I've heard that reheating rice can cause food poisoning. Is this true?

Question

I've heard that reheating rice can cause food poisoning. Is this true?

Answer 1

I have been reheating rice for years and am alive and healthy.  I always put the leftover rice from the rice cooker into a storage baggie and then into the fridge.  I would only eat it for about two days later, then toss it out.  Perhaps it is a problem if the rice is not kept refrigerated and sealed?

Answer 2

No. The only way that would happen if it had set out of refrigeration for more than a couple of hours, then any food can make you sick

Answer 3

I found this info ...... hope it helps you ...... = )

Raw rice naturally contains a bacteria called Bacillus cereus. In large amounts this bacteria can cause vomiting and diarrhoea.

Bacillus cereus spores survive the cooking process and are not killed off when rice is reheated. So the safety of rice is dependant on how you handle the rice once cooked.

The temperature range of 4°C – 60°C is considered the danger zone for food. These temperatures are the perfect environment for most bacteria, when they are able to grow and multiply at a rapid rate. And the same is true for rice.

The longer rice is within this temperature range therefore, the more likely Bacillus cereus spores are to grow and multiply. And the more chance you have of getting food poisoning from eating it.

Therefore it’s not the reheating of rice which is potentially a problem, but how it’s been stored prior to reheating.

If you’ve cooked too much rice, put the leftovers in the fridge straight away, so they cool down quickly. Keep rice salads in the fridge, right up until they’re needed and serve them cold.

Be careful of leftover takeaway rice: by the time it’s been cooked, kept warm in a rice cooker, delivered to you, eaten, stored – there’s plenty of opportunity for Bacillus cereus to multiply. I’d throw the leftovers out once you’ve finished the takeaway.

Keep leftover rice for no longer than one day before re-using.

And remember bacteria are present in many of the foods we eat. And this is natural. Cooking and correct food handling will either kill-off these bacteria, or at the very least prevent the population from over-growth.

Answer 4

Rice should not sit at room temperature for more than a couple of hours - it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria.

Perhaps the reheating process is somehow tied to this, but I have reheated rice thousands of times and have never turned ill from it

Answer 5

You can get a micro-organism called Bacillus Cereus growing on re-heated rice which would normally just cause food poisoning but can b quite serious

Answer 6

been doin it for 50 years.

woof

Answer 7

Actually yes, it can. but only if its been sitting in the fridge for more than lets say like three days uncovered. it develops bacteria very quickly when already cookd. but just keep it stored in a container and itll be fine for awhile.

Answer 8

if not used on the day it was cooked it should be frozen when it has cooled.. When required it can them be defrosted and reheated.

Answer 9

ive re-heated rice and never got food poisoning. Its not true. Maybe if its been sitting in the fridge for over a week!