Basmati rice shelf life

I ate some basmati rice that was at least 6 years old a little while back.

It was fine though.

Three years is a long time . I am no expert despite my username! Don't think I would use it though , may be all sorts of tiny creatures in there. Hope someone here can have a more positive answer for you.

I've just googled, and it says that rice will start to go brittle and not be so flavourful after about 6 months.
It says to check the smell, the look, and something else which I've forgotten.

If its been opened I would definitely bin it

Just checked my bag of brown basmati rice. The best before date is August 2026. I’ve had it a few months already

I'd use it. In fact we still are using rice at least as old as that in the OP. It has been fine and so have we.

Dried food is meant to last a-g-e-s. Shops have to put use by dates on packets even when this is unnecessary.

I bet no-one in north India where it's grown would chuck it.

I’d definitely use it. Waste not, want not…

During the first lockdown I used up sundry packets, or part packets, of ‘dry goods’ which had been lurking at the back of a cupboard. Some were certainly a few years out of date - IIRC there were some split peas with a BB date of 2016.
They still made a very nice soup!

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!

I never rinse rice. This does not seem to have mattered. Which is not surprising when you consider it's in boiling (or hotter) water for quite a while.

If the rinsing is to get rid of starch dust, that's just another way of wasting food.

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.

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!

Blimey it’s a wonder I and the rest of my family are still alive, we reheat rice all the time.

I do put any leftover rice into the fridge immediately and then into the freezer as soon as it is cool enough.

It is important to reheat it thoroughly.

(I am now going to check on the best before dates of all my dry goods, which I have never ever done)

Thanks for the responses so far and keep them coming please if you have more advice. On the subject of reheating rice, my DIL from Hong Kong often fries rice she has already cooked and doesn’t seem overly worried about putting what she has cooked in the fridge, to fry later, as soon as it is cold. They don’t seem to have tummy upsets. She is not sure what to do with potatoes though and keeps them in the fridge. So I wonder whether other people refrigerate uncooked potatoes. I don’t but I find they sprout very quickly so maybe I should?

I think potatoes are supposed to be kept out of the light, and in a cool, dry place.

I also find though, that they still sprout or or turn green, these days.

I used to always keep potatoes in the house, but its false economy now.

In Asia , rice is considered stale after two years , but it never lasts that long due to the high consumption .
They prolong the life and fragrance of rice with bergamot leaves .I think that curry leaves are also used .
Here bay leaves can be used .

As rice ages it becomes brittle even dusty .
It's probably safe to cook - smell it !

Many people fry cooked rice -after all that's what Chinese restaurants do .
But be careful , old rice can develop bacillus cereus as I know to my cost having been hospitalised with it .
I always smell everything !

I don't really understand how rice can 'go off' since it is dried anyway. As others have said, it might lose some of its flavour.

I always rinse rice before I cook it. It gets rid of the starch and stops it sticking together. I also reheat cooked rice and have never had any ill effects.

A couple of years ago I need flour as I was baking. I only bake once every blue moon. I had some flour in a sealed container not the original packet but it must have been a couple of years old.

I opened the container and the flour looked like it was moving. I didn't have my glasses on . Turns out it was flour mites. They were white and very tiny. I have no idea how they got there. They must have been in the flour when I bough it.

*bought

Rinse the rice well and it’s good to go …..

PinkCosmos

I don't really understand how rice can 'go off' since it is dried anyway. As others have said, it might lose some of its flavour.

I always rinse rice before I cook it. It gets rid of the starch and stops it sticking together. I also reheat cooked rice and have never had any ill effects.

A couple of years ago I need flour as I was baking. I only bake once every blue moon. I had some flour in a sealed container not the original packet but it must have been a couple of years old.

I opened the container and the flour looked like it was moving. I didn't have my glasses on . Turns out it was flour mites. They were white and very tiny. I have no idea how they got there. They must have been in the flour when I bough it.

When I had a flour mite infestation I had to throw most of my dried food, too. They got everywhere.

As long as it looked alright and wasn't harbouring livestock I'd use it without a moment's hesitation.

Top quality Basmati ( literally perfumed ) rice has already been matured for up to two years before it is sold at a high price .

Considered to be the Rolls Royce of rice ; it is highly prized and would be served at wedding in savoury as well as sweet dishes .

It will begin to lose the wonderful nutty flavour after two years .

I never remember to rinse rice and I use it for a number of days reheating always never had a problem

I freeze almost all leftovers. That way there is no problem at all with whether it has been in the fridge too long.

Rice I would cook and eat, no matter how far past the sell by date. Possibly a slight loss of flavour, but as one is usually serving it with some tasty accompaniaments, loss of flavour doesn't really matter.

Singingnutty After a few days I was always throwing away potatoes kept in a dark cupboard so started to keep them in the fridge. They’re absolutely fine and last a long time.