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Original poster

what is the risk of getting ill from leftover rice

51 replies

whoneedssleepanyway · 03/09/2011 12:58

I cooked too much rice last night (Friday) so thought I would make it into a rice salad for a bbq tomorrow (Sunday lunchtime) so 1.5 days later.

DH got all funny saying, you have to be so careful with rice it is one of those things it is really easy to get ill from.

The rice has been in the fridge since last night when it was cooked...is this risky. If you make rice salad should you use fresh rice and throw away anything that isn't eaten?

I am sure I have eaten left over rice salad before and been fine. I am generally pretty laid back about eating left overs but wouldn't want to do anything dodgey if other people were eating it.

OP posts:
bigTillyMint · 03/09/2011 19:04

No wonder I have the constitution of a horse and am never off work with s/d bugs. I have been eating pre-cooked rice since I was weaned and my DM is not the most hygienic cook.......

midoriway · 04/09/2011 08:56

Potatoes- Japanese people don't stick 2 day old rice in their bento box. They cook the rice overnight in an automatic rice cooker, and in the morning when they are preparing the bento lunch boxes, they scoop out fresh hot rice from the rice cooker into their bento box to take to work/ school to eat in a few hours time. J

PotatoesOfTheCarribean · 04/09/2011 09:34

I didn't say they did midori, I said they ate cold rice to illustrate that eating left over rice won't kill you.

Less of the patronising tone, thanks.

midoriway · 04/09/2011 09:38

Bento box rice is usually still warm by the time you eat it, not left over cold rice, but yeah, I'm sure you know what you are talking about and have prepared many bento boxes in the past.

PotatoesOfTheCarribean · 04/09/2011 09:39

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet.

DrNortherner · 04/09/2011 09:40

My dh is a chef and has done advanced food hygiene course all he ever bangs on about is rice.

It is the most dangerous food to reheat. It's not just about reheating it, but about how it is cooled and stored.

CroissantNeuf · 04/09/2011 09:43

I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to leftover rice.

Ever since doing a Basic Food Hygiene course many, many years ago and hearing about all the issues you're discussing here I won't touch it as it scared me!

I'll eat rice salad if I know (or am pretty sure) that its been prepared and stored properly but won't touch leftover rice, especially from a takeaway as you don't know if its already been reheated once or how its been stored.

DP will eat anything and has never been affected.

CroissantNeuf · 04/09/2011 09:44

X'd posts DrN -that course really does stress the dangers!

DrNortherner · 04/09/2011 10:56

Tell me about it, he says the basic and intermediate course stress it enough, then he did advanced!

Original poster
whoneedssleepanyway · 04/09/2011 18:52

well needless to say I didn't take it to the bbq....it is still in the fridge and am planning to eat it for tea tonight....if you don't hear from me again you will know what has happened Wink

i do think it will be ok as has been in the fridge for 2 days and was refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking but this has really made me think about this and i will try to avoid having a leftover rice mountain in the future!!!

OP posts:
HipHopOpotomus · 04/09/2011 18:59

Next day is ok, after that throw it out.

Original poster
whoneedssleepanyway · 05/09/2011 08:30

You will all be pleased to know I am alive and have suffered no ill effects..Grin

OP posts:
bacon · 05/09/2011 11:34

If rice is boiled and cooked correctly then the spores are killed. I have always always eaten next day rice including the baby and children and never suffered any side effects. Again I have left rice in the saucepan overnight and tucked into it the next day with absolute no side effects.

As for the FSA, they go far too over the top with advice, they would make you cook a chicken for 2 hours and a turkey for 6! So much silly advise for people that cant make common sense decisions.

Again for doing a food hygine course, I did one a couple of years ago and the whole process is there to terrify you. People lived without fridges not that long ago and my mum was one and she was never ill.

Many people have suffered from posioning because food has been left out in warm conditions - leaving food in hot kitchens and sweating nicely under the cling film on the garden patio.

I get very annoyed with the FSA, the largest amount of food poisoning comes from pre-packed sarnies and deli meats yet no mention with this nor any mention of chicken coming in from countries like Thialand which has a high chance of containing samenelia.

Pkemal · 19/12/2014 00:57

I've eaten a day old rice that was left in the pan over night, I didn't realise it was old and had 3/4 spoons full to eat, I am really worried now as I am 6weeks pregnant and worried there's a risk of miscarrying my baby. Can anyone give me any advice what to do

Threeplus1 · 19/12/2014 01:19

Rice that has been cooled quickly and stored in the fridge can keep safely for up to three days. We eat rice 4-5 times a week (more when I was growing up, when it'd also be left out overnight and reheated many times Shock which although never made us sick, I would NEVER do now).

pkemal was the house warm overnight? Getting sick is a possibility, but not a guarantee. I'm sure you'll be fine, but call your midwife if you start to feel ill x

Pkemal · 19/12/2014 01:36

I am not too sure it was in the morning as the heaters were on :(. I've eaten pickled onions and geurkins to kill the bacteria from the vinegar, I am only 6 weeks pregnant and don't have a midwife yet, thank you for your help Smile

RojaGato · 19/12/2014 05:31

I had food poisoning from rice once.

I collapsed on my living room floor unconscious (on my own) for a few hours.

Then I managed to drag myself to bed and lay there, deliriously dreaming that a giant bird of prey was ripping out my innards and eating them whilst they were still attached to me for a whole bank holiday weekend until my flatmate came back from seeing folks and called doctor.

so it;s one of those things where it's not a given that you will get food poisoning from rice, bu tif you do you are never going to risk it again. It is horrendous.

McSqueezy · 19/12/2014 06:06

I've been eating rice all my life. The other day I cooked some at 2pm, left it out, came home at 5pm, ate some. Put it in the fridge...ate the rest two days later. Pretty much how I live my life.

I don't know anyone who has been poisoned by rice - not anyone who is used to eating rice regularly anyway.

Pkemal · 19/12/2014 07:17

Thanks a lot that helps guys Smile

4merlyknownasSHD · 19/12/2014 10:27

Never had a problem.......EVER. Cooked some last night, ate last night, just realized left it out overnight and still out (and I am now at work). Will put it in the fridge at lunchtime and reheat for lunch tomorrow in the microwave. I don't anticipate any illness at all.

TalkinPeace · 19/12/2014 17:47

If rice is cooked and eaten while still hot : its fine.

If rice is cooked and then chilled down immediately to be made into sushi or rice salad, its fine for a day or two

If cooked rice is allowed to cool for an hour or two and then gently reheated to an eating temperature
there is much too much chance of food poisoning
to outweigh - just cook more rice

I've had food poisoning from leftover rice twice - was NOT NICE
I now bin it as I'm clearing the plates

PoppyAmex · 19/12/2014 21:27

I'll just say that if you threw out leftover rice, you would never have the pleasure of eating arancini made with leftover risotto and frankly that's just nuts. Wink

Cool it and refrigerate it.

TalkinPeace · 19/12/2014 21:34

poppy
arancini are wonderful
but the rice is cooked, cooled, packed and fried

there is not that 6 hour 'fermenting time' : that left me moving like a turbillion firework

ElizabethHoover · 19/12/2014 21:35

i have never been ill from it

TheLastThneed · 19/12/2014 21:52

We always ate reheated rice when we were growing up. It wasn't cooked that soon after eating and was often reheated more than once. We were never ill.

I have been ill from eating reheated rice once (since leaving home) and it was pretty unpleasant, but it only lasted the night.

I wouldn't risk it if I was cooking for other people. As a PP said, you're not certain to get ill, but it can be pretty unpleasant if you do.