Reheated Rice

[Stav]

Is rice safe to reheat? I'm sure i heard someone say that it goes poisonous or something if it is reheated.

[couchy]

Stav, I have always been told not to reheat rice and like you have never understood why.

[flirty41]

I did a basic food and hygiene course a long while ago but I do seem to remember being told it was unsafe to reheat rice - something to do with the starch and/or proteins in it and breeding bacteria! Having said that, I reheat rice all the time and have never been ill. Just make sure it is really hot and not just lukewarm as I think that's where the problems come from. And put cooked rice in the fridge as soon as it's cooled down sufficiently. It's that in-betweeny stage between hot and cold when the bacteria get to work, apparently!

[Pinotage]

Restaurants do it all the time.

If you've ever had a biriani in a Indian restaurant or a stir fried rice in a Chinese restuarant, you've had reheated rice.

[Cactus]

I've been told by a Chinese friend of mine that you should never reheat rice, but even he couldn't give me any more information as to why. I think there's some sort of time factor involved here - If you're planning to reheat a rice meal not long after it's been cooked, let's say a couple of hours, then it should be ok, but like mentioned before, make sure it's piping hot. - But if it's been cold for 24 hours or so, then you'd be better off eating the rice cold. That's what i do, and it's never made me ill.