# Fried rice - two-day waiting period



## seans_potato_business (Jul 29, 2008)

I am told that fried rice is best cooked using rice that has been allowed to wait around for a couple of days after boiling. I cooked and drained my rice a couple of days ago and left it on the stove top to mature. Just recently, I noticed an unhappy smell leading to the covered rice! I picked up the pan and notice that it's warm - the stuff is producing its own heat! I mixed it around and it's turned into smelly mush! It's possible that those dastardly little flies (like gnats or midges) had something to do with it.

Thus, my question(s) to you all: is it really necessary to wait a day or two after cooking? What differences does it make? Should it be stored in the fridge during this time?


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## GB (Jul 29, 2008)

It is true that day old rice makes better fried rice, but you absolutely MUST store it in the fridge. Treat it just as you would treat meat. It is OK out of the fridge for an hour or two, but no longer than that.


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## kitchenelf (Jul 29, 2008)

Absolutely throw it away now.  All you have to do is use thoroughly cooled/cold rice.  If you let it cool, then store in fridge all day, it should be fine to make that night.  Two days is no different than 1 day IMHO.  Lots of times additional rice is cooked and the next day the left-over rice is used to make fried rice.  

It didn't have to "mature", it had to cool.  What you have now is food poisoning in a pot.


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## kitchenelf (Jul 29, 2008)

And, if you do put it in the fridge let it cool a bit first on the counter in the bowl you will store it in.  Stir frequently to get the middle of the rice cool.  Once it comes more to room temp store in fridge with plastic wrap with a few holes punched in it to let excess heat escape.  This goes for anything warm you put in the fridge though.


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## GrillingFool (Jul 29, 2008)

I say put it back on the counter and stick a recording thermometer in it...
see how hot it gets! Train a webcam on it and we can see what develops!
IT'S ALIIIIIIIVVVEEEEE!!!!

Another tip for quicker cooling... dump it out on a cookie sheet and stick it in the fridge.
Cools super fast.


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## MostlyWater (Jul 29, 2008)

i put my rice in to soak with water in the cooker as i leave for work in the morning, around 8:30 am.  as soon as i come home i start the cooker and when it finishes, add the other ingredients.

it comes out fine that way for us.  rice is supposed to soak a little.  but to let it sit out for days, already cooked?  that far i would not go.


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## GB (Jul 29, 2008)

It is one thing to put uncooked rice in a rice cooker with water. That is safe to do (I have some in mine right now that has been there since before 7am). Once it is cooked though it becomes very dangerous to do that.


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## jennyema (Jul 29, 2008)

seans_potato_business said:


> I cooked and drained my rice a couple of days ago and left it on the stove top to mature.


 

It didn't mature, it rotted.

Mishandled rice is a leading source of food poisoning.  You should never leave it in the danger zone for more than maybe an hour.

Google "bacillus."  It's nasty stuff


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## miniman (Jul 29, 2008)

I run my cooked rice under a cold water tap for a few minutes to cool it down quicker. It also washes some of the starch away so it doesn't become a solid lump.


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## seans_potato_business (Jul 29, 2008)

And why does it need to be cool before frying?


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## kitchenelf (Jul 29, 2008)

Sorry, I remembered that part wasn't answered but then forgot to answer.

The starches need to cool down or it will just be a soggy, sticky mess.  The grains will be "individual" when allowed to cool.


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## quicksilver (Jul 29, 2008)

Do I hear pre - SAKI!

If it's heating up, its fermenting..... and stinking!!!!

​


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## jabbur (Jul 29, 2008)

My son is a hibachi chef at a Japanese restaurant.  They rinse their rice several times before cooking.  Put the rice in a bowl, add water to cover, stir, drain, repeat until water no longer becomes cloudy.  Then boil as usual.  When it is done, remove from heat and stir.  Put it in the fridge uncovered after cooling a bit on the counter (about an hour but not longer).  Everytime you get in the fridge for something, give it a stir to keep it from clumping.  Putting any kind of cover will keep it moist and affect your frying.  They make theirs only one day ahead so what is cooked today is served tomorrow as fried rice.  It comes out in nice individual grains using this method.


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## jet (Jul 29, 2008)

I throw my rice in the freezer to cool it down quickly.


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## kitchenelf (Jul 29, 2008)

sean - did we give you the info you needed?  You never replied back.


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## CharlieD (Jul 29, 2008)

The food poisoning from rice is worse than food poisoning from chicken, and much more common too. 

Speaking of fried rice I jus made some, from a day old rice, that was cooling in the refrigerator for a day, did  say it was yum?


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## seans_potato_business (Jul 30, 2008)

Okay, thanks for the info everyone. The SOP for fried rice has been adjusted.  I had no idea that food poisoning from rice was so common. They should put advice on rice packaging or something.


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## Wart (Jul 30, 2008)

*Anything* that has been cooked should NOT be allowed to sit around at room temperature for days on end.

Actually anything not below 40 degrees within 4 hours is gone, and even that is pushing it.(caveat)


My instructor stressed several times how when Sushi became popular in the Americas there were numerous instances of food born illness which were attributed to the raw fish. Actually the illnesses originated in time and temperature abused rice. Or so he said.


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## Michael in FtW (Jul 30, 2008)

Rice should not be held heated for more than 2 hours. If you're going to use it for fried rice - it should be cooled as quickly as possible and then refrigerated. Read this about rice bacteria and toxins. 

Fried rice gets made from cold pre-cooked rice to keep it from getting gummy and turning to clumpy mush. When you refrigerate the rice, and it gets cold, the starch inside the rice crystallizes (a process called retrogradation). When you fry your rice - the starch crystals melt but the rice doesn't get sticky - and retains a little more firm texture than fresh rice. 

When I make rice to use for fried rice - I usually dunk it into a bowl of ice water until cold, then drain in a sieve, and then put into a covered container and refrigerate. When I'm ready to fry it - I dump it out on a baking sheet and rub it between my hands to seperate the grains and break up any clumps. This is how I learned to do it from the mother of a friend of mine in college.


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## MostlyWater (Jul 30, 2008)

i'm not so sure you can things soaking for dayhs on end either.  reminds me of the time i wanted to make something with beans and soaked them first, then forgot about them for a few days .............


ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww


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## Maverick2272 (Jul 31, 2008)

Did he just stumble on a new recipe for Saki??? LOL.


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## Wart (Jul 31, 2008)

Remember my posts about the Moose Club kitchen?

I just remembered how they made their rice for stuffed peppers.

Surprising these peppers were so bland and didn't have more flavor of _some_ kind ... And I ate them ...

{Maniacal Laughter!!}

Another bullet dodged.


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## kitchenelf (Jul 31, 2008)

MostlyWater said:


> i'm not so sure you can things soaking for dayhs on end either.  reminds me of the time i wanted to make something with beans and soaked them first, then forgot about them for a few days .............
> 
> 
> ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww



They don't do much better in the refrigerator -   That's the worst smell ever!


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## mozart (Jul 31, 2008)

*This just another example of the fact that almost all food poisoning occurs AFTER cooking, or due to improper cooking, or in foods that are not meant to be cooked.*


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