Rice is a poor man’s best friend. It’s inexpensive, filling, a blank slate for flavor, and can be added to almost any meal to bulk it out. But guess what? When I come home after a long day at work and I’m hungry, like now, I don’t always want to take the time to make rice.
That’s where a having a freezer stash of cooked rice comes in handy. Frozen cooked rice reheats quickly in the microwave and makes getting dinner on the table (or just into your belly) twice as fast. Plus, if you live alone and often want just one serving of rice at a time, this trick solves that problem. Use your frozen rice for a quick stir fry or fried rice, to soak up the sauce from a yummy stew, or as a bed for some beans, salsa, and cheese. The possibilities for fast meals are endless.
There isn’t much to freezing rice, so this is more of a “Why to: Freeze Rice” rather than “How to: Freeze Rice,” but, you know, consistency. I’m also going to provide some resources below for help with cooking rice for those who haven’t mastered it yet (and you definitely should master it at some point).
So, let’s go.
How to: Freeze Rice
Step 1: Cook the Rice
The next time you cook rice for a recipe, cook double with the intent of freezing half. Or, cook a big pot on the weekend and freeze it for use later in the week (or weeks to come).
Step 2: Cool the Rice
It’s important to let the rice cool quickly and completely in the refrigerator before freezing. This will help keep the grains separate instead of freezing in one sticky clump. Properly cooling your rice is also an important step to maintain food safety. Either divide the rice into smaller portions, or spread it out onto something like a baking sheet so that it has more surface area and cools faster. Always cool the rice in the refrigerator, not at room temperature, which will increase the risk of food poisoning (for more information about leftover rice and food safety, click here).
Step 3: Portion and Freeze
It’s a good idea to freeze the rice in portions that you would normally use for one or two meals. I freeze my rice in two cup portions, which will supply me with two meals worth of rice. If you have a family of four, you may consider freezing in 4-6 cup portions, so that you can just thaw the amount needed for one dinner.
I like to freeze in quart-sized freezer bags, and gallon-sized for larger portions. I find that their minimal shape helps me fit more in the freezer. Resealable plastic containers (like this) are also great because they’re reusable and many are BPA free.
Step 4: Reheat the Rice
To reheat the rice, I simply tear away the freezer bag and dump the rice in a bowl, or open up the resealable plastic container and microwave until it’s heated through. I like to place a lid loosely over top of whatever container I’m using while reheating to help keep moisture in. And, as always with microwaving, it’s a good idea to stir a couple times in the middle of reheating to make sure everything heats evenly.
I know some people don’t like to use microwaves, but I haven’t experimented with other methods of reheating frozen rice yet. If you routinely freeze and reheat your rice using another method, please share with the rest of us in the comments below!
Help with Cooking Rice
I thought about doing a step by step rice cooking tutorial, but so many others have already done so and done such a good job of it. There are two main methods of cooking rice on a stovetop. The immersion method (let the water boil before adding the rice) and the steaming method (add rice and water to pot, then bring to a boil). I prefer the steam method, but they both work great.
- Here is a great tutorial with pictures from the folks over at thekitchn.com for the immersion method.
- And a simple 1-2-3 tutorial from Martha Stewart.
- I like to use this method as described in detail.
I’ve found that the single most important factor when cooking rice is using a good pot with a thick bottom. When I use my thinner pots it sticks or burns to the bottom every time. When I use my heavy pots I get perfect, fluffy rice. The thicker pots distribute the heat better and will simply give you better results. I’ve had a set like this for the past ten years, and they’re fantastic.
Rice Cookers
And, of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using a rice cooker. They make perfect rice every time, aren’t very expensive, and you’ll definitely get a lot of use out of it! So, if you haven’t been able to master cooking rice on the stove, give some thought to investing in a rice cooker. Check out how inexpensive these small, medium, and extra large rice cookers are!
Plus, according to thekitchn.com, you can do a LOT more than just cook rice in one of those things… Sounds like a small apartment dweller’s best friend!
So there you have it! Rice! What’s not to love! :D
I cook brown (and other) rice in the oven…perfect every time, and I can just throw it in next to whatever else I’m roasting/baking. I usually make about ten cups at a time and freeze the leftovers.
Great tips, I am actually venturing into making the “freezer” burritos. I started yesterday by prepping the beans and making some tortilla’s. Today though I am making the Spanish rice to put in them and there will most likely be left overs. Thanks for all the tips. Your whole website has been a great help for me. BTW:: how do you add a picture to this comments section?
What about the legend that re-heated rice gives you food poisoning? I regularly freeze and re-heat rice, and I never had any problems. Ever. Good thing that you promote this on your website too, so more people will hopefully refrain from chucking rice just because they are scared for no reason whatsoever.
That probably comes from the fact that food poisoning from Bacillus cereus is pretty common with rice. BUT this only happens if you don’t cool down your cooked rice in an appropriate amount of time. Just like any cooked food, you need to refrigerate it and get it down below 40 degrees within 2 hours so that the bacteria doesn’t have time to proliferate and start producing toxins. B.cereus poisoning is common when people cook a big pot of rice and then just leave it out and eat off of it, so the “reheating” issue was probably from people who reheated rice that had been left out. :) (even then, the poisoning isn’t guaranteed, just more likely).
I’m going to add on that B. cereus, the bacteria so strongly associated with rice produces endospores.
