Can rice go bad? Expiration date, etc.

There are many types of rice, including white, brown, basmati, wild and jasmine.

However, no matter which variety you prefer, you may wonder how long rice will last.

This article explains whether rice can go bad (wrapped and cooked), and the dangers of eating expired rice.

Shelf life of packaged rice

The shelf life of packaged rice (raw rice) depends on the variety.

Although there are many types of rice, the main difference is in the shelf life of white and brown rice.

Because brown rice is not milled or polished, it has a higher oil or fat content. Therefore, it may go rancid faster than white rice.

However, both types of rice are considered dry storage stable, meaning they can be safely stored at room temperature ().

Below are the shelf life of each type of rice (,):

White rice : up to 2 years
Brown rice : 3–6 months from production date

Keep in mind that refrigeration and freezing can significantly extend their shelf life.

How to Determine the Shelf Life of Dry Rice

Non-perishable foods usually have an expiration date, also called a shelf life. However, it can be safely consumed after this date as long as the product packaging shows no signs of spoilage ().

Determining whether packaged rice has gone bad is relatively easy.

Just check the packaging for signs of deterioration, including holes, bugs, moisture or water, which can lead to mold growth.

When it comes to brown rice specifically, you may also notice a change in color, a rancid or strange smell, or an oily texture.

If you want to make your rice last as long as possible, store it in a dry place, such as a pantry or kitchen cabinet.

You can also store it in an airtight container after opening it. This will protect it from insects and moisture.

Summary:
Dry white rice can be stored for up to 2 years, and brown rice for up to 6 months. Signs of expired rice include holes in the packaging, insects, dampness and mold. Brown rice may become rancid, oily, or discolored.

Shelf life of cooked rice

Unlike dry rice, the shelf life of cooked rice is almost the same for all types of rice.

Once cooked, rice can retain its flavor, texture and quality for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, although some claim it can last as long as a week ().

You can also freeze cooked rice for up to 8 months.

How to tell if cooked rice has expired

There are several ways to tell if cooked rice has gone bad.

First, smell it. Unlike freshly cooked rice, which has almost no odor, expired rice will have an unpleasant or strange smell.

Secondly, take a closer look at its texture. Expired rice may become slimy or sticky rather than airy and fluffy.

Finally, check the rice for mold, which often appears as green, blue, or black spots.

If you notice any of these signs of spoilage, be sure to discard the rice.

Summary:
Cooked rice will keep for about 4 days in the refrigerator or 8 months in the freezer. Expired rice may have an unpleasant odor, a sticky texture, or mold.

How to properly store boiled buckwheat and rice

If cooked buckwheat or rice needs to be saved, then the porridge is put in the refrigerator. The temperature in it should be +4°C.

The rules for storing the cooked product are presented in the table.

On water with salt	With milk	With added meat, butter, vegetables
Buckwheat	3-7 days	24 hours	3 days
Rice	4 days	—	—

The container where the product will be stored is important in proper storage . A glass jar or container with an airtight screw-on lid is the best option. They protect against foreign odors and do not absorb them themselves. After washing the glass, no pathogenic microorganisms remain on it.

Boiled cereals are also stored in plastic containers, but the shelf life will be shorter . Plastic containers are more often deformed and do not provide the necessary protection of products from foreign odors. As it is used, microcracks appear on the plastic, in which pathogenic microorganisms multiply. This causes the containers to smell unpleasant, and washing does not correct the situation.

Metal containers are the most unsuitable option for storage , as they quickly rust and cannot be hermetically sealed. Do not put the pan in which rice/buckwheat was cooked in the refrigerator. After a day, the product will develop a characteristic unpleasant aftertaste.

Attention! Plastic bags are not suitable for storing boiled cereal in the refrigerator. Condensation will form in them, which will spoil the product.

Before use, the amount of product that will be eaten is laid out from the container, the portion is heated, and the remainder is thrown away from the plate. It is not stored, since pathogenic microbes form in the remnants of heated food, even in the refrigerator, causing poisoning.

Rice and buckwheat absorb foreign odors well in the refrigerator . They are placed in a tightly closed container away from foods with a rich aroma.

Advice. Rice and buckwheat are completely compatible porridges. They are even boiled and eaten together - with chicken, meat gravy or vegetables.

Dangers of Eating Spoiled Rice

Expired rice is mostly contaminated with fungi or molds, which produce mycotoxins that can cause food poisoning ().

Consumption of mycotoxins is associated with symptoms that range from vomiting, nausea and abdominal pain to convulsions, coma, increased risk of cancer and a weak immune system (,).

In addition, mold contamination of packaged dry rice can also reduce its nutritional value ().

