Leaving cooked food in the fridge to eat later is risky and can be very dangerous.
With inflation, we crave to make the most of every leftover food we have at home. But when it comes to eating meals from day to day, we can make mistakes that can be annoying for our health. If it’s cooked and it’s rice, be aware that its shelf life is quite short. Even if it smells good and the taste seems appetizing, there is a limit that should not be crossed.
Uncooked rice can indeed contain spores of a bacteria called Bacillus cereus which can survive when the rice is cooked (even at 100 degrees and beyond). By multiplying the reheating cycles (reheat, eat a little and put back in the fridge until the next reheating), the spores can germinate and cause food poisoning. This is because the spores can turn into bacteria that can cause gastroenteritis.
We must never lose sight of the number of days a food has spent in the refrigerator, or the number of times we have reheated it. To keep leftovers in the refrigerator, the cycles of each food must be respected and the dates must be clearly marked on the packaging. It is important to use a good container that allows the food to be well preserved, safe from any bacteria.
It is recommended never to reheat leftovers more than once and if possible to do so on the day of preparation. To preserve food longer, it is possible to freeze it to reheat it as we need it. There also comes a time when you have to say goodbye to leftovers. To prevent them from staying too long in the refrigerator, it is best to cook just what is needed for the family and avoid throwing food away.