Do you love making rice regularly but sometimes find it to be a hassle? You should probably consider buying a rice cooker. This kitchen appliance can make cooking rice an effortless task.
With a rice cooker, you don’t have to worry about having to stir your rice so it doesn’t burn on the bottom. You can also forget about eating soggy, sticky, or even very dry rice.
All you’ve got to do is measure the right amount of rice you’d like to cook and add cold water. And once the rice cooked, the cooker will automatically switch itself off. Sound cool, right?
But how long can you keep rice in a rice cooker? And is it even safe to leave rice in the cooker? In this article, we answer all the questions that you might have about cooking rice in a rice cooker.
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How Long to Keep Rice in the Rice Cooker?
When you cook rice, it sometimes happens that you have left-overs after everyone has eaten. In such a case, you may want to keep the rice in the cooker for a couple of hours to eat again at the next meal.
Generally, the recommended time is between 11 to 12 hours. But if you need to store it for a longer period, you’ll need to turn off the cooker for like 4-6 hours after cooking. This will ensure it stays edible for as long as you don’t open it many times.
However, after 12 hours, it is recommended to refrigerate it using an airtight cover.
Dangers to Keeping Rice Warm in a Rice Cooker
Keeping your rice warm in a rice cooker for multiple days is by no means recommended. This is because of the danger of bacterial growth and even possible food poisoning.
But to discourage bacterial growth, the keep warm function should keep the rice at a high enough temperature. However, it should not be so warm that it burns or dries out the rice.
That is why you should never store rice for more than 12 hours or otherwise it will become spoiled. Therefore, it’s advisable to refrigerate your leftover rice within one hour if you don’t plan to eat it within the next 12 hours.
Storing Leftover Rice
Experts recommend that you refrigerate your rice within at least two hours. If refrigerating large quantities, make sure to transfer the rice into a wide and cooler container. This ensures that the rice is able to cool more quickly.
However, you should not refrigerate for many days. It is advisable to refrigerate the rice for 1-2 days and at or below 40 degrees. And if you’re going to reheat the rice, only do so once using your rice cooker. The rice cooker can reheat the rice easily and in under an hour.
Final Thoughts
Overall, a rice cooker is an extremely versatile kitchen appliance. Most of them can cook any type of rice including jasmine, brown, or basmati rice. What’s more, this appliance cooks rice consistently while keeping the grain separate. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about having either undercooked or overcooked rice.