Please also be aware that regardless of whether the rice has expired, improper handling of cooked rice may increase the risk of food poisoning due to Bacillus cereus, which often results in abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting (, ).

Wax bacillus is a bacterium commonly found in rice that can survive cooking ().

Thus, if rice is not refrigerated or frozen within 2 hours of cooking, bacteria can produce toxins that cause nausea ().

Summary:
Mold contamination from expired rice can lead to the consumption of mycotoxins, which can be harmful to your health. Additionally, improperly processed rice past its expiration date can lead to waxy bacillus food poisoning.

Summarize

The shelf life of packaged rice varies depending on the type (white, brown, etc.), but once cooked, all types of rice have the same shelf life.
Packaged white rice can last up to 2 years at room temperature, while brown rice only lasts about 6 months. Refrigerating and freezing them increases their shelf life.
Cooked rice should be stored in the refrigerator for about 4 days. It can also be frozen for longer periods.
If you notice any changes in odor, taste or texture, or signs of mold or insect growth in either packaged or cooked rice, throw it away immediately.

Tags: rice

About the author: Anastasia Sheveleva

Candidate of Medical Sciences, doctor of the highest category, therapist, registered dietitian, nutrition consultant. More about the author.

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How to prepare grape leaves for dolma for the winter

Grape leaves have long been popular in oriental cuisine, due to their specific pleasant taste and beneficial properties. It has been proven that the consumption of such an ingredient relieves pain from varicose veins, relieves swelling, stimulates blood circulation, and enriches the body with valuable vitamins and microelements.

It is important that during long-term storage the product retains the maximum amount of useful substances in its composition, therefore, of the existing methods, many housewives prefer freezing.

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For these purposes, it is better to choose young specimens of medium size with small veins. It is better to choose the 5th–7th leaf from the top of the vine.

The following foliage is considered unsuitable for cooking:

from wild (maiden and ornamental) grapes;
affected by sunburn, mold, fungi and pests;
with a suspicious yellowish, whitish or cream color;
old (dangerous due to components harmful to human health);
growing on a vine near busy roads and industrial production.

Did you know? Dolma has become the source of international controversy: the Azerbaijan National Culinary Center has accused Armenia of “appropriating” the dish, and recently the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee recognized the traditions of its preparation in Azerbaijan as one of the elements of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Before freezing, it is advisable to prepare the necessary containers. Remember that thin polyethylene and cling film are subject to crumbling under prolonged conditions of low temperatures. In this regard, dense bags are preferred.

Preparing the leaves

To properly freeze grape leaves, you need:

cut off the ponytails completely;
thoroughly rinse the workpiece on both sides;
dry.

Packaging

Dry leaves are stacked on top of each other in 10 pieces and rolled into a roll. In this form, it is packed into bags and sent to the freezer. It is important that there is as little air as possible inside the package. This will protect the product from foreign odors, allow it to cool faster and be better preserved.

Did you know? Dolma was a dish of the court cuisine of the Ottoman Empire.

For proper harvesting, you need to know when to collect and where best to get grape leaves. For dolma, it is preferable to use white grape varieties. Their plate does not have such a jagged edge as the red varieties, and therefore it is easier to wrap minced meat in it. The foliage is collected when the bush is flowering, in late spring or early summer.

Tender leaf blades five through seven are best, if you start counting from the top of the vine. The average size roughly corresponds to the size of the palm: this will be the most convenient way to wrap the filling.

Leaves are cut off before spraying grapes with chemicals. During the summer, you can also carry out pruning, making sure that after treating the plant with fungicides and insecticides, the period specified in the instructions for the drug passes.

Important! Do not eat products from bushes located along highways!

As with any preparation, the quality of the raw materials plays a crucial role, so it is important to understand which leaves can be used for cooking. They should be a uniform green color, without yellowing, spots or signs of pest damage.

There are several ways to prepare food for the winter, the simplest of which is freezing. But the pickled shell has an additional original flavor. Let's consider all possible ways of harvesting grape leaves.

Freezing

Prepared leaves for freezing must be completely dry. Then they do this:

Place 10–15 leaves and roll them into a tight roll.
The roll is wrapped in cling film.
The rolls are placed in a plastic box, since the product will be fragile after freezing.

To prepare dolma, the pieces will need to be defrosted at room temperature or doused with boiling water.

Important! The number of leaves in one roll should correspond to the amount of dolma that is usually prepared at a time.

