freezing & reheating

[suzi2]

Can I reheat rice (from cold or frozen) for DS (9 months)? I have been already and have just seen somewhere that you shouldn't. I heat it to boiling though.

Also, can you cook fresh chicken from frozen?

Sorry for my ignorance!

def no to chicken,and the rice i wouldnt reheat as it is known for being dodgy

What happens with rice? I have been reheating cubes of rice for ds for months!!

yes and.. probably not

What is the problem with rice? Anyone?

With rice you have to be really care ful as if it drops below a certain temp it breeds spores really quickly and i dont think you should reheat it! dont want to scare anyone but just going from what ive been told on food hygiene courses.

I think it's something to do with bacteria multiplying really quickly with rice.

can't remember why but re-heated rice carries a big risk of food poisoning - happened to my mum.

Eeek - naughty mummy! I've been doing both! I will stop now though. The chicken thing is easy enough as it's just a diced bit that's frozen so shouldn't take long to defrost. However, I make him litle veggie burgers with rice that I put in the freezer so I'll have to stop putting rice in them.

Is it OK to freeze and reheat cooked chicken?

you can reheat rice that you've frozen straight after it's been cooked iyswim.

I'm well confused now! I think I'll avoid the non fresh rice thing.

i've done food hygiene courses, and worked in catering for years...

and i've posted about this, including links befroe

YOU CAN REHEAT RICE!

yes, there is a nasty form of food poisoning you can get from it... but like any food, if you are careful with it then it's fine!

we used to reheat rice and serve it and EHO thought it was fine1

OK, so if I cook the veggie burger mix (that contains rice) and freeze them as soon as they are cool that's OK?

So now to the chicken. Can I refreeze the chicken once cooked if it has previously been frozen?

I'm not usually a total dunce with these things - honestly - but I would put myself at risks that I wouldn't put my DS IYSWIM.

yes, if it is frozen raw you can cook, then freeze, then cook

Thanks Starlover.

You can cook meat when its been frozen and then re-freeze it. You basically can't freeze food that's been cooked, frozen then defrosted.

Hope that helps!

I cook risotto loads for ds and freeze it.

When the rice is cooked I cool it really quickly and freeze it (within an hour of having finished cooking it. Then as needed I defrost as normal (in fridge overnight) and heat up.

I think the problem with rice is if it is left at lukewarm temperatures for too long, bacteria multiply and produce toxins. When the rice is then reheated the bacteria die but the toxins don't and can cause food poisoning. The problem is the same if you cook rice say and leave it in the kitchen for too long before serving it.

If you aren't eating it immediately after cooking, always put in the fridge or freezer as soon as possible and it is fine.

Cooking raw meat from frozen is not a good idea. Defrost it first. Once you have cooked it you can freeze it again though only once.