Handling Leftover Rice

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Where our recipes include rice, to make sure the quality of the dish is maintained for your little one’s taste buds, we recommend cooking only the amount required and storing the rest in the cupboard to cook fresh when reheating the next batch! BUT… If you accidentally cook too much, or would prefer to batch cook your rice in advance, then here’s some tips on how you can do this safely:

• Cool rice as quickly as possible, ideally within an hour – never exceeding 2 hours. The quickest way to cool leftover rice is to rinse under cold running water.
• Use cooked rice stored in the fridge within 24 hours
• Only reheat rice once
• Reheat until piping hot

If freezing your rice, cool quickly by rinsing under cold running water, portion and freeze. When ready to use your frozen portions of rice, defrost overnight in the refrigerator, use within 24 hours of defrosting and reheat until piping hot. Tips for Reheating Cooked Rice:

• Stir fry in a hot frying pan until piping hot
• Steam in a microwave until piping hot – To do this, place your rice in a microwaveable container, add 1-2 tablespoons of water for each cup of rice, place the lid lightly back on top and microwave until steaming hot all the way throughout

For more advice on handling leftover cooked rice, check out the Food Safety section within our members portal Handling Leftover Rice from your Tiny Tums Box There is a common misconception that it is not safe to reheat leftover rice, but what’s all the fuss about?! Our Food Safety expert explains… Whilst it is absolutely fine to keep your leftover rice, it’s important you handle it correctly as it is a particularly high-risk product. This is because rice contains bacteria called Bacillus cereus. Bacillus cereus is a spore forming bacteria; meaning that it forms protective layers (spores) which survive the heat of cooking. If cooked rice is left at room temperature for too long, then bacteria can start growing again from the spores and produce toxins; which in turn can cause food poisoning. It’s important to point out here that once these toxins are present, they will NOTbe killed by further reheating; regardless of reheating until piping hot throughout! So, how can you handle leftover rice safely? How quickly you cool rice after cooking is critical in ensuring that your leftover rice is safe to use! This is why you should always make sure your rice is always cooled down as quickly as possible, ideally within 1 hour and never exceeding 2 hours. This doesn’t mean just putting cooked rice straight in the fridge though as simply putting hot rice in the fridge may not be enough to help cool it down quickly, especially as this will also raise the temperature of the fridge itself. Instead, here’s some tips on how you can help cool your rice quickly so that you can be confident that your leftover rice is safe:

• Rinse under cold water (this works great if you’ve not added anything to the rice – for example when serving our Stage 3 Chicken Curry!)
• Divide into smaller portions
• Spread the rice onto a large surface area; for example using a plate instead of a bowl
• Use an ‘ice bath’
• Stir regularly

Once your rice has cooled down, cover it, put it in the fridge and use within 24 hours! You can eat leftover rice cold from the fridge the next day but if you reheat, make sure you reheat fully until piping hot throughout. Freezing leftover rice Did you know you can also freeze your leftover rice?! Just make sure you still cool it down as quickly as possible after cooking and freeze as soon as possible. When you’re planning to use it, defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat until piping hot within 24 hours of defrosting![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]