Last Updated on March 25, 2024 by Share My Kitchen
Reheating rice in the rice cooker usually happens when I over-calculate the amount of rice I cook. We all know that feeling. There are right and wrong ways to store it too because rice can easily catch bacteria and they can give you food poisoning. I will tell you all about how you can prevent yourself from that.
To Reheat Rice In a Stove Pot Or a Rice Cooker Makes a Difference
When reheating rice, it usually ends up being really dry and it’s hard to enjoy it that way. For that matter, it’s so much better to use a rice cooker to reheat rice, instead of a normal stove pot. First of all, when using a rice cooker you don’t permanently have to stir the rice and secondly, it will turn out fluffy with the perfect amount of moisture.
How To Store Leftover Rice
For the right storage, you have to begin with the right cooking process. It is important to cook rice over 140 degrees Fahrenheit, to get rid of the contained Bacillus cereus bacteria. This bacteria can give you food poisoning, so really make sure the cooking temperature is high enough. During the high tempered cooking process, the bacteria will be killed and the rice is safe to eat, without getting food poisoning.
However, even if the rice is cooked the right way, you also have to make sure to store it correctly. Because after cooking and cooling down, this bacteria can grow on the leftover rice, if you leave it out at room temperature. So, the best way to store leftover rice correctly is in an airtight container in the fridge. If you already know you will have leftover rice, then you should cool it down immediately and put it in the fridge as soon as possible. The bacteria can already grow on cooked rice after 1-2 hours, if not refrigerated. After storing the right way in the fridge, the rice can be kept for up to 4 days.
Step by Step to Reheat Leftover Rice In Rice Cooker
- First, add 1-2 tbsp of water to the leftover rice. The amount of water depends on how much rice you want to warm up. For 1 cup of rice, you can use 1 tbsp of water and it will get perfectly fluffy. Too much water would make the rice mushy, so be careful with it.
- As soon as you topped the rice with water, you can place it in the rice cooker and close the lid.
- Now it’s time to turn the rice cooker on and leave the rice in there for 1 hour. The slow warming up process prevents the rice from getting mushy or dry and with a little amount of water, it will steam up and you will get a taste of almost fresh rice.
This really is the easiest and best way to reheat leftover rice. As soon as the rice is in the rice cooker you just have to wait until it’s heated up and you will get the best result out of leftover rice.
How Safe Is It to Reheat Rice In Rice Cooker?
As already mentioned, if you do it the correct way, then it is really safe to reheat leftover rice in a rice cooker. Just make sure to cook the rice at a high temperature, cool it down immediately, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Another point I have to add to this is, that you shouldn’t reheat rice more than one time, because it will create an environment that allows bacteria to grow.
If you ever catch a bad smell from leftover rice, or if it ever gets a weird color, then don’t consume it anymore. Always stay on the safe side.
