How to Freeze Rice Safely

We love rice at PaintSewGlueChew Towers. But it can be a pain to make midweek, when we are knee deep in after school activities and homework. While I’m helping (usually unsuccessfully) with conjugated verbs, or times tables I get distracted. Cue rice fusing to the bottom of the pan yet again. It’s not worth the effort to make small amounts, but we don’t necessarily want it two nights in a row. So we make a large batch, and freeze rice safely into individual portions.

Safety First!

According to my Mother in Law, reheated rice is one of the most dangerous things you can eat! I’m not sure I agree with that, (Mr PaintSewGlueChew plays pretty fast and loose with any sell by date). But it is true that bacteria present in the rice multiplies really quickly at room temperature. So its really important that you cool it quickly after cooking. To be on the safe side, make sure you follow my tips to safely freeze rice.

Method

Measure out your rice and cook according to your usual method. For best result keep a bit of “bite” to the rice.

2. There are a couple of methods to cool the rice quickly:

Drain the rice, and run really cold water through a colander, string to make sure the rice in the centre is fully cooled. This is my preferred method as far less washing up!
Or – Spread the cooked rice on a flat tray, and place in the fridge until cold.

Once the rice is completely cold, divide into portions, and place in freezer bags or plastic containers. It takes no longer to make a large batch of rice than it does a small one. Nor the minimal effor of cooling and bagging, this will save you a ton of time in future meal prep.

I like these sealable bags, as they are a few pence each, and you can pat the rice flat in the bag for easy storage in the freezer. Don’t forget to write the date it was frozen, and the type of rice if you use different rice grains!

You may want to check my Rogan Josh or Thai Green Curry recipes. Both freeze well. Along with the frozen rice you can a healthy dinner on the in a few minutes.

Reheating

To avoid food poisoning, the rice needs to be defrosted and reheated thoroughly before using. I put in the microwave on full (in the bag) for around 60-90 seconds to defrost and cook.

If you don’t have (or don’t like using a microwave). The rice can be defrosted in the fridge for an hour before cooking, and the rice plunged into boiling water for a few minutes before draining and serving.

Either way, make sure its piping hot before serving.

And with all that time you’ve saved, why not use it looking through some of my other recipes and crafts!

And while we are on it……Here is how to make the perfect rice every time:

How to Make Foolproof Rice Every Time

This method works every single time, fo fluffy grains of perfectly cooked rice.

Depending upon how greedy you are, allow 1/3 of a cup (60g) or 1/2 a cup (90g) dried rice per person. When it cooks, it will expand significantly.

Add the rice a heavy bottomed pan with a lid. (There is no need to wash or soak the rice). Add a small dash of olive oil, enough to coat the grains, and heat slightly. Next add boiling water to the rice in the volume ratio 2:1. i.e 2 cups of boiling water to every cup of uncooked rice.

Add a generous pinch of salt, and stir once, before putting the lid on the pan.

Turn the heat down to low, and leave for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes turn off the heat, and leave the rice for a further 5 minutes.

Fluff with a fork and you have perfect ready to serve rice. Every Time.