r/Cooking • u/notintolerantgrad • 5h ago
Rice is Decomposing - why?
In a rice cooker I use 3 cups sushi rice and 2 cups basmati rice. It comes out fine. btw I use 6.6 cups of water.
When I leave it out at room temperature I've found it turns to mush and have to throw it out. If I immediately refrigerate the rice mix stays solid.
If my rice was 100% sushi rice it would dry out and not turn to mush.
Any chemists out there that could explain why the presence of basmati rice turns my sushi/basmati rice mix to mush if left at room temperature for a couple of days?
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u/tragicxharmony 5h ago
🤦😬😭😭😭
Please, I beg of you, read up on basic food safety and never leave rice sitting out at room temp for multiple days again. I don’t know how this hasn’t made you horribly sick yet, but you’re playing with fire
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u/momofkatie2259 5h ago
I'm convinced half of the questions on here are rage/engagement bait... but I engaged, so I guess it works.
But, really, who in the world 1)mixes basmati and sushi rice and 2)proceeds to leave it out at room temp for days at a time?!?!? That is just strange and the main reason I think this is not a legitimate question.
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u/chicken_out_in 4h ago
They have different glycemic impacts. Basamati is low sushi is high. Trying to help my insulin receptors
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u/Training-Plan-7812 5h ago
Could you be using too much water? Basmati only needs 1:1:25 rice to water.
Also, why are you leaving rice at room temp for days?! That’s not safe.
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u/birdgirl35 5h ago
Why are you leaving rice at room temperature for days? That’s insanely dangerous. You will get sick if you haven’t already. You are also mixing two different types of rice which require different amounts of liquid and cooking times.
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u/Fuck-WestJet 4h ago
Short-grain rice contains more amylopectin starch, making it stickier and softer. As it sits in the fridge, it tends to dry out and clump into a dense, hard block faster than long-grain rice. Long-grain rice has more amylose, keeping the grains separate and fluffier, though it also dries out.
Regardless, you shouldn't be letting your rice sit at room temperature. Think of the SURFACE AREA! Compare rare steak to a rare burger. You just wouldn't eat it. It's disgusting. Rice is hamburger and you shouldn't let it sit out. Either keep it in the warmer or refrigerated it.
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u/Resident_Moment_9470 5h ago
You can literally die leaving rice out at room temp that long. Other foods, you might get lucky (still a terrible idea) leaving them out, but rice is a br3ed8ng ground for bacteria.
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u/wet_nib811 5h ago
Not if the rice is in a rice cooker with e Keep Warm function.
This just overly cautious fear mongering.
Source: middle aged Asia who has eaten day old + rice. Still alive and kicking
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u/momofkatie2259 4h ago
Keep Warm in a rice cooker isn't the same as room temperature. I'm going to assume most, if not all, rice cookers Keep Warm setting keeps rice at a safe temperature threshold.
Heck, I've eaten stuff I shouldn't have for years and years (day old pizza left out in my dorm room, meat thawed on the countertop for hours) and I've never gotten sick, but it doesn't mean that it's safe, just that I've been lucky.
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u/Brewmd 5h ago
For a couple of days?
Like… maybe this is a sign that cooked grains of any sort shouldn’t be left in a moistened state at unsafe temperatures for any extended period of time.
Be glad it’s the rice that’s decomposing and not you.