Rice left out all night in the rice cooker. Can we still eat it?

[chickenpatty]

Rice cooker was closed & unplugged. ? I think yes, but not sure...

[Snickerdoodle]

I leave rice out on the counter for days and still eat it.

 

In fact, my kids are having it right now for bfast.

[....]

:glare: My in-laws would definitely eat it. :lol: I would probably throw it out, though (and then my husband would be like, "Why did you throw all that rice away? It was good rice!") Ahhhh, sigh... :tongue_smilie: It's not worth getting sick over.

[jplain]

In my opinion, it is fine. :)

[Old Dominion Heather]

I'm sure it is fine. The only way I MIGHT not eat it is if you made it with some type of meat broth. If you made it with water, it is fine.

[Pamela H in Texas]

We're loose about this. Pretty much, dinner left out is game the next morning or could even be put in the fridge to eat for lunch, supper, or the third day. I'm a little more picky than the rest of them in terms of certain foods, but...

 

I know most people wouldn't be THAT loose, but...

[AnneJ]

I'd eat it. My grandma even used to leave a fully cooked roast on the counter and eat it the next day. (She's still living, BTW).

[Perry]

I wouldn't. Rice is cheap.

 

Bacillus cereus

 

Bacillus cereus is a spore-forming bacterium that can be frequently isolated from soil and some food.1 B. cereus spores are more resistant to heat and chemical treatments than vegetative pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter,and Listeria monocytogenes. If B. cereus grows in food, it can cause two different types of foodborne illness in humans – vomiting very shortly after eating contaminated food or diarrhea after a longer incubation.

...........................

 

Starchy foods, such as rice or potatoes, are commonly associated with B. cereus emetic (vomiting) toxin outbreaks. Due to its preparation process, one of the most common food vehicles for transmission of emetic B. cereus illness is fried rice, and there have been several reported outbreaks. The spores of B. cereus are activated in the initial preparation of the rice, which if stored at abusive temperatures (approximately 59 to 104°F or 15 to 40°C) for an extended time, will outgrow and produce a toxin that is heat stable and will not be inactivated during subsequent cooking.

 

................

 

Heating can activate spores, which allows them to germinate and grow under favorable conditions. Time and temperature abuse of cooked food permits the activated spores to grow and produce toxins. Control relies on prompt refrigeration and cooling of foods quickly to less than 41°F (5°C) to minimize growth and toxin formation. Many of the emetic illnesses are due to improper holding of cooked rice at warm room temperatures, offering conditions where the activated spores in the rice are able to produce toxin. Foods should be promptly refrigerated or held above 140°F (60°C) to prevent growth of the cells.

 

Heating of a food after potential temperature abuse is not a foolproof control technique for B. cereus, since the emetic toxin is heat stable. The diarrheal toxin will, however, be destroyed by heating.

[Blueridge]

:ack2:

[Laurie4b]

So , Perry, that said that you can't store rice at room temp or the spores will be activated and the toxins won't be killed by heat, but by cooling--did I read that correctly? In which case, should you store rice in your fridge or is there another way of preventing the toxins?

[Laura Corin]

I do it all the time. The current UK recommendations state that rice should not be kept or reheated, because of the infection risk mentioned by Perry. Having spent years in Asia eating fried rice, which is always made from old rice, usually unrefrigerated, I can't bring myself to be that concerned.

 

Laura

[kewb]

I have done that and I have lived to tell the tale. If it was made with a meat broth I would have to give it the dog test. If he will eat it then I know it is fine.

[Perry]

So , Perry, that said that you can't store rice at room temp or the spores will be activated and the toxins won't be killed by heat, but by cooling--did I read that correctly? In which case, should you store rice in your fridge or is there another way of preventing the toxins?

The initial heating activates the spores, but they won't grow and produce toxin at cool temperatures. So as long as it's refrigerated soon after cooking, it's fine. They aren't killed by cooling, it's just that they won't multiply.

 

Some types of toxins are heat sensitive, so if they form in food but the food is reheated, they will be destroyed. But the type of toxin produced by B. cereus spores (the enteric kind found in rice) are heat stable, so even if you reheat the rice, they aren't destroyed and can still make you sick.

 

I don't know how common the spores are. They may not be common at all, which would explain why so many people eat leftover and fried rice without getting sick.

 

But since rice is cheap and easy to make, I'd just make a new batch.

[jld]

I totally agree with Laura Corin. If it's being done all over Asia, you're probably safe, too.

[Jen in PA]

My MIL is from Hawaii, and DH is sure that all of his aunties there keep the rice on the counter for days (and that's certainly at a fairly warm temperature). I tend to put it in the fridge within a few hours, but DH doesn't bother with the fridge that quickly.

[Renee in NC]

I leave rice out on the counter for days and still eat it.

 

In fact, my kids are having it right now for bfast.

 

Wow. If I leave rice overnight, it is usually growing mold by the next afternoon.:001_huh: (And, no, there isn't anything else in it - just plain rice.)

[Stacey in NY]

NO!:eek: I had a friend who ate rice, left out overnight and was in the hospital for 3 days with severe food poisoning. Rice is cheap, make some more.

[Perry]

I totally agree with Laura Corin. If it's being done all over Asia, you're probably safe, too.

Yes, it's done, and many thousands of people get sick from it.

 

BUT, the illness from B Cereus is usually fairly mild, compared to other forms of food poisoning. Typically, people have severe nausea and vomiting for a few hours, and then they're fine. Hospitalization is rare, and I don't think there have been any reported deaths from it (in the US, anyway). So if by safe, you mean you won't die from it, I agree. I personally would rather make a new batch of rice than take the chance of severe puking for a few hours, even if the actual chance of that happening is pretty low. But I'm a wimp that way.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Every single family I know in Japan leaves rice covered in the rice cooker and eats it the next day. The only recommendation I've seen regarding the bacteria is that after that first day of left-overs that you thrown out the rice (usually not a problem in Japan because it would be gone) and esp. that you wash the metal part that hangs under the lid of the rice cooker.

[chickenpatty]

The verdict is... I had some for lunch about an hour ago & I'm still feeling fine. Guess I'll go ahead & give some to the kidlets. :001_smile:

[Lilymax]

I have done that and I have lived to tell the tale. If it was made with a meat broth I would have to give it the dog test. If he will eat it then I know it is fine.

 

That made me giggle, only because my dog eats poop. Which makes her a not-reliable source for testing food safety. LOL

[Parrothead]

Should be fine as long as the lid was on.

 

I think we have been brainwashed to an extend by plastic companies. Everything has to be stored in a container or bag and put in the fridge or we risk our very lives and the lives of our children. Yes, some things have to be stored cold but not every thing we have been led to believe.

[kewb]

That made me giggle, only because my dog eats poop. Which makes her a not-reliable source for testing food safety. LOL

 

Oh my, that made me spit out my hot chocolate. Definitely not a reliable test.

[Abigail4476]

No way! Toss it and make a fresh batch. I always put leftover rice in the fridge.

[mom2denj]

I wouldn't eat it. Just my vote. I am wierd about stuff like that!