Basmati rice shelf life

Sticky rice wrapped in the shape of a tetrahedron in part of a banana leaf is what I ate for breakfast most mornings, witz outside the school where I worked. Generally had iced Ovaltine to drink. The woman who ran the breakfast stall scalded every glass in boiling water after each use. Happy days.

Houses and, even kitchens used to be much colder. I think potatoes used to be treated with a chemical to stop sprouting, but this chemical has now been banned and alternative methods of sprout inhibition are not as good.

I find potatoes seem to sprout quicker these days. I guess it's because I store them in the house albeit in a coolish larder. I have found that a pumpkin in the basket with them seems to inhibit them from sprouting, so I buy one in october - last year's is still going. Havent heard this from anyone else though but it works for me.

Baggs

Yep. Just so, Witz. And then fried in a scalding hot wok. Never had any problems wthe fried rice either in Thailand or in UK. My friend who’s a professional cook agrees with my approach.

Also, a dd worked in Aceh, Indonesia, for a couple of years after the tsunami, and before she left, we visited. A local colleague of hers apparently had to have rice at every meal, or she didn’t feel full. We were with her early one morning when she stopped to buy breakfast - it was sweet, sticky rice, I think cooked in coconut milk, and wrapped in a banana leaf. (Was v nice,she gave me some.).
It cost the equivalent of 2.5p!

She asked me how much it cost to buy breakfast in England - I had to tell her it’d be at least 100 times that!

I used leftover Basmati to make fried rice Saturday as that was the sort I had leftover/cold. It was delicious - however onions, carrots, celery, ginger, garlic, soy, dab of sesame oil really do mask any loss of flavour.

Who’s to say that wouldn’t sit on a shelf in a warehouse storage for years. I’d use it for sure. Google see what it says.

I never have any left over rice! I always weigh it - 100g for the two of us or 50g per person. Same for pasta. Think packet suggests 60g per person, but I find 50g each is perfect for our appetites. That way I know there will be no wastage and I’m just cooking what we need.

I always reckoned that Thais, for whom “rice is life”, knew what they were doing and how it behaved if not treated properly. Maybe it’s just that westerners simply don’t fully understand it.

I mentioned the garage upthread Gundy

Yep. Just so, Witz. And then fried in a scalding hot wok. Never had any problems wthe fried rice either in Thailand or in UK. My friend who’s a professional cook agrees with my approach.

Baggs

keepingquiet

Just make sure you rinse it well before cooking- that's important for any rice.

Also eat pretty soon after cooking and don't re-heat- that's also a rule for any kind of rice!

East Asian fried rice is reheated. Never had a problem with that in Thailand when living there. I never cooked anything while there.

A hotel waitress when we were on hols in Bali, told me that before coming to work every morning she cooked 2 kg of rice for her (presumably extended) family’s meals each day. So every day, most of that would be sitting around for many hours. Very likely in a hot kitchen.

I never eat anything that is past it’s sell by date of if I’m not confident that’s it’s fresh and healthy. I lost a baby at 38 weeks gestation and tested positive for listeriosis. I have no idea how I contracted it but since then I don’t take chances with food. It’s not worth the risk.

However I store potatoes they sprout. Any suggestions? I usually buy a bag of rather small ones, called baby or dainty potatoes. Never salad types( they get eaten very quickly after purchase)

I'd use the rice if smells and looks ok and has been kept in closed container. I always soak basmati first and I would soak older rice for at least two hours before cooking. This removes excess starch and speeds up cooking time. I also keep left over cooked rice in the fridge for a few days and never had food poisoning from reheating it, but I wouldn't go beyond 4 days.. There are known risks with leaving cooked rice out on a counter or in a pan for days unrefrigerated, which has occurred in some restaurants a few years ago resulting in food poisoning, but I think restaurants are generally careful nowadays.

I keep potatoes cool and in the dark, but not in the fridge as too low a temperature can reduce nutritional value. Going green and sprouting after a week or so is a good sign that the potatoes haven't been overly treated with chemical germination. inhibitors.

What no one has addressed here is food being stored in the garage. You must know that plastic is porous. Any exhaust fumes from the car, bottles of cleaners, chemicals, paint cans, etc being stored in the same area can infiltrate any food item, unless vacuum packed in tins or glass.

I would be very leary of anything over three years sitting around in the garage. Why take chances of off-tasting flavor or being ill after consuming.

Southern USA rice is highest in arsenic - more likely to buy that if you live in America than the UK I think.

Rice imported from Asia or grown in California is much better in terms of arsenic.

Rinsing is to get rid of arsenic and trace metals

It’ll be fine. The issue is more with reheating rice. Rice can often contain bacteria called Bacillus cereus. Heating up doesn’t kill it but it’s the toxins it produces, that cause the problem (a bit like food poisoning with staphylococcus aureus - that also can rapidly multiply in dairy products like yoghurt but it’s the toxins that produces that will literally “poison” you - the out of date yoghurt or cream will taste absolutely fine).
After cooking rice, allow it obviously to cool down quickly and then get it in the fridge within the hour. Then either eat it within about two days or freeze it. You won’t notice any difference in taste if your rice has b. Cereus in it, so don’t take any chances. If there are sufficient numbers of toxins produced, again no taste, but you will feel literally like you e been poisoned if you eat it.

I did the same thing as OP in lockdown. Thought I'd ordered 2kg and a 5kg bag arrived. I did a bit of Googling and if stored in dry place and unopened should last 25 yrs!!

When I was staying with my sister, I bought her a bread maker as a surprise. She was thrilled and immediately got flour out of the cupboard to make a loaf. Helping her, I noticed she had flour mites in the flour but she just said "No worries, it's extra protein" and used it in the bread!! It did taste fine.....

If it has not got damp or been stored near anything that gives of a scent or fumes that could have contaminated it, it is probably quite all right.

You could check with your local food inspectors for shops if you like.

Obviously, if you are in any doubt as to it be safe to use the sensible thing would be to throw it out.

singingnutty

I did the sensible thing and actually cooked some! It was fine and I am cooking some more tonight. Thanks to all for your advice.

Good. It was bound to be fine, imo. I purchase huge quantity of all sorts of rices, always prepared and cheaper - never goes off.

I did the sensible thing and actually cooked some! It was fine and I am cooking some more tonight. Thanks to all for your advice.

I would soak (and agitate) some of the "old" rice to see if it's got any bugs in it. They will float. It's then up to you if you want to eat it of not.

I wouldn't worry about the age of it personally but wouldn't store absorbant foods such as rice in a garage to be honest.

Re reusing rice - refridgerate
as soon as it is cold
Is the key. It can develop toxic bacteria if left about.