Any ideas on recipes to cook for dd who doesn't like potatoes or pasta but seems to like rice of which I'm a bit scared?

[extremelychocolateymilkroll]

Dd is 18 months,and doesn't really like potatoes - in spite of her Irish heritage - or pasta. She had some rice at a restaurant recently which she seemed to like but I'm not a fan and not sure what to cook. I like to make a batch of a complete meal as dh doesn't eat meat so sometimes she has her own meal. Also, how does the whole freezing/defrosting rice thing work? Isn't it meant to be potentially dangerous to freeze or refrigerate and then heat up? TIA

You can freeze it in single portions. Just make sure it is cooled quickly and then really thoroughly reheated. It is when left standing around at room temp that it develops bugs.
Basmati is the nicest IMO. Just follow packet instructions - usually chuck into boiling water, bring back to boil for 10 min and drain.

Thanks LadyGlencora. Will be brave and give it a go.

I make a big pot of butternut squash and chicken risotto and then freeze it in portions for DS.

As long as you make sure it is piping hot through when reheated and cooled really quickly before freezing it is fine.

I also serve stew with rice sometimes instead of potatoes. The microwave in 2 mins sachets of rice ae quite good and you can also buy frozen rice.

You can get some rice things that are ready frozen, so you could just decant a bit, zap in microwave and shove the rest back in the freezer. If you're not a rice fan then this might be easier than cooking a lot from scratch.

simple risottos are a good way forward - bacon and mushroom, chicken, mushroom, etc. They are fairly easy to prepare and freeze ok.
We use rice as a base for some stews, curries, stir-fries, etc.

The biggest danger from rice as others have said is if it is allowed to stand around at warm temps for any length of time - rapid cooling/freezing and thorough re-heating will pretty much ensure there is no risk from rice.

For risottos, arborio rice is the nicest but you can still use long grain or basmati rice if you want.

Hot dog risotto was a real winner in our house: Fry onions in olive oil with hot dogs cut into thick rings (get the chicken ones if you can - less fat) and carrots/peppers/whatever other veg you have, then add rice, stir for a minute then add a tin of chopped tomatoes and enough veggie stock to cover the rice and about an inch above it. Simmer until rice has cooked, adding more water if necessary. You can freeze leftovers. Gorgeous ricey texture and smokey flavours - yum.

If you're going to be freezing best to go for a risotto, then when you reheat add a splash of milk to help rehydrate.

I'm not really swayed by all this cold rice being deadly, I lived in Asia for many years and cooking leftover rice the next day was the norm. I don't recall ever getting sick from it. I reaheated rice quite happily for my DD when weaning. It was only on mn that I discovered that it was dangerous. It hasn't stopped me from reheating leftover risotto the next day and no one has died here yet.

By the way, the easiest way to cook rice is 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of wather, bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer until the water almost disappears, then put the lid on, turn the heat off and leave to "rest" for 10 mins. The rice will then finish cooking by steaming itself and the grains will be fluffier. No need to drain. It's a huge pain draining rice, you risk getting the stuff everywhere.

Thanks for all your suggestions and for helping me with my rice phobia. It's funny how you feed your children what you eat, not thinking about the fact that you haven't exposed them to certain other foods because you don't like them? Maybe it's divine intervention to ensure that I do give her rice.

Sorry - more beginner's questions. How do you cool rice quickly? Also, I usually just defrost food in the fridge overnight - is that a suitable technique for rice? TIA

Brangelina - tbh, it's really rice from takeaway shops that is the problem - frequently the shop/restaurant has a par-boiled pot of rice simmering on the go that portions can be whipped out of and heated through/fried as needed. It's that warm pot that is the problem - perfect breeding ground for the food poisoning bacterium, Bacillus cereus. It is also a spore-former - so even if the initial frying/heating kills of any live bacteria so the fresh takeaway won't hurt you, the spores might "hatch" in the cooling rice before it is put in the fridge and if not reheated thoroughly next time, might give you food poisoning.

Hopme-cooked rice is rarely going to suffer the same set of problems.

That's what I though Thumbbunny. I've got to my grand old age without ever having succumbed to a rice spore and I quite frequently leave the stuff out overnight because I'm a lazy cow as my pan is too big to get into the fridge. Also, rice salad is a big fave here so we often don't reheat the rice at all. DD's never once had a case of the squits from it, au contraire!.

Extremely - if you are going to freeze it, then once it is boiled, drain it off and leave it covered in a cool place. When it is cool (i.e. not warm any more, am not being facetious honestly!) then you can put it in the fridge. Once it's cold, you can freeze it. Don't put warm rice in the fridge because it will raise the ambient temperature of the fridge.

For home-cooked rice, defrosting in the fridge overnight is unlikely to cause any problems, and you will probably re-heat it again before serving anyway, so should be absolutely fine.

Both my Dad and DP like bolognese sauce with rice. Chicken korma might be ok if its mild, perhaps mix some yoghurt through to make it more mild.

Sweet and sour chicken is also a favourite, but as a treat since its very sugary. Sainsbo's do a basics jar for ~30p which makes meals for 3-4 people. I add chicken, red pepper, green pepper and sometimes a tin of pineapple. Also nice with noodles.

You could also try couscous as my ds, when small, liked this. I would chop some red pepper & corgette into small pieces, then fry gently till cooked and then add to some cooked couscous.

Couscous is really simple because you put some into a bowl, just cover with some very hot stock, then leave, covered, for a few minutes. Once the stock is absorbed it is ok to use.

Thanks again all for your ideas. Keep meaning to get couscous Stirling but just never seem to get round to it.