Should you put your leftovers in the fridge before or after they have cooled down?

[Siouxsie]

I always make too much rice so I can use it for fried rice the next day....I've never had any problems.

 

[EastEnder]

I always make too much rice so I can use it for fried rice the next day....I've never had any problems.

If you'd spent your life crossing the road by closing your eyes & hoping for the best, and had never been run over once, would you conclude that this was a safe strategy?

When the sensor on the Deepwater Horizons drilling rig warned of a problem with the pressure, they ignored it because it had done that many times in the past and it'd turned out not to be a problem.

Your kitchen is ready to blow, lives will be lost, Hollywood will make a really bad film about it starring Mark Wahlberg. Please Siouxsie, for the love of God, don't make me watch another film with Mark Wahlberg in it...

 

[Siouxsie]

I like the idea of Mark Wahlberg in my kitchen...I'll keep eating fried rice

 

[Sea Star]

hmm. But what if they cast Nicolas Cage...

 

[Siouxsie]

hmm. But what if they cast Nicolas Cage...

I'll take him, at a push...dressed as Elvis.

 

[Pickman's model]

I like the idea of Mark Wahlberg in my kitchen...I'll keep eating fried rice

Yeh. You know he never washes up, right?

 

[Sea Star]

I'll take him, at a push...dressed as Elvis.

 

[Siouxsie]

Yeh. You know he never washes up, right?

I'm sure he has other skills around the house

 

[Pickman's model]

I'm sure he has other skills around the house

I wish I shared your confidence

 

[Siouxsie]

I'll be happy to just observe....and sniff

 

[Thimble Queen]

I always make too much rice so I can use it for fried rice the next day....I've never had any problems.

Me too. I love fried rice and it doesn't come out the same if you use rice that's just been cooked... It's all mushy and gross.

 

[Thimble Queen]

There is also some suggestion that there may be differing levels of tolerance to Bacillus Cereus between different races - with Asian and Indian at the top of the scale. Research into that is very much in the early days though.

Yeah we can handle the reheated rice cos we're more hardcore

 

[Siouxsie]

Me too. I love fried rice and it doesn't come out the same if you use rice that's just been cooked... It's all mushy and gross.

I read somewhere that you're not supposed to stir it when it's freshly cooked, that's why it goes like porridge.....how do you manage that!
Cold rice all the way.

 

[xenon]

Leave to cool before going in the fridge. Nuke in microwave next day. Putting hot food in the fridge is just weird.

 

[Sea Star]

I read somewhere that you're not supposed to stir it when it's freshly cooked, that's why it goes like porridge.....how do you manage that!
Cold rice all the way.

I used to be good at this. You use relatively small amount of water, on a low heat, firm lid, and let the rice steam instead of boiling. No stirring required.

 

[lefteri]

There are some very common dishes in Asia that involve leftover rice - egg fried rice and Japanese ochazuke (tea and rice) come to mind - given that millions probably make these dishes every day you'd expect mass outbreaks of food poisoning even allowing for genetic tolerance

Unless it's such a tiny risk that it's not worth worrying about of course

 

[Siouxsie]

I used to be good at this. You use relatively small amount of water, on a low heat, firm lid, and let the rice steam instead of boiling. No stirring required.

Sorry, AuntiStella, I meant you're not to stir the fried rice...didn't explain myself properly
I use a rice cooker...try as I might, boiling rice has always escaped me...I know my limits

 

[EastEnder]

Leave to cool before going in the fridge. Nuke in microwave next day. Putting hot food in the fridge is just weird.

If you're expecting to kill the bacteria by reheating food in a microwave, you might as well just give them a stern talking to instead, it'd be just as effective.

 

[Thimble Queen]

I read somewhere that you're not supposed to stir it when it's freshly cooked, that's why it goes like porridge.....how do you manage that!
Cold rice all the way.

I give boiled rice a quick fluff at the end of cooking which works fine. Its when it goes straight in the wok it fucks up. Unless it's day old then I can stir it round loads and it's fine.

 

[Spymaster]

If you'd spent your life crossing the road by closing your eyes & hoping for the best, and had never been run over once, would you conclude that this was a safe strategy?

Yes. Pretty much. Or as much as to not give a toss about it. I'd probably conclude that the road was closed, or that the people who were telling me it was dangerous were full of poo. Planes crash but I don't stop flying. Some things happen so infrequently they just aren't worth worrying about.

 

[Spymaster]

Unless it's such a tiny risk that it's not worth worrying about of course

It's this. Or Bacillus cereus is just a twat of a bacteria and not worthy of the name.

So far only one Urb is prepared to admit to being done in by reheated rice. And he's Scottish. And he blames E Coli rather than Bacillus cereus and E. coli comes from eating shite and stuff.

 

[EastEnder]

Yes. Pretty much. Or as much as to not give a toss about it. I'd probably conclude that the road was closed, or that the people who were telling me it was dangerous were full of poo. Planes crash but I don't stop flying. Some things happen so infrequently they just aren't worth worrying about.

I agree entirely, it's the pragmatic acceptance of risk.

It's only when people make the assumption that because nothing bad has happened before, that must mean nothing bad will happen in the future, that there's a problem.

I know full well that prompt refrigeration is the optimum strategy for minimising the rate of bacterial growth, yet despite this I frequently leave stuff out before sticking it in the fridge - it's my life, my fridge, I'll do whatever the hell I want.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

If you're expecting to kill the bacteria by reheating food in a microwave, you might as well just give them a stern talking to instead, it'd be just as effective.

I reheat food using gamma radiation. Nice and sterile afterwards.

 

[pogofish]

So far only one Urb is prepared to admit to being done in by reheated rice. And he's Scottish. And he blames E Coli rather than Bacillus cereus and E. coli comes from eating shite and stuff.

The rice in question was eaten in London. The trail went cold because I ate two rice dishes over three days.

 

[Thimble Queen]

I made lentil chilli last week. The leftovers were mixed with the left over rice and popped in the fridge when cool. I used the leftover rice and chilli mix as cold wrap filling. The fella ate it too. We didn't die.

 

[Pickman's model]

There are some very common dishes in Asia that involve leftover rice - egg fried rice and Japanese ochazuke (tea and rice) come to mind - given that millions probably make these dishes every day you'd expect mass outbreaks of food poisoning even allowing for genetic tolerance

Unless it's such a tiny risk that it's not worth worrying about of course

It's a myth put out by the vested rice interests to get people to buy more rice than they in fact need

 

[andysays]

I made lentil chilli last week. The leftovers were mixed with the left over rice and popped in the fridge when cool. I used the leftover rice and chilli mix as cold wrap filling. The fella ate it too. We didn't die.

Yet...

 

[Thimble Queen]

Yet...

Well everyone's got to go eventually

 

[andysays]

Well everyone's got to go eventually

Got your epitaph ready

I made lentil chilli last week. The leftovers were mixed with the left over rice and popped in the fridge when cool. I used the leftover rice and chilli mix as cold wrap filling. The fella ate it too...

 

[EastEnder]

Well everyone's got to go eventually

Dying from food poisoning holds no fear for me. It's the projectile vomiting & explosive diarrhoea associated with not dying that's more of a concern.