Credits: Social Media
Food scientist’s easy trick to reheat leftover rice makes it ‘fresh and fluffy’
Rice tastes best when fresh, but that doesn’t mean you should throw away an old batch. A quick fix can enhance its taste and texture.
Debate about reheating rice a day or two old is never-ending. Although health experts have established that the diet staple can be eaten days after being prepared, you must stick to some safety rules to avoid falling sick, which are discussed ahead.
The correct way to re-heat leftover rice
Say you have unexpected guests over or are running late to work to cook a fresh meal from scratch – a batch of previously cooked rice can save your day.
Food scientist Jessica Gavin demonstrates an easy and quick technique to reheat leftover rice to make it as fluffy and fresh as a new batch.
Rice becomes clumpy and hard due to the starch released during cooking. However, if stored in the right condition, which we discuss below, it’s good to go after reheating.
All you need to do is empty the leftover rice into a bowl and break the clumps manually. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of water over the rice, and cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap before placing it in the oven for 30 seconds.
The additional water creates steam when trapped inside the bowl covered with the lid making the rice soft and fluffy just like a freshly cooked batch.
How to store it safely
Cooked rice can become unsafe to eat when not stored properly. Raw rice may contain spores of a bacteria called Bacillus cereus which are resistant to heat, so cooking alone doesn’t kill them.
Therefore, it’s recommended not to leave cooked rice on the counter for more than two hours to avoid bacteria formation. It should be refrigerated as quickly as possible.
If the rice is left unattended for a few hours, throw it away as consuming it can cause health complications. When preserved at a temperature between 5�C (40�F) and 60�C (140�F), it’s safe to store it for three to six days.
Furthermore, freezing cooked rice before reheating is supposed to reduce the total calories through a chemical process called retrogradation.
Jessica Gavin is a Certified Food Scientist and Certified Culinary Scientist. She identifies herself as a teacher at heart .She holds a bachelors and masters degree in Food Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, California. Jessica also has an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts.
