Discover how long is leftover rice good for, according to a food safety expert.
Plus, ways to prevent food-borne illness.
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Few things irk me more thanfood wasteespecially when Im the culprit.
a food safety expert and corporate director of technical training and consulting atMicrobac Laboratories
But when I havent gotten around to cleaning out the fridge in a few days (maybe weeks?)
Im bound to find a neglected item (or two) whose expiration date has quickly come and gone.
Truth is, more often than not, its theleftover takeout rice.Big sigh.
But its not entirely my fault.
So, how long is leftover rice good for?
According to Craig, leftover rice may spoil faster than you think.
In fact, he says its usually around the four-day mark.
So, why the super quick turnaround time?
Craig says bacteria is to blame.
a food safety expert and corporate director of technical training and consulting atMicrobac Laboratories
Althoughcooking rice, in theory, should eliminate the presence of this bacteria, itisntalways foolproof.
In turn, this can make cooked rice unsafe to eat.
Thats when things get tricky and the risk of foodborne illness begins to rise.
Not to mention, other forms of bacteriaaside fromBacillus cereusthat can also contaminatecooked rice.
They also generally maintain a high amount of available water for the bacteria to use and grow as well.
What happens if you eat expired rice?
Best case scenario: Leftover ricedoesntmake you sick.
But that may not always be the case, especially if a large amount of bacteria are involved.
In the event thats the case, heres what to expect.
According to him, symptoms will usually present themselves within six to 15 hours of eating the contaminated food.
How do you store cooked rice safely?
This helps prevent bacteria growth or development of spores.
Pro tip: Store the container away from or above raw products to lessen the risk of cross-contamination.
Even then, though, cooked rice canstillbe contaminated.
As such, Craig stresses the importance of handling rice safely (and correctly)beforeits even cooked too.
Cooking will kill bacteria but wont always break down toxins, which are the dangerous parts of the bacteria.
When in doubt, dont risk it.
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