How Long Is Cooked Rice Good For In The Fridge

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Dear Katherine,

Real talk: How long is cooked rice good for once you put it in your fridge? Sometimes I keep takeout containers of rice for a week (OK, sometimes longer) only and so I read that erstwhile rice can give you parasites, and now I'thou terrified. Should I be tossing my leftovers sooner?

Sincerely,

No More Mr. Rice Guy

Um, How Long Is Cooked Rice Good for? Our Food Editor Weighs In

Kirill Strikha/EyeEm/Getty Images

Dear No More than Mr. Rice Guy,

I have skilful news and bad news for you. Permit's rip the Rough-and-tumble off and start with the bad.

Please throw your leftover rice away if it's more than a calendar week old! In culinary school, I was taught that five days is really the maximum lifespan for any leftovers—later that, you're risking foodborne illness with each passing day (plus, nothing tastes that delicious subsequently a week).

Considering rice doesn't accept many obvious signs of spoilage (dissimilar other foods), it tin can exist hard to tell if that twenty-four hours-seven container is actually past its prime…but there are a few things to look out for. (More on that in a second.)

Starting time, though, the expert news: I'm not sure where you read almost these sinister rice parasites, but they're not real. You can get ill from eating rice that hasn't been stored or reheated properly. In that location's a bacterium called Bacillus cereus that likes to fix campsite in starchy foods when they reach bacteria-friendly temperatures (aka the "danger zone," or anywhere betwixt 40 and 165 degrees Fahrenheit). According to the NHS, leftover rice is a major culprit considering 1, it's starchy, and two, it's often left to cool at room temp for longer than is recommended. (Cooled rice is best for making fried rice because it'south drier and less clumpy.) The leftovers get new life, but the harm has already been done. According to one University of Florida study, the rut from cooking isn't plenty to kill the B. cereus toxins, and you're left with some, um, tummy trouble when you eat it.

Here'southward how to tell if cooked rice is bad:

It'southward dried out and hard as a rock. The longer cooked rice sits in the fridge, the drier it will get. If it'due south crunchy, it's washed. You lot can maximize its lifespan past storing it an airtight container.
It sat on the counter for too long. Y'all should strive to absurd hot rice every bit apace equally possible, then transfer it to the fridge. The longer it hangs out in that aforementioned danger zone, the more than time bacteria have to flourish. (TBH, this is true for all foods.) Anything that's been "cooling" past 2 hours should be tossed.
Information technology'southward been chilled and reheated more than than once. Again, the goal is to minimize the amount of fourth dimension spent in the danger zone. Once a food has been chilled, you really merely get one take chances to safely reheat it. (Instead of microwaving the entire container, merely accept the portion you want to consume.)
Information technology smells weird. Need nosotros say more?

Then, how long can I store cooked rice in the refrigerator?

V days, max! Ideally, you should use it upwards within three to iv days, according to the USDA. Make fried rice, stir it into soup or simply heat it up and put an egg on it.

The moral of the story? Keep hot foods hot and common cold foods cold. Ever estrus leftovers to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit and chill them below 40 degrees Fahrenheit—and don't allow cooked rice hang out at room temperature for more than than two hours, even if y'all're cooling it down to make fried rice immediately afterward. (Hot tip: If yous spread the cooked rice into a thin layer on a baking sheet, it will absurd down at lightning speed.)

Now that y'all have the burden of a mysterious rice parasite lifted from your shoulders, become along and melt!

Xo,

Katherine

Food Editor, PureWow

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