[Recommended for those living alone! ] How to freeze rice, storage period, and easy recipes!

How do you store leftover rice?

When you cook food when you live alone, you may end up with more than you can eat.
When you have leftover rice, the best way to preserve it is to freeze it.

Freezing prevents quality deterioration and can be stored for a long period of time, from 2 weeks to 1 month.
Another benefit is that you can save on electricity bills and shorten cooking time.

In order to enjoy frozen rice deliciously, we will introduce precautions and tips to keep in mind when freezing and thawing it, as well as recommended recipes using frozen rice.

Perfect for storing rice! Advantages of frozen storage

Freshly cooked rice is delicious, but if you live alone you often have leftover rice, so it's difficult to cook it every day.

What we recommend is frozen rice.
By freezing, you can maintain the quality of freshly cooked food and store it for a long time.

In addition to freezing, there are other ways to preserve rice, such as keeping it warm in a rice cooker and storing it in the refrigerator, but the quality tends to deteriorate and it cannot be stored for long periods of time.

If you keep it warm in a rice cooker, you can eat it deliciously for about 3 to 4 hours. If rice is kept warm for a long time, the starch will deteriorate, causing dryness, discoloration, and odor.

Also, it can be stored in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 days. The temperature range at which rice tends to deteriorate is 2 to 3 degrees Celsius and the moisture content is 30 to 60%, so storing it in the refrigerator is not suitable.

If you store it in the refrigerator for a long time, the water will evaporate and it will become dry and lose its fluffiness.

By freezing, you can prevent drying and quality deterioration and preserve it. As a result, it can be eaten deliciously when reheated, and can be stored for a long period of time, from 2 weeks to 1 month.

Furthermore, freezing rice has many benefits, such as saving on electricity costs and shortening cooking time.

The electricity bill when cooking rice in a regular rice cooker is almost the same whether you cook 1 cup or 5 cups. Therefore, it is more economical to cook and store food in bulk rather than cooking it every day.

Also, cooking rice takes time and effort.
Depending on the performance of the rice cooker, it takes about 35 to 50 minutes to cook rice. It also has a fast-cooking function, which allows you to cook food in 20 to 30 minutes, but it is inconvenient when you don't have time or are busy.

If you use frozen rice, you can make it by heating it in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. Cooking all at once is very convenient because you can use it right away when you need it.

Three points when freezing rice

Freezing is the best way to preserve rice, but there are some precautions to keep it tasty.

Here are three points to keep in mind when freezing rice.

1.Wrap it in plastic wrap as soon as possible

It is important to wrap the food in plastic wrap as soon as it is cooked.

By preventing steam from escaping, you can freeze the food while maintaining its freshly cooked state. When reheated, it becomes fluffier.

2. Gently wrap each serving

​The key is to wrap the rice tightly and gently so that there are no gaps between the plastic wrap and the rice.
If you wrap it too tightly, the rice will stick together and end up with a sticky texture.

You can also wrap each serving individually for convenient use. Another benefit of dividing food into smaller portions is that it is easier to cool and warm.

3. Cool quickly

By cooling the product quickly after it has lost its rough heat, you can maintain better quality.

If you freeze food slowly, the cells will be destroyed during freezing and the quality will deteriorate. Therefore, it is important to cool it down as quickly as possible.

Wrapping it flat allows it to cool down to the center quickly, reducing cooling time.
You can also freeze food faster by placing it in the freezer using a metal tray. Metals have high thermal conductivity, so they can quickly remove heat.

If you don't have a metal tray, you can use aluminum foil instead. Aluminum has a particularly high thermal conductivity among metals.

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3 points to thaw frozen rice deliciously

Even if you freeze rice in the proper way, if you defrost it incorrectly, you won't be able to eat it deliciously.

There are three points to keep in mind when thawing frozen rice.

1. Thawing by heating when frozen

​Warm frozen rice in the microwave.
Frozen rice has turned into white wax, so you need to heat it properly to thaw it. Natural thawing is no good.

Basically, you warm it up with the plastic wrap on, but if you want soft rice or to use it for things like fried rice, it's better to heat it without the plastic wrap.

