In my family, we often have the habit of cooking a lot of rice in the evening and then frying it the next morning to eat. Of course, the rice is left in the rice cooker, kept plugged in overnight, and the next morning we take it out to fry or sometimes even eat it directly. However, there have been a few times when I actually got food poisoning, ladies.

Once when I was chatting with a friend, she told me that eating rice like this is very harmful to health. According to her, rice left overnight like that is very prone to causing food poisoning. Hearing this made me confused, because I’ve been eating rice this way for a long time. Occasionally I get stomach aches or diarrhea, but nothing too serious. I really don’t know what the truth is about this issue.

Today, I read some information in the newspaper related to the question: “Is it safe to eat rice left overnight in a rice cooker?” So ladies, I’m sharing the details below.

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Is it safe to eat rice left overnight in a rice cooker?

According to experts, this situation can be divided into four cases:

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Case 1:

After the rice is fully cooked, it is not served out, or the rice cooker lid is not opened at all. In this case, most bacteria are destroyed by the high temperature. If the lid is not opened, bacteria cannot enter the cooker, so there is no harm. Although the moisture and nutrients in the rice are ideal for bacterial growth once the power is turned off and the temperature drops, bacteria cannot actually develop because they never enter the cooker. In this case, the rice will not spoil even if left overnight or longer.

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Rice that is cooked and not opened, or only opened briefly, is considered safe.
Illustrative image, source: Ngoi Sao

Case 2:

After the rice is cooked, you open the lid and take out a small amount of rice while it is still hot, then close the lid tightly again. At this time, the temperature inside the rice cooker remains relatively high. Although some bacteria may enter when the lid is opened, the rice can still maintain a high temperature for a period after the lid is closed. During this time, the heat will kill the bacteria introduced from the outside. Therefore, when the temperature later drops, not many bacteria survive, and they will not multiply significantly overnight. In this case, eating the rice the next day is generally not a problem.

Case 3:

You have taken rice out to eat, so the rice has already cooled. However, you use a clean, separate spoon or ladle to scoop the rice, and the indoor air is well-ventilated and clean. In this situation, the number of bacteria entering the rice is not large. After one night, bacteria will not multiply significantly, so you may still eat the rice without major issues, although it is not absolutely safe.

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Case 4:

Leftover rice is taken out, and you use chopsticks, a ladle, or a spoon that you have eaten with to scoop the rice, or the surrounding air contains many bacteria, and then you put the rice back into the rice cooker and close the lid. In this case, a large amount of bacteria has already entered the rice. The moist environment inside the rice cooker creates ideal conditions for bacterial growth, so the risk of spoilage is quite high—especially in summer.

In summary, if freshly cooked rice is left in the rice cooker without opening the lid, or only briefly opened and then closed again, it can still be eaten and is relatively safe. However, in cases 3 and 4, it is best not to eat the rice.

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Rice left overnight in a rice cooker.
Illustrative image, source: Ngoi Sao

So what should you do with leftover rice to avoid waste?

According to experts, the best option is to cook only as much rice as you plan to eat. However, cooking too much rice is sometimes unavoidable. When you have leftover rice, you can apply one of the following two methods:

1. Soak the rice cooker pot in cold water:

Prepare a basin of clean water, then place the inner pot containing the leftover rice into the basin. The water level should reach about two-thirds of the height of the pot. Cover the lid to prevent insects from entering. Soaking in cold water helps lower and maintain a low temperature, preventing the rice from spoiling.

2. Store the rice in the refrigerator:

This is the most practical and recommended method. After eating, wait until the rice cools down, then wrap it with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. In summer, you can place cooled rice in food storage bags and keep it in the freezer. Leftover rice should ideally be used within 6 hours, and remember to reheat it thoroughly before eating.