There are many people that wonder if it is safe to eat undercooked rice. Many recipes call for uncooked rice and some people believe that it is healthier to eat this type of food. I want to make sure you know the facts about eating undercooked rice.
Can You Eat Undercooked Rice?
The short answer: Yes, you can eat undercooked rice. However, it’s not recommended for two main reasons:
1. It’s not safe. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that consumers cook all food thoroughly before consumption to avoid illness from bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli O157:H7.
2. It doesn’t taste good! Because rice is such an important part of so many cultures’ dietary habits, it can be difficult to find other foods that will satisfy your cravings while also being safe to eat while sick.
What Are The Risks Of Eating Undercooked Rice?
Rice is high in starch and low in the water, so it can easily become contaminated with bacteria if it isn’t cooked long enough or at a high enough temperature. Undercooked rice can contain spores that cause an illness known as Bacillus cereus (or B. cereus) food poisoning, which has symptoms similar to an upset stomach including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Bacillus cereus can be found on raw rice before cooking because its spores are heat resistant. If they don’t get killed off during cooking, they enter your digestive tract where they multiply rapidly and cause symptoms of food poisoning within 8 hours after you eat them.
What Does Undercooked Rice Taste Like?
When cooked properly, the outside of each grain of rice will be opaque and firm but not hard or crunchy. The inside should remain slightly soft while being cooked all the way through. If you’ve ever bitten into a piece of raw pasta or cooked meat and felt that rubbery texture in your mouth, then you know what I’m talking about!
The best way to describe undercooked rice is that it has no bite at all; it feels like chewing on a piece of Styrofoam or plastic. It might be chewy in some cases, but there will be no crunchy texture or “bite” left in each grain at all when they are fully cooked.
How To Cook Rice?
Rice is one of the most popular foods in the world. It’s easy to cook, inexpensive, and nutritious. Rice comes in many varieties, but the most common are white, brown, and wild. You can cook rice in a pot or in a rice cooker. If you are using a pot, it will take about 15 minutes for cooking. A rice cooker is more efficient because it can cook up to 10 cups of rice at once and keep warm for hours after it is finished cooking.
Steps to Cook Rice:
1) Put 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water in a pot with a lid. (Use 2 cups water if you want soft rice.) If you want brown or wild rice use 3 cups of water per 1 cup of uncooked grain (you will need more water than usual).
2) Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and cover it with a lid until it has completely absorbed all of the water (about 20 minutes). Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
How Do You Know If Rice Is Undercooked?
You can tell if rice is undercooked by breaking a grain in half. If the center is still a little white, it needs more time to cook.
If you’re cooking rice in a pot on the stovetop, use a fork or spoon to check the grains.
The best way to ensure that your rice is cooked perfectly is to use a timer and start testing the rice after 10 minutes of boiling (or however long your recipe calls for).
If you have leftover cooked rice and want to reheat it, do not place it in the microwave for more than 2 minutes at a time.
Conclusion
While you can eat uncooked rice, it’s not recommended that you do so. The risk of getting food poisoning is too great from doing so. Therefore, it’s best to cook rice thoroughly before eating them.
Kate has been in the food business for over 20 years. Worked as a cook at several buffets which include Old Country Buffet, Five Star Buffet, and Ichiban Buffet. Now, I’m mostly at home cooking for my family, caring for chickens and ducks, and tending the garden.