Water boils at 100° C, which is almost, but not exactly hot, enough to kill B. cereus spores consistently. So you have rice with most of the bacteria cooked away, but some spores left. Those spores will germinate over time in temperatures a bit warmer than a fridge and cooler than most ‘hot holding’ (10-50 C, 50-130 F). Those germinated spores, now regular bacteria, produce toxins during bacterial growth.
Some of those toxins are resistant to heat and low pH, which is why simply reheating them isn’t good enough.
If you cook rice and get it cool fast, and then freeze it quickly, you won’t produce an environment where many bacteria germinate fast enough to be a threat.
There are some strains (one strain?) that grow in colder environments, but I’ve seen it written that growth is inhibited under 4°C, so the freezer should still be safe (and those are less typical…plus freezing freezes the water making it unavailable)
I freeze more than just rice! I freeze very small batches of all kinds of grains; quinoa, barley, and wheat berries for example; as well as white, brown, wild, and black rice. Which makes preparing a batch of multigrain pilaf on the fly very easy. Just combine and reheat!
I almost forgot! If you are not a fan of microwaving you should steam it. I often put my frozen grains in a colander or muslin bag and toss it in my bamboo steamer. Steaming is a great way to reheat everything!
Excellent tip! Thanks :D
Thanks Juliana, that’s a great idea!
I freeze rice and whenever I cook beans or pulses I freeze them too. That way I have the convenience of canned beans, lentils, etc without the added cost and sodium.
I just froze rice for the first time this weekend! I did it a little differently though. I spread the cooled rice on a baking sheet, and one it had frozen, I threw it all into one container. I was able to scoop some out today for dinner (the individual grains of rice didn’t clump together because of how I’d frozen them, so it was like scooping uncooked rice). Definitely a handy freezer item!
Nice technique! Thanks for sharing :D
Awesome idea!!!
I actually keep my uncooked rice in the freezer because I bought the 10kg bag and was worried about bugs getting in before I could use it all. I think I’ll try freezing cooked brown rice though cause it takes so long to cook, and doesn’t last as long in the pantry.
On another note my fiance bought me this amazing contraption one day:
http://www.tefal.com.au/All+Products/Cooking+Appliances/Multi+cookers/Products/8+in+1+Rice+Cooker/8+in+1+Rice+Cooker.htm
I use it nearly every night, perfect rice every time and I use it as a slow cooker and many other things too!
All the reasons you cited for cooking and freezing rice go double, even triple for brown rice. It’s a great side dish, but not weeknight-friendly if you’re at all pressed for time. The last time I cooked up a 5 lb bag of it and froze it in portions, I was pleasantly surprised to find that several of my kids started *asking* for it, because they preferred brown to the white stuff. Who knew? :)
I’m half Korean and I eat tons of rice. This is just one of those time savers that my mom taught me that is just amazing. I live alone so I freeze them in individuals portions that I can pop into the microwave for a few minutes. I only have to cook rice once in a while and I don’t waste money throwing away rice that I don’t eat soon enough in my rice cooker. :D
I’d recommend avoiding cheap rice cookers like the plague. Rice cookers are something you buy if you want to have rice often, and cheap rice cookers are only sufficient if you have rice rarely. They cook white rice adequately, but often have trouble with brown or sushi rice and almost always have terrible non-stick vessels with coating that breaks down after a few short months of regular use.
As an Asian-American, my desire for rice is limitless so I saved up for a few months to buy a fuzzy logic rice cooker. I’d personally recommend Zojirushi rice cookers, which you can easily buy on Amazon. The 3-cup model I got retails for about $120, but I managed to get a “Like New” used piece for $80. Panasonic fuzzy logic cookers regularly sell under $100 as well. They cook just about any rice perfectly with a vast array of built-in settings, and the bowl is sturdy and is easily cleaned without a dishwasher.
Thank you for the suggestions. I’ve used a couple of rice cookers purchased second hand at thrift stores, and always struggled with them. I promised myself I would invest in a quality piece next time!
I bought a $37 rice cooker at Target and it’s one of the best appliances I own. My trick is to follow the measurements on the bag of rice rather than the cooker instructions.
I always mean to freeze rice, especially brown rice, since it takes so long! I actually never tried it but I will definitely try it this weekend! :)
What do you say about using this same freezing method for quinoa?
I haven’t done it, but others have shared that they do it regularly with great results!
Quinoa, frozen works awesome.
I also do this with rice pilaf and regular rice.
I had a roommate from India in university who taught me to make good rice – always use lots of water. I’m an immersion gal: bring lots of water to a boil so that the rice can “swim”. Boil uncovered until done, and then drain the starch away.
I have never frozen rice, but it would be SUCH a timesaver! I need to give this a try.
Freezing rice is great! When I freeze rice, I half fill plastic containers. Then when I have leftovers (like curry) I just add the curry to the top half and let the whole lot defrost in the fridge at work. Come lunch time, I can reheat and eat.
Ooh, this is smart!
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
I second the rice cooker as a best friend idea! We got an Aroma one at our reception and it not only cooks rice great, but is also a steamer and slow cooker! It’s about half the size of my other slow cooker so when fridge is full I don’t have to worry about storing leftover cp amounts :) AND it has up to a 10 hour timer(ok maybe 8…, i usually only use for 6 so dont remember for sure)