Bottled storage

This is an original way to keep leaves fresh for a long time. For it you need to prepare empty plastic bottles. The further procedure is as follows:

Pour a teaspoon of salt and soda into each bottle, add a little water and shake thoroughly so that the mixture covers the entire inner surface. Then the bottle is rinsed with clean water and dried.
Small stacks of leaves (3–5 pieces) are rolled into tubes and placed very tightly in the bottle, carefully tamping them down with a stick. The bottle must be completely filled. Sometimes a little salt is added at this stage.
The bottle is pressed down to release all the air and securely closed with a lid.

This container is stored in a dark, cool place for up to 2 years. To prepare, you need to cut the bottle, remove the leaves and fill with cold water. Sometimes a yellowish coating may appear on the surface, which is not a sign of spoilage.

Did you know? In some regions, fig and quince leaves are used to prepare dolma.

Canning

For preservation, it is necessary to properly prepare glass jars and lids. Sterilization of dishes can be done in a pan of boiling water, in a double boiler or slow cooker, in a microwave or oven. Each jar should be treated with hot steam for 20–25 minutes. With this method, the cuttings do not need to be cut; it will be convenient to use them to pull the workpiece out of the jar. Proceed with the prepared leaves as follows:

The leaves are rolled into a tube and placed tightly in jars, which are then filled with boiling water for 10 minutes. Afterwards, drain the water and fill the jar with boiling water again.
Add 1 tbsp per liter of water. l. salt and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar.
The water from the cans is drained and filled with a boiling solution.
The jar is rolled up and gradually cooled.

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This product should be stored in a cool and dark place.

Pickling

Containers for pickling are processed in the same way as for canning. Then do this:

Place 4-5 peppercorns, 1-2 buds of dried cloves, 1-2 bay leaves at the bottom of the jar.
Rolled leaves are placed tightly on top of the spices and filled with the same solution as for preservation, with the addition of 2 tbsp. l. 9% vinegar.
The jar is closed and stored in a cool place for up to three months, and dolma can be prepared from such a preparation in just a few days.

Pickling

Salting consists of placing the product in a solution of table salt. To pickle grape leaves, do this:

The rolled rolls are placed tightly in a clean container and poured with boiling water. After 10 minutes, the water is drained.
The saline solution is prepared based on the proportion: 20 g of salt per 1 liter of water. Add the required amount of salt to the drained water, bring the solution to a boil and pour it into the jar.
Cover the container tightly, cool and store in the refrigerator.

Dry storage

For this method, brine filling is not used, but the container must be sterilized beforehand. The sequence of further preparation of the workpiece is as follows:

Place 10–12 leaves at the bottom of the jar, press down and lightly sprinkle with salt.
The next layer is compacted tightly and salted again.
The filled jar is sterilized for 10–15 minutes in the oven or steamed, and then closed with a lid using a special key.

Grape leaves are an integral part of dolma. And although this oriental dish is in many ways reminiscent of cabbage rolls, traditional for Slavic cuisine, they cannot be replaced with white cabbage. In order to enjoy the spicy taste of the dish all year round, you should prepare the future “wrapper” for the rice and meat filling in advance for the winter. Is it possible to freeze it, and how to do it correctly, find out further from the article.

For these purposes, it is better to choose young specimens of medium size with small veins. It is better to choose the 5th–7th leaf from the top of the vine. This wrapper is easy to work with, which is not the case with wrappers that are too small or too large. Leaves should be picked between late spring and mid-June, when they reach their peak growth. Healthy, well-developed specimens of regular shape without damage or signs of disease are preferred.

Oriental dishes have long been part of our lives. For example, dolma, beloved by many. It is very similar to our cabbage rolls. Only for its preparation they use grape leaves instead of cabbage leaves. Fans of this unusual dish for our area may be interested in how to store grape leaves for dolma so that it can be prepared even in winter.

Let's take a closer look at each of them.

The easiest way to store grape leaves for dolma is to sterilize them and roll them into jars.

In order for them to retain their qualities for a long time, they are collected in 10-15 pieces and rolled into a tight roll.
Then, the leaves folded in this way are placed in a glass jar and sterilized for 20 - 25 minutes, having previously closed the lid tightly.
After the jars have cooled, they are rolled up and placed in a dark and dry place.

The optimal period for collecting grape leaves is the time when the vine begins to flower.
It is recommended to use leaves of white grape varieties for preservation, since they differ favorably from others in their sweet and sour taste, which will positively affect the taste properties of dolma, giving the dish a wonderful piquancy. If you decide to use red grape leaves for harvesting for the winter, remember that their disadvantage is their uneven surface and hardness.
Only young leaves are suitable for dolma, and it is important to cut them from the vine, which is located as far as possible from the roadway.
Never use damaged or torn grape leaves for preservation. Take only smooth, whole leaves, preferably the same size.

Cooking time: approximately 35-50 minutes.
Number of blanks: 3 blanks of 20 leaves.

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