Is It Safe to Reheat Rice, or Could It Get You Sick?

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Rice pretty much tops the list of ingredients we think of as simple, so it may come as a surprise that many aspects of this pantry staple are actually hotly debated. Folks are split on everything from the right way to prepare it—are you on Team Rice Cooker or Team Stovetop?—to whether or not it needs to be rinsed beforehand.

But perhaps the biggest question has to do with potential health risks: Is it safe to reheat rice, or can you get sick if you cook up a big ol’ pot and nuke as needed all week long?

“Most people think of meat or dairy when they worry about food poisoning, but rice is one of the most common causes globally,” Darin Detwiler, PhD, a food safety expert and associate teaching professor at Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies, tells SELF. Generally, though, it’s not the rice itself that makes you sick, he says—it’s the way it’s stored and handled after you cook it. Which brings us to the good news: You don’t need to fear your leftovers; you just need to take a few precautions when cooking your batch the first time around.

So what do you need to keep in mind when you are preparing it? How do you get a tasty (and safe!) pot of rice every time? We consulted food safety and culinary experts to answer all the questions you might have about how to cook, serve, and store rice.

Do I really need to rinse my rice…or can I skip this step?Rinsing rice before cooking is a culinary ritual in many cultures around the world, says Dr. Detwiler. Still, many home cooks can’t agree on whether or not it’s really necessary. Even the experts we consulted were split in their responses.

On one side of the debate are those who assert it simply produces a better final product: It makes for fluffier results and removes dusty debris that can interfere with quality, Roya Shariat, London-based writer, home cook, and coauthor of Maman and Me: Recipes from Our Iranian American Family, tells SELF.

Rinsing removes excess starch, which helps keep the rice grains separate and fluffy rather than clumping together and forming a gooey mass, Olivia Roszkowski, chef-instructor of Plant-Based Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education’s New York City campus, tells SELF. This is great for things like fried rice or just a plain ol’ pot of it for doling out as a side dish, but there are two main exceptions to this rule: risotto and rice pudding, which actually benefit from the added creaminess that extra starch provides. Aside from those outliers, though, you’re almost always going to get a tastier pot of rice from rinsing first, proponents believe.

On the other side are those who didn’t grow up doing it, don’t notice a huge difference without it, and would rather not add more work to their load if they can avoid it. One thing in this camp’s favor? Contrary to what you might think, skipping the rinse step actually doesn’t really pose a food safety risk, Wade Syers, MS, a food safety specialist at Michigan State University Extension, tells SELF.

While the risks aren’t zero, they are minimal, and opting not to rinse will not typically make you more likely to get sick, says Syers. For instance, he says that trace amounts of substances like arsenic have been found on rice depending on where it was farmed—and that rinsing doesn’t do much to reduce their presence anyway (but boiling does!).

What’s more, if there are bacteria present on your raw grains, the heat you use to cook it would be enough to kill them. “Proper cooking temperatures are sufficient to kill most pathogens, so while rinsing may enhance quality and appearance, it isn’t a required safety measure in modern kitchens using commercially processed rice,” Dr. Detwiler says.

So basically, the choice is yours. But if you want to give it a try—say, if you’ve been finding your rice to clump up a bit too much—here’s how to do it:

Grab a pot and a fine-mesh sieve (avoid using a colander or anything with large holes that the grains can easily fall through), add your rice to the pot, fill it with water, and stir the grains lightly with clean hands until the water is cloudy—this indicates the starch has started to separate from the grains. From there, pour the rice through the sieve and repeat the previous step until the water runs mostly clear. You should be able to identify individual grains of rice without effort, but a little residual cloudiness is okay. “I rinse my rice until the water runs as close to clear as I can get, but I wouldn’t advise anything specific like ‘three changes of water,’” says Shariat. That’s because rice varies a lot according to manufacturer, and some brands may simply be starchier than others (and thus require more rinsing).

Sometimes that will take one or two rinses, other times up to five, after which further rinsing isn’t recommended because it will start to negatively affect the rice’s texture, Cara Harbstreet, MS, RD, LD of Street Smart Nutrition, tells SELF.

