Steamed rice and hot weather

[Berty100]

School starts again tomorrow, and instead of making my son subject to the mediocre food at the school, I intended to have him take his meals with riceberry from home.

The mother however says that with the hot weather the rice will go bad before lunch time.

Is this something I should take note of or is this just another Thai myth?

The classrooms are airconditioned.

[stubuzz]

How long does cooked rice last at room temperature? Bacteria grow rapidly at temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F; rice should be discarded if left for more than 2 hours at room temperature.

[stoneyboy]

Yes rice is one of the biggest breeders of bacteria,that said I've eaten rice which has been in my steamer several hours later to no ill effect,same as the restaurants how long does it sit there sometimes.

Once cooked it can be safely stored in the fridge,I can't imagine after 3/4 hours in a school bag in a sealed box is going to do your son much harm,Thais are very tolerant given the way much food is prepared here.

[manfredtillmann]

we - on a daily basis - eat sticky rice (kau niau) cooked several hours prior. yesterdays leftovers also get re - heated the next day with a batch of new stuff.

it is kept in the usual basket (katip kau) with flies buzzing all over it all day long.

eating it right now...

[NickJ]

The VietCong used to put it in bamboo tubes and eat it days later. After crawling thru the jungle.

[DrDave]

Upcountry, the wife's family cooks sticky rice and keeps it wrapped up in one of those cheesecloth things inside a plastic cooler, which seems to keep it fairly warm. Usually it runs out before having to throw any away, but as I recall it can last a couple of days without spoiling.

In the US, we had a small, high quality, Japanese rice cooker that had an indefinite "keep warm" setting. We were able to keep a small amount of cooked rice in this machine for 2 to 3 days with no problem. I've noticed that the newer version of this model automatically shuts off after about 12 hours, so presumably they're now recommending that the rice not be kept more than 12 hours.

[ukrules]

Boiled rice is the one to watch out for, the bacteria is called bacillus cereus, it's not the becteria itself which can make you ill but the toxins it produces.

The bacteria are only active at certain temperatures which is when they're not in the fridge or being kept warm / heated.

Edited May 16, 2016 by ukrules

[ChrisKC]

I am not sure about other predominant rice-eating countries but Thailand is not one to follow regarding rice hygiene!

In many places I have been and lived in, the family gets up at 6.am and the lady of the house switches on the TV and rice cooker and then they stay on all day. For people who prepare, cook and eat rice just about every day of their lives I am amazed at the number who don't really know how to do it properly.

Anyway, rice is one of those foods particularly prone to bacteria and needs to be fridged - cooling it down quickly - as soon as possible. Like other Posters, I agree that a couple of hours from pot to eating shouldn't be a problem.

In my house the temperature for the last few months has been very high all day and night. I insist that the uneaten rice is fridged and if it's forgotten I am equally insistent it is thrown away.

You can find out more from a google search - how to store (un)cooked rice.

[Bantex]

My wife forgot to put rice, which had been sitting for only two hours, in the fridge, her mother gave some to our young son who had a night of vomiting and diarrhoea. I always throw it out or fry it in the wok to kill the bacteria.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Bantex

[ChrisKC]

My wife forgot to put rice, which had been sitting for only two hours, in the fridge, her mother gave some to our young son who had a night of vomiting and diarrhoea. I always throw it out or fry it in the wok to kill the bacteria.

Eating rice that already may be infected by toxin-creating bacteria and more than 4 hours old unfridged I believe is worth only to be thrown out.

When I live alone I don't use a rice cooker. I cook rice and watch it until it is done and I cook only enough for two servings, one for dinner, fridged and eaten for lunch the next day. I usually make an egg fried rice dish with that. And what is more, always more delicious than from the rice cooker.

[ukrules]

My wife forgot to put rice, which had been sitting for only two hours, in the fridge, her mother gave some to our young son who had a night of vomiting and diarrhoea. I always throw it out or fry it in the wok to kill the bacteria.

Eating rice that already may be infected by toxin-creating bacteria and more than 4 hours old unfridged I believe is worth only to be thrown out.

When I live alone I don't use a rice cooker. I cook rice and watch it until it is done and I cook only enough for two servings, one for dinner, fridged and eaten for lunch the next day. I usually make an egg fried rice dish with that. And what is more, always more delicious than from the rice cooker.

You're right. Heating is up kills the bacteria but does nothing to the toxins which have already been created by the now dead bacteria.

This is why it will still make you ill regardless of the fact that there's nothing alive in it.

[Berty100]

So if I steam rice and right after steaming put it in a sealed container, how does bacteria get inside?

[SOTIRIOS]

...often...there never seems to be a definitive answer....with verifiable explanation....

[nemrut]

A few hours in airtight container should be fine. Japanese commonly bring their lunch to work in bento boxes which often arent eaten until will after 4-5hrs.

Make sure the rice is well rinsed in filtered water - not from the tap and add some vinegar once it's done when you fluff up the rice and cover back up.

[ChrisKC]

So if I steam rice and right after steaming put it in a sealed container, how does bacteria get inside?

First paragraph sourced from Internet

Bacillus cereus will have survived as spores in the food all through the cooking process (even at 100C), and are now stimulated to return to a vegetative (growth) state. They can reach 10^5 or 10^6 per gram very quickly. As its name implies, it was attached to most cereal crops, wheat, rice, etc., and is not from the food animal or human food-handler.

Bacteria continues to grow and multiply in the presence of water or moisture, growing very quickly at room temperature. At fridged temperature they are growing much more slowly so shouldn't be left in there too long either.

On a general note, Bacteria is everywhere, even in your body, round your eyes and in your mouth with only about 20% of bacteria that is bad and there is 80% "good" bacteria that helps to fight the bad.

Edited May 16, 2016 by ChrisKC

[whaleboneman]

So if I steam rice and right after steaming put it in a sealed container, how does bacteria get inside?

Bacteria are very small and when you're not looking, they only have to open the container a tiny bit to slip in.

[ukrules]

So if I steam rice and right after steaming put it in a sealed container, how does bacteria get inside?

They're already in there, it's just that they only produce poisonous toxins when the rice is wet (when cooked) and not in the fridge or being boiled so it's all about the temperature they're stored at and how long they are stored for.

At 'room temperature' they become active. It's not the bacteria you need to worry about themselves, it's the toxins they produce that make you ill.

Edited May 16, 2016 by ukrules