What is the best way to reheat left over rice?

Question

I have been told that the best way to reheat left over rice is to put some water in it and to microwave it. Is that true? What about if the rice is already mixed in with the meat, as with Indian food, Chinese food or Spanish food? Should one still add water to the dish before microwaving it? 
 
Thanks in advance.

Answer

You need to be very cautious with keeping left over rice. Rice is notorious for having bacteria spores. Often when made at home or in a restaurant the water used to cook the rice is not at boiling temperature for a long time and the spores survive (many homes and restaurant actually turn off the heat once the water starts to boil). If the rice is then kept as a left over for several days and only reheated quickly there could be a big chance of food poisoning.
 
Rice made at home where you know you got it into the fridge quickly (ie it did not sit at room temp for 2 hours) should be eaten the next day or discarded. I would not save rice from a restaurant at all since you do not know how it was handled before you got it. Many restaurants simply do not follow recommended procedures for food handling temps and times. And let's face it, rice is not exactly expensive so throwing it away is not economic loss.

Answer

Remembering that my mother used to reheat spaghetti (without sauce) by briefly reboiling it, I tried that with two-day old rice. Unlike with cooking rice, use plenty of water, bring nearly to boil, add rice and boil for a couple of minutes. (That should take care of the bacteria problem as well.) Drain well (in a sieve, for example) and you have very fluffy rice. The other ways require too much care in time, amount of water, temperature, etc. for my taste. This is quick and foolproof.

Answer

For plain rice, I make a new batch, and when it's almost done, I mix the old batch in.

Answer

A rice cooker with a warm setting. It works great and is fast. Although I do single servings in the micro.

Answer

Depends entirely on what KIND of rice you're trying to reheat. Many rices "reharden" as they sit overnight, meaning their interior reverts to a hard texture that I've never had much success in getting to relax again. Which is why the traditional Chinese method for reheating leftover rice is "Fried Rice." Works every time! '-)

Answer

Our Micro is broken, and i want to add tomatoe paste to the rice,was thinkin about just makin a new batch and when done add the old rice, any tips on when i should add the tomatoe paste, its a small can, so if i add water to rice, i shouldnt have to add to paste, right?

Answer

It is funny because I reheated some chicken and fried rice from a restaurant and I have been in the bathroom on/off for the last 4 hours. I thought is was the chicken until I came across this article. Of course I am on Google and I came across this article. Next I went to Wikipedia and read about Bacillus cereus. I am not saying that this happens all the time but I am currently experiencing this "fun" way to spend my Saturday evening. Well I will continuing drinking fluids until my episode is complete.

Answer

I reheat rice by steaming, or by making the left over rice into fried rice.
I have heard about potential food poisoning with left over rice, but I always wonder why the whole of Asia isn't sick as they reheat rice all the time. And some rice is left to ferment to create other dishes, for instance dosa.....
Anyway, I would be carefull with people with compromised immune systems, but not really for myself

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