig says. According to him, symptoms will usually present themselves within six to 15 hours of eating the contaminated food. \u201cThe symptoms of Bacillus cereus<\/em> food poisoning are similar to those of other food poisoning, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n For starters you\u2019ll want to ensure that you\u2019re consuming cooked rice that was kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no longer than four days. (However, if you\u2019re looking to prolong this timeline, Craig recommends freezing the cooked rice, which can help buy some time.) That said, this is all contingent on whether or not the rice was properly cooked and<\/em> stored in the first place. In other words, always maintaining cooked rice at the appropriate temperatures<\/a> is likely your best bet when it comes to avoiding leftover rice-related illness.<\/p>\n To do so, quickly cool and store cooked rice in the fridge once it\u2019s made, especially if you\u2019re not going to eat it right away. \u201cRice should not be left out for more than two hours after cooking it because bacteria can grow rapidly at room temperature. If you are not planning to eat the rice within two hours of cooking it, you should refrigerate it immediately in a tightly-sealed container after it cools,\u201d Craig says. This helps prevent bacteria growth or development of spores. Pro tip: Store the container away from or above raw products to lessen the risk of cross-contamination.<\/p>\n Then, once you\u2019re ready to dig into your (safely kept) leftover rice, make sure it\u2019s adequately warmed up. \u201cWhen reheating rice, make sure it\u2019s heated to an internal temperature of at least 165\u00b0F to kill any bacteria that may be present,\u201d Craig says. Even then, though, cooked rice can still<\/em> be contaminated. As such, Craig stresses the importance of handling rice safely (and correctly) before<\/em> it\u2019s even cooked too. \u201cCooking will kill bacteria but won’t always break down toxins, which are the dangerous parts of the bacteria. So, if you store it incorrectly or for too long, reheating the food won’t<\/em> make it safe to eat again,\u201d he says. The bottom line? When in doubt, don\u2019t risk it.<\/p>\n How to make an easy cauliflower fried rice dish:<\/em><\/p>\n \ufeff<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s sooner than you may think. Few things irk me more than food waste\u2014especially when I\u2019m the culprit. But when I haven\u2019t gotten around to cleaning out the fridge in a few days (maybe weeks?) I\u2019m bound to find a neglected item (or two) whose expiration date has quickly come and gone. Truth is, more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dfy1.kezlie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dfy1.kezlie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dfy1.kezlie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dfy1.kezlie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=208"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dfy1.kezlie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dfy1.kezlie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dfy1.kezlie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dfy1.kezlie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dfy1.kezlie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}So, how long is leftover rice good for?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What happens if you eat expired rice?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How do you store cooked rice safely?<\/strong><\/h2>\n