Can Rice Be Left Out Overnight? (Explained)

Can Rice Be Let Out Overnight

We’ve all been there. You wake up to realize that you forgot about the leftover rice in the rice cooker. You open the rice cooker and see that the rice looks fine. There are no signs of mold and it smells normal… so is the rice still safe to eat?

Can cooked rice be left out overnight?

Cooked rice should not be left out at room temperature for more than a few hours. Cooked rice left out overnight or longer has a risk of causing food poisoning. Reheating rice left out overnight can still lead to food poisoning so toss out old rice left out overnight.

You might have a friend who has eaten cooked rice that was left out overnight and didn’t get sick. So if your friend was fine then what’s all the fuss about this bacteria?

There’s a chance this bacteria did not grow in your friend’s leftover cooked rice whereas your leftover rice might have it. The real question is if eating leftover rice is worth the risk of potentially getting sick.

Given how cheap and easy rice is, I recommend tossing out any cooked rice that’s left out at room temperature for more than a few hours.

If you are interested in checking out the best rice cookers, you can find them by clicking here.

Let’s cover how to safely cool and store cooked rice so your extra rice doesn’t go to waste.

How To Store Cooked Rice Safely

Since cooking doesn’t kill the Bacillus cereus, the cooked rice needs to be properly stored so that it can be enjoyed later.

Here is how cooked rice should be stored so that it can be eaten over the next 4 – 7 days:

  • Leave the cooked rice to cool for no longer than 2 hours on the stove or counter top (i.e. room temperature)
  • Place the cooked rice in airtight containers
  • Put the containers full of rice into the refrigerator

That’s it!

Safely storing rice, and most food, is simple when we understand that we want to keep food out of the 40°F to 140°F range since that’s where bacteria starts growing.

Rice Refrigerator in Pot

This means you can also place your freshly cooked rice directly into the refrigerator without letting it cool down. This will bring down your hot rice to a temperature below 40°F quickly so your rice will be safe to eat later.

Personally, I prefer letting the steam out of the cooked rice before refrigerating so that there isn’t as much moisture in the rice.

How To Safely Reheat Rice

Cooked rice that has been refrigerated can be enjoyed cold, such as in a sushi roll, or reheated.

Here are three common ways to reheat rice so that it reaches a safe temperature of around 165°F.

Microwave

  • Place the rice in a microwavable dish and break up any clumps of rice
  • Once the rice is broken apart, add a splash of water
  • Cover the rice with a lid or wet paper towel so that the steam will heat up the rice evenly
  • Microwave for about 2 minutes or until the rice is thoroughly hot and steamy

Pan Steaming

  • Place the rice and break up any clumps of rice
  • Add a splash of water to the pan
  • Cover the pan with a lid and reheat with low heat to avoid burning the rice
  • Occasionally stir the rice until the rice is thoroughly hot and steamy

Oven

  • Place the rice in an oven dish and break up any clumps of rice
  • Add a little bit of water or cooking oil such as butter which helps the rice from sticking to the oven dish
  • Cover the oven dish with a lid or aluminum foil
  • Set the oven temperature to 300°F and wait around 20 minutes until the rice is thoroughly hot and steamy

Benefits Of Eating Leftover Rice

While you should take caution when saving cooked rice, there is still some benefits of consuming leftover rice. Refrigerated rice can benefit your health by boosting the amount of resistant starch.

What Is Resistant Starch?

Starch is composed of extended strings of glucose. Glucose is the primary structure of carbs. It is also a vital source of energy for the cells in your body. Starches are regular carbs located in grains, potatoes, corn, and various other types of foods.

Still, not all starches are processed by our bodies in the same way. Usually, starch is split down into glucose and then absorbed by our bodies; this is why our blood sugar boosts after eating.

Resistant starch is rebellious to the way we digest food, so it crosses through the intestines without being torn down by our bodies.

When we increase our consumption of resistant starch, we will boost bacteria in our intestines and cells. Because resistant starch is prebiotic, this means that it provides good bacteria to our intestines.

Benefits Of Consuming Resistant Starch:

  • Resistant starch can reduce inflammation and dramatically change the bacteria’s behavior in your intestines. This has encouraged scientists to think that resistant starch can play a role in narrowing colon cancer and even inflammatory bowel disease.
  • Resistant starch can also reduce blood sugar increases after a meal, promote insulin responsiveness, and even improve how fast insulin brings blood sugar within your cells.
  • Adjusting the way your body responds to insulin can also help your body fight type 2 diabetes.
  • Research has shown that people that consumed resistant starch consumed about 90 fewer calories. This supports the idea that eating food high in resistant starch can help you to feel fuller.

The Risks Of Eating Cooked Rice Left Out Overnight

There is a chance of food poisoning since rice can be contaminated with the bacteria Bacillus cereus when left out overnight.

The symptoms of food poisoning from Bacillus cereus can include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. The symptoms usually appear from 15 to 30 minutes after consuming the rice.

Even though this bacteria can survive the cooking process, it will not harm you in any way if you eat the cooked rice at safe temperatures. This bacteria is highly active only when the temperature is between 40°F to 140°F which is why room temperature is not safe.

So leaving the rice at room temperature will only help this bacteria multiply and release toxins that can make you sick.

Final Thoughts

Leaving cooked rice out overnight is a simple mistake that can happen to anyone. Although it can be tempting to just eat or reheat the rice, it’s best to just toss this leftover rice out.

Cooked rice should not be left out at room temperature for more than a few hours. Cooked rice left out overnight or longer has a risk of causing food poisoning from the Bacillus cereus bacteria. Reheating rice that is contaminated with bacillus cereus can still lead to food poisoning. So it’s better to be cautious and toss out old rice left at room temperature since reheating will not make contaminated rice safe to eat.

However, we can safely store cooked rice so that it can be enjoyed in the future. Simply place the cooked rice in the refrigerator so that your cooked rice will be ready for your next meal.

Steven

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