In this brief guide, we are going to answer the question “Can you put hot rice in the fridge?” with an in-depth analysis of “How to safely cook and store the uncooked and cooked rice. Moreover, we are going to discuss the calories level of uncooked and cooked rice.
Can you put hot rice in the fridge?
Yes! You can put hot rice in the fridge. However, it is always advised that before storing anything in the fridge you should try to let it cool to reach room temperature.
Because when something hot is kept in the fridge it increases the temperature of items already kept in the fridge.
That’s why it makes it harder for the compressor to keep the temperature in the fridge to the required level.
So, keeping the hot food in the fridge can contaminate the other items present in the fridge.
It also increases the risk of food being attacked by the salmonella bacteria which can make the food unhealthy for you.
However, you should not be too late to store the food in the fridge, as not storing food in the fridge after two hours can lead to bacterial growth over it.
What can happen if rice is not stored correctly?
If the rice is not stored properly, it can lead to food illness.
Bacillus cereus is usually found in uncooked rice and these bacteria survive the cooking process by making a protective layer.
This bacteria releases a toxin that can cause food poisoning if rice is cooled slowly.
How to keep rice safe for you?
The rice is at greater risk of being attacked by the spores of bacillus cereus if they are not properly cooked or stored.
These bacterias are dangerous and can cause food poisoning.
These bacteria can also survive the cooking process by making a layer around them.
And after cooking rice isn’t stored and comes to a cool place, it can be damaged by these bacteria.
Also, these bacteria are heat resistant and even reheating doesn’t kill them.
So to handle the rice, one should be very careful regarding cooking, storing, cooling or reheating the rice.
How to store uncooked rice properly?
To properly store the uncooked rice, always put them in a dry airtight container.
You can also use spills to avoid the attack of bugs on the rice.
How to safely cook the rice?
Following are the things that you should keep in mind in the preparation of the rice to keep them healthy for you;
- Always rinse them well with clean water before using them in any recipe.
- Spices can also contaminate rice, therefore always use high-quality spices.
- Use clean equipment and hands to put the spices in the dish.
- Don’t mix cooked and uncooked rice in the same container.
- While cooking, always make sure to not contaminate the rice by coughing, sneering or using unclean equipment and hands.
- Check that the rice and the rice-based recipe is heated thoroughly in the cooking process.
How to store the cooked rice safely?
Don’t cook a lot of rice at the same time if it’s not needed, you can always cook it in small batches.
Never get all the rice out to room temperature if you don’t want to consume them.
And put the rice over the well, cleaned tray.
If you have to store the leftover rice, store them within hours after cooking them in the refrigerator.
Always store the rice in the fridge after bringing it to room temperature.
The temperature of the fridge should be 8 degrees Celsius or lower.
How to safely reheat the rice?
Rice should only be reheated if they are properly stored in the fridge.
To reheat the rice, take only the amount of rice you need out of the fridge and reheat them at 75 degrees Celsius.
If you are heating the rice in a microwave, cooking time should always be kept adequate.
Rice cannot be reheated after reheating them once.
If you leave the rice cooker on, it will keep the rice warm.
How many calories are there in uncooked and cooked rice?
100g of uncooked rice contains about 370k calories.
So, 100g of cooked rice will have almost 130k calories depending on the way it has been cooked and the type of rice.
The nutritional value of uncooked rice is as follows;
- Calories 130
- Carbohydrate 28.7 grams
- Protein 2.36 g
- Fat 0.19 g
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of eating rice.
Conclusion:
In this brief guide, we answered the question “Can you put hot rice in the fridge?” with an in-depth analysis of “How to safely cook and store the uncooked and cooked rice. Moreover, we discussed the calories level of uncooked and cooked rice.