# How Long Does Cooked Rice Last? (Need Answer Fast) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605 "2013-07-15T22:40:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/1 "2013-07-15T22:40:23Z")
I have a container of brown rice I cooked last Tuesday - yes, six days ago - that has been in the refrigerator since. Is it still good? The only thing it was cooked in was plain water, no additives, so it’s really _just_ rice. I hate to throw out a cup and a half of rice, but on the other hand, I don’t want to be sitting on the toilet with a bucket on my knees all night, either. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/2 "2013-07-15T22:45:27Z")
Without the benefit of medical or culinary training I can only suggest chucking it. It’s a _week_ old. Plus it’s summer. Even in a fridge that makes a difference once it’s taken out. Donate it to our feathered friends. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/3 "2013-07-15T22:48:03Z")
Maybe it’s just me but I wouldn’t hesitate to eat it as long as it’s not visibly ooky. mmm ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/4 "2013-07-15T22:57:58Z")
I don’t dump a lot of stuff in my fridge, but week-old rice? Yeah, that’s going. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/5 "2013-07-15T22:58:58Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I hate to throw out a cup and a half of rice . . . It’s only rice. But does it look wrong? Does it smell wrong? Does it taste wrong? If it’s still holding its color and moisture content, I’d eat it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/6 "2013-07-15T23:01:31Z")
If it’s been in there the whole time and you haven’t had any power outages, it’s probably OK. I’ve probably eaten older cooked rice than that, but remember that saying “When in doubt, throw it out.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/7 "2013-07-15T23:08:31Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > It’s only rice. But does it look wrong? Does it smell wrong? Does it taste wrong? If it’s still holding its color and moisture content, I’d eat it. I would actually be less worried if it _didn’t_ hold its moisture content. I would think–and I’m only speculating here so please chime in if you know more–that moist rice would be more vulnerable to spoilage than drier rice. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/8 "2013-07-15T23:19:23Z")
I’d figure if it looks and smells OK, it is. I’ve never had food poisoning, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/9 "2013-07-16T00:30:16Z")
I eat week old white rice all the time, and I’m still alive. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/10 "2013-07-16T00:44:29Z")
Left alone, cooked rice just reverts back to “minute” rice. It is the stuff in the container that is _not_ rice that would cause you worry. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/11 "2013-07-16T01:08:29Z")
I eat rice that doesn’t smell bad, or have visible friends growing on it. Done it all my life without a problem. I am a bit more wary about animal products. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/12 "2013-07-16T01:57:30Z")
I cook large pots of rice to use all week. I would not hesitate to eat it as long as it is just rice. As rice cools, the starch granules crystallize making the rice into hard little grains, but once heated they go right back to being yummy soft rice. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/13 "2013-07-16T14:59:20Z")
It would depend more on whether I had more to make fresher rice, or not, than any doubt of whether it was still edible. It’s just rice, which I buy in large quantities and a week old, I’d probably toss it, just in case. (But leftover rice would never last a week in my house, I’m pretty sure it’d be consumed before a week could pass. It microwaves a charm too!) ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/14 "2013-07-16T18:29:47Z")
If it was refrigerated within two hours of cooking it should be fine. If not, you could be setting up for bacillis cereus poisoning. Look up “Fried Rice Syndrome”. It shouldn’t kill a healthy person. ---
**Author:** ![sylmar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@sylmar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sylmar)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/15 "2013-07-16T20:34:22Z")
Bacterial activity is heavily dependent on temperature, pH, food source and water activity. Refrigeration slows most bacterial growth to a crawl, and the starch molecules in rice “lock up” free water, so I’d have no qualms eating rice that’s a week old. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/16 "2013-07-16T20:46:48Z")
On the other hand, if you go away for the week, and leave the rice in the cooker on warm, well let’s just say it’s not a question you have to ask. ---
**Author:** ![emacknight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@emacknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emacknight)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/17 "2013-07-19T00:40:28Z")
> [@sylmar](#): > > Bacterial activity is heavily dependent on temperature, pH, food source and water activity. > > Refrigeration slows most bacterial growth to a crawl, and the starch molecules in rice “lock up” free water, so I’d have no qualms eating rice that’s a week old. Bacterial growth is just one factor, mold is far more likely and has no problem in a refrigerator. Keep in mind that cooked food is _supposed_ to be reheated to 165F, at which point nearly everything is long since dead. Only concern at that point would be toxins like botulism, but that is more a concern if you were storing the rice in vacuum sealed packs (anaerobic). Also keep in mind that after being reheated, the clock resets and the rice can be cooled then stored for another 7 days. So if you’re on day 4 and about to leave for the weekend, you could reheat the rice, cool it, then have it on Monday. Rice also freezes reasonably well, especially if frozen on a sheet pan, then broken up and placed into individual bags. ---
**Author:** ![sylmar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@sylmar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sylmar)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/18 "2013-07-22T21:16:49Z")
> [@emacknight](#): > > Bacterial growth is just one factor, mold is far more likely and has no problem in a refrigerator. > > . I did mention water activity associated with cooked rice is on the lower side of the scale… [If a product is kept below a certain water activity, then mold growth is inhibited. This results in a longer shelf-life.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_activity) Of course, since the original posting was in March, I’d definitely take a pass on the rice now. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/19 "2013-07-22T22:01:02Z")
No, actually the OP was July 15… but in case anyone was wondering, the compost heap got the old rice. ---
**Author:** ![sylmar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@sylmar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sylmar)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605/20 "2013-07-23T00:21:52Z")
Ack … Mistook your join date at a glance for the posting date. The year being 2001 never registered . [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-cooked-rice-last-need-answer-fast/663605.md?page=2)