Would you eat this risotto?

[Cindy87]

I made a tomato and spinach risotto last night with enough to have for lunch today and tomorrow. I put it in tupperware and left on the side to cool before I put it in the fridge - but I forgot to put it in the fridge. So it has been left out all night and is now in the fridge. I would eat it if it was pasta but worried as it is rice... Would you risk it?

Incidentally, the same bacterium (Bacillus cereus) can affect pasta, there was a death of a young man a few years ago after eating pasta left out for a few days

But we're not talking about 'a few days', but overnight. I expect that many foods are dangerously bad after an extended period out of the fridge, which will rarely be the case in the UK from overnight, apart from maybe during heatwaves. Lets not forget that people used to keep all their food at room temperatures and just eat it within a day or two, probably without any issues.

And, as some have said, reheating won't make a difference with rice. Rice can contain a certain bacteria that is not necessarily killed by cooking. Gettting it into the fridge within 1-2 hours will slow the progression of the multiplication of the bacteria, but reheating won't kill it.

Nope, my friend did this (also someone who claimed to have a strong stomach!) and was off work for three days. I wouldn't risk it!

@LarsErickssong

I would but would make sure it was extra hot when reheated, my Asian friend always laughs at our attitude to reheating rice as she and everyone she knows makes a big batch of rice on a Sunday and that same batch is reheated constantly for the next week.

yes, this.

I really struggle to understand the British attitude to rice having lived in Asia.

I would be more concerned if there was meat in it, but meat free, I would eat it.

and in Indonesia, the most common breakfast is fried rice,
Take rice left over from last night's dinner, and fry with sauce and an egg.

This is a centuries old tradition. Many people still don't have fridges, weather is tropical.

Guess others wouldn't but I'd eat eat it

When I lived at home my mum cooked a huge pot of rice which physically could not go in the fridge. It was left out till we all ate it and I never had any issues, nor my infant dc

Up to you. Most likely won't do anything.

I wouldn't as mumsnet has scared me when it comes to rice. I'm reconsidering though as people make some good points about rice eating cultures not behaving as if cooked rice is radioactive.

I would.

100%. Wouldn't even have to think about it.

In fact, I have chicken fried rice, made with left over chicken, still in the side from last night I will be eating today

Just make sure you heat it fully

Yep. Just had reheated Thai curry with rice, from last night. Regular rice reheater here.

@LarsErickssong

I would but would make sure it was extra hot when reheated, my Asian friend always laughs at our attitude to reheating rice as she and everyone she knows makes a big batch of rice on a Sunday and that same batch is reheated constantly for the next week.

If left at ambient temperature for more than 75 minutes the bacteria in rice produce spores. These are NOT killed by reheating and why so many are ill from rice. A cooked batch in fridge and reheated over a few days is fine IF put in fridge within 75 minutes.

If left at ambient temperature for more than 75 minutes the bacteria in rice produce spores. These are NOT killed by reheating and why so many are ill from rice. A cooked batch in fridge and reheated over a few days is fine IF put in fridge within 75 minutes

DOES produce or CAN produce? Because as pp have said, if eating reheated non refidgerated rice was a common serious problem, half of asia would be empty. And it isn't.

I’m not a big eater so whenever I’ve had a Chinese or Indian takeaway I alway have leftovers and eat them cold the next day.

They are stored in the containers they came in and are not refrigerated.

I haven’t died or been ill once.

Definitely not. Rice needs to be cooled quickly.

@Livpool

I would but my kitchen is as cold as a fridge! Just cook it well in the microwave and it will be fine

Is your kitchen genuinely below 4C? Even my garage isn't that cold, at the moment.

Yeah I would, I always forget the issues with rice. I often eat Chinese takeaway the next morning after It’s sat out all night

@GrumpyHoonMain

I imagine it’s microwaving rice that’s the problem. You can’t do that if the rice has a lot of gluten as the lumps don’t always cook through. But you can if you’ve cooked perfectly seperated basmati rice.

Best way to reheat clumpy rice is on the stove.

No gluten in rice.

If left at ambient temperature for more than 75 minutes the bacteria in rice produce spores. These are NOT killed by reheating and why so many are ill from rice. A cooked batch in fridge and reheated over a few days is fine IF put in fridge within 75 minutes

75 minutes seems very specific. And are there really so many cases of rice related food poisoning?

I've probably eaten reheated rice that's spent hours at room temperature and not being particularly thoroughly reheated because I'm a slack arse at least twice a week for the past 30+ years and I've never had a problem, which indicates to me that the risk is fairly low and far from the certainty that many on here seem to think.

No I wouldn't reheat rice if you accidentally you left it out all night. Other things I probably would but definitely not rice.

I think that a lot of the issues around rice came about from Take aways and buffets.

Take away rice, I would not reheat if it has been sitting round on the counter overnight. Take away rice was not cooked fresh when you phoned in your order, so it has been sitting for some time.

Yes, it is possible for rice to produce nasties if sat around warm for a long time, but it is not common, or even normal for this to happen in a rice dish you made sittign on the side.

Even when there were rice relating food poisoning cases, they were usually connected to take away/restaurant rice.

Depends. The bacteria which causes poisoning from rice is called bacillus cereus, and is present in a large proportion of cooked rice dishes. You can kill the bacteria themselves by reheating well, but you can't kill the toxin they produce. The more bacteria there are, the more toxin. You can reduce the numbers of bacteria (and therefore toxin) by cooling food quickly after the first cooking, and getting it in the fridge asap. But as plenty of rice contains bacillus cereus, it's likely that if you ever eat chilled or reheated rice you've been exposed to it. Presumably healthy people can handle small amounts!

So, if you have eaten lots of chilled and reheated rice in the past, I'd probably go for it. I've eaten it all my life, and also regularly eaten unrefrigerated rice that's been left out for ages, so I'm confident I've built up an immunity to it. If however you've never touched anything like this before, I probably wouldn't jump straight into the risotto. Start smaller and build up!

Note that it's been a while since I've worked in this area, so if scientific knowledge has changed in the last ten years I'm out of date...

I would.

I’m always reading about rice being this hotbed of food poisoning but I’ve never heard of anyone actually getting ill from rice left overnight.

Maybe a takeaway left overnight and most of the day in a sweaty kitchen and then eaten cold - but I’d heat up yours and eat it.

I would

@JustFedUpOfThis

100% no. Rice shouldn’t be eaten once it has been at room temp for over two hours.

(And before I’m jumped on for being too picky, I have eaten and would eat against stuff that has been left out overnight, but never ever rice)

@JustFedUpOfThis do you know what the deal is with sushi rice ?