What’s the right ratio of rice to water?Roszkowski says there’s no hard-and-fast rule because different rice varieties have different requirements. One and a half cups to one and three-fourths cups of water per one cup of rice is generally a good range to rely on for white rice varietals like basmati and sticky rice, because these options have had their hard exterior husks removed during processing and both cook and absorb water more quickly than those that haven’t (like brown and wild rice.) Those darker strains still have those husks and require a longer cook time and more water as a result—typically between two and two and a fourth cup water per one cup of rice, says Harbstreet.

Not keen to get out your measuring cups? Shariat swears by the finger technique used in culinary traditions throughout East and Southwest Asia. Put the rice in a pot, and fill it with cold water to cover it just barely. Then, put a finger straight down into the pot until you’re just touching the top of the rice. “If the water reaches up to the first line of your finger (the knuckle), you’re good, otherwise add water until it reaches that point,” she says.

Should I cook it in a rice cooker or in a pot on the stove?The answer to this common question largely comes down to preference, says Harbstreet. She adores using her rice cooker for hands off prep, but also admits that it’s totally possible to achieve equally great results on a stovetop—it requires a little more babysitting, in that you’ll need to check on it once or twice to make sure it has enough water, but also gives you more room for error.

For instance, you need to measure out the exact amount of rice and water when using a rice cooker. Once the machine is closed and activated, there’s no going back—so if you didn’t use the right ratio, you’re kind of stuck with the final result.

By contrast, stovetop rice cooking is a little more flexible because you can check on it and save it before it’s too late if necessary. For example, if you notice there’s not enough water in the pot during the cooking process—say, if the grains are still hard but all the liquid has evaporated—you can easily add an extra tablespoon or two at the last minute and still wind up with a perfect bowl of rice. You’ll know when all the water has evaporated if the top of your rice is dotted with small holes, and you’ll want to add a touch more if the grains are still slightly translucent in the center or al dente when tasted.

Why is it a good idea to let my rice sit before serving?Even though you might be tempted to dig in right away, take a cue from the package instructions and let it sit for a little while longer. Just because all the water is absorbed and the grains are tender doesn’t mean that your rice is ready to eat. In fact, Roszkowski says that letting it sit covered for an extra five to 10 minutes will remove any residual moisture that you can’t see and lock in that fluffy texture.

Hard as it may be when your stomach is growling, wait that full time. Then, use a fork to fluff the rice and transfer it immediately to another, cool container so it doesn’t continue cooking from the residual heat. That can cause it to become soggy over time, Roszkowski says.

How long can I leave rice out before I need to put it away?This part is crucial, because the longer rice is left in a hot pan at room temperature, the faster it’ll get to the temperature danger zone—the range between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit that produces an ideal environment for harmful bacteria to proliferate, Syers explains. In general, he says it takes about two hours for freshly cooked food to get to this point (though that can vary depending on the temperature of your room). So it’s a good idea to transfer your leftovers to the fridge sooner rather than later—and yes, it is safe to put hot food in the fridge, as SELF previously reported.

And now, the biggie: Will reheating rice make me sick?The short answer is no, but it all depends on how long your rice sat out, says Dr. Detwiler. “Leftover rice has been linked to foodborne illness due to a bacterium called Bacillus cereus, which produces spores that can survive cooking,” he explains.

Bacillus cereus grows in soil and can be found on any foods that come into contact with it, both plant- and animal-based, and is linked to a litany of unfun symptoms, like vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. While healthy adults will typically recover from it without serious issues, it can pose greater risks to vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.

When rice is left out too long at room temperature, those spores can multiply and produce resistant toxins, which can both withstand freezing temps and can’t be destroyed by reheating, says Dr. Detwiler. The possibility of the development of these hardy spores makes it different from other bugs that commonly cause food poisoning, like salmonella and listeria, which are deactivated at high cooking temperatures.

Basically, if there’s even a chance that your rice has had time to develop spores from this bacteria, there’s no amount of nuking in the microwave that will make it safe to eat again.

The good news? Provided you have transferred your rice to the fridge before the two-hour mark, you don’t need to worry about heating and consuming those leftovers. Dr. Detwiler says you can also freeze and enjoy rice for one to two months without concern. Letting it cool fully in the fridge before transferring it to your ice chest is also a good way to ensure it tastes as good in the future as it did on day one, he says.

Alternatively, you can keep it in the fridge for quick meals on demand for up to four days, after which point most leftovers—not just rice—are no longer safe for consumption. Long (grain) story short: All you have to do is treat your rice right to ensure it never does you wrong.

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