2. Warm up just before eating

When frozen rice is warmed up, the water on the surface evaporates more easily, resulting in a dry texture over time.
Therefore, the key is to warm up just enough to eat just before eating.

3. Loosen it while heating.

Microwave ovens cannot heat food consistently, so there are hot and cold areas.

To prevent uneven thawing, turn the meat upside down while heating it to loosen it and it will cook evenly.

As a guideline, warm it at 700W for about 2 minutes, loosen it, then warm it again at 700W for 1 minute. If it's not hot enough, heat it in 30 second increments to prevent it from overcooking.

Introducing popular recipes using frozen rice!

If you're busy and don't have time to cook or go shopping, here are 5 recommended frozen rice recipes. It's easy to make and delicious with whatever you have in your fridge.

☑材料
・冷凍ご飯
・ベーコン
・コーン
・バター

[How to make]
Add butter, bacon, and corn to a hot frying pan and stir-fry. Once it's mixed, add the warmed rice, season with salt and pepper, and it's done. It's easy to make, so it's great for snacks and late-night snacks.

You can also add your favorite toppings such as onions, tomatoes, and green peppers.

risotto

☑材料
・冷凍ご飯
・ベーコン
・牛乳
・ニンニク
・玉ネギ
・チーズ
・バター

[How to make]
Put the butter in a hot frying pan, fry the sliced garlic, and when it's hot, add the sliced onions.

Season with salt and pepper, and when it turns golden brown, add the bacon and stir-fry. Add the warmed rice, enough water to cover the rice, and the consommé, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. When the water evaporates, add milk and cheese and mix well.

It's even more delicious if you put it in a bowl and sprinkle with grated cheese or parsley.

chicken rice

☑材料
・冷凍ご飯
・玉ネギ
・鶏肉
・バター

[How to make]
Add butter and chopped onion to a frying pan and stir-fry well. When the onions become soft, add the chicken pieces cut into small pieces.
Once the chicken is cooked, add the warmed rice and stir to loosen it. Once it's loosened, stir-fry well, seasoning with ketchup and salt and pepper.

By stirring well, the ketchup will blend into the rice and make it more delicious. Arrange it neatly on a plate and it's done.

Chicken rice is delicious on its own, but if you make an omelet and put it on top, it becomes omelet rice.

Fried rice

☑材料
・冷凍ご飯
・ホウレン草
・卵

[How to make]
Cut the spinach into bite-sized pieces. Add the warmed rice to a hot, oiled frying pan.

Once everything is well-fried, turn the heat to low, place the rice in the center of the frying pan, and pour in the beaten egg.

Mix the eggs and rice quickly, add the chopped spinach, and stir-fry over medium heat. Season with salt, pepper, and soy sauce.

[Tips for making fried rice]
It is difficult to make fried rice that is crumbly, but if you remove the plastic wrap and heat the rice, the moisture will drain out and the texture will become crumbly.

Another way to make fried rice is to mix rice with beaten eggs and then stir-fry.

[How to make]
Add the warmed rice to the beaten egg and mix well. Heat oil in a frying pan, add your favorite ingredients such as grilled pork and green onions, and stir-fry.

Add some oil, add the mixed egg and rice, stir-fry carefully, and season with salt, pepper, and soy sauce.
By mixing eggs and rice and then frying, the eggs are coated and the fried rice becomes flaky.

Mitarashi dumpling

☑材料
・冷凍ご飯
・片栗粉
・水

[How to make]
Add warmed rice and potato starch (about 2 tablespoons per bowl) to a bowl and mix well. It's okay if some grains remain, but knead them well to make them smooth.

Roll it up like a shiratama and boil it in a pot of boiling water. When it floats, remove it from the hot water, thread it onto skewers and brown over an open flame, if desired. It's delicious even if you don't grill it, but grilling it increases its aroma.

In a pot, add water, soy sauce, and sugar, bring to a boil, then add dissolved potato starch (about 1 tablespoon) to make the sauce. Mix the finished sauce with the dango to complete.

Conclusion

Freezing rice greatly extends its shelf life, and it can be reheated and eaten easily.

By being careful about how to store your food, freezing it properly, and thawing it correctly, you will have delicious, fluffy rice that tastes just like freshly cooked rice.

If you live alone or don't have time to cook, try using frozen rice.

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