Case 3: If you have taken some rice out and it has cooled down, but you used a clean spoon/scoop and the air in your home is well-ventilated and clean, the amount of bacteria that enters will be minimal. After one night, the bacteria won’t multiply much, so you can eat it without facing any major issues, although it’s not perfectly safe.
Case 4: Leftover rice that has been taken out, and you used chopsticks/spoons/forks that you ate with to scoop the rice, or if the air is more bacteria-laden, and then you put the rice back into the rice cooker. At this point, many bacteria will have entered and then been trapped inside the cooker.
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The moist environment inside the rice cooker provides ideal conditions for bacteria to grow, making the likelihood of the rice spoiling quite high, especially in the summer.
Thus, if the rice is cooked and left in the rice cooker without opening the lid or with the lid only opened briefly, it can be eaten and is relatively safe. However, in the third and fourth cases, it is best not to eat it.
So, what should you do to store leftover rice and avoid waste?
According to experts, it’s best to cook only the amount you plan to eat. However, it’s hard to avoid cooking too much rice sometimes. If you have leftover rice, you can use these two methods:
1. Soak the rice cooker in cold water:
Take a clean basin filled with water and place the leftover rice still in the inner pot of the rice cooker into the basin. The water level should cover 2/3 of the pot. Close the lid to prevent insects from entering. Soaking the pot in cold water will help reduce and maintain a low temperature, keeping the rice from spoiling.
2. Use the refrigerator:
This is a practical and effective method. After you finish eating, let the rice cool down, then use plastic wrap to cover it and store it in the refrigerator. During the summer, you can place the cooled rice in a food storage bag and keep it in the freezer. For leftover rice, it’s best to use it within 6 hours and remember to reheat it before eating.
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