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Learning about storing/reheating cooked food...

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1.9K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  billy76  
#1 ·
I like to think I'm a pretty good cook, can make plenty of decent meals from scratch, etc.

But I'm fu**ing clueless when it comes to food storage/reheating. Mainly because there's so much conflicting advice online.

You see loads of guys cooking rice in a slow cooker for the week, decanting it into tupperware, and eating it up to 5 or 6 days later. Yet the "official" advice, and the advice from any chef, is that cooked rice is seemingly as safe as cyanide after about 24 hours. When I worked in a restaurant we would have been shut down for storing cooked rice for more than a day or two.

As I often say on the steroid forum, I'm also the world's worst hypochondriac, so tend to do things like cooking a chicken breast until it's the consistency of a bicycle seat. As a result I'm always on edge about how stuff like cooked chicken can be stored, for how long, and how it should be reheated.

So, any general advice?
 
#2 ·
Quoted from the 'Stan Efferding vertical diet book thread' I posted.

WHITE RICE -
When you cool Rice and potatoes in a refrigerator overnight, they create resistant
starches. When you reheat them, they yield fewer calories and are more difficult
to digest.
This isn't necessarily a problem for those trying to lose weight but for those
trying to gain weight, it's optimal to eat freshly cooked rice.

Reheating rice
https://fanaticcook.com/2015/03/31/another-study-demonstrates-the-calorie-loweri
ng-effect-of-cooking-then-cooling-starch-this-time-in-rice/
I manage this two ways.
â—Ź One, I have a delay timer on my rice cooker so I always have fresh rice
ready when I need it.
â—Ź Two, I use a thermos or two to put a fresh hot monster mash in which
keeps it hot for up to 8 hours. Here's a wide mouth one on amazon that's
24oz.
THERMOS ON AMAZON:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008JC76XA/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If you have to freeze meals with rice in them to eat later, that's fine, just be aware
of the difference.
**As hot, wet rice cools down, its an ideal environment for bacteria. If you put a
hot meal in Tupperware and eat it lukewarm or even cold many hours later, the
bacteria may cause stomach discomfort and/or diarrhea. It's best to keep it hot
using a thermos or cool it down quickly and heat it up later in a microwave.

Personally I just use microwave rice and buy pre cooked chicken.
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
In regards to rice I generally won't cook more than I need for a single meal. Not even necessarily for the potential issue of bacteria and spoiling (which is an issue), but simply because I don't like the texture of cooled then reheated rice.

Cold pre-cooked potatoes are indeed excellent for type 2 resistant starches, which are great for intestinal health, but I'd not store them for more than 2-3 days due to the same issues with bacteria. Shop bought potato salad has a longer shelf life due to added preservatives.

One way to minimize cook time for rice is to use five minute rice. I prefer to cook rice myself, but for ease and convenience I have recommended quick rice or microwave rice to clients to make things a lot easier for them, especially when busy.

For other foods the storage time really is dependent on the individual food. Fish generally I won't bulk cook, but poultry and red meat I will and store it refrigerated for 2-3 days. For cooked veg I'll generally not store more than one day.

If you want to bulk prep meals for multiple days at a time then usually it's best to choose foods that you can cook and then freeze. If choosing to bulk cook but not to freeze, then plan to be able to store meats for up to three days and look for starches and vegetables that you can either throw together with the meat quickly either in the raw state or with very minimal cooking. You'll therefore have to cook new batches of meat every 3-4 days.