Do you like to eat rice?

Do you sometimes put it in the fridge to eat later?

Those are very common, relatable things about us.

The warnings are overblown, but there is a grain (ha!)

of truth to them.

Your rice is then good for several days, just like your other leftovers.

Then, yeah, you should throwthatrice away.

Like any bacteria,B.

cereuscan exist as bacterial cells, living off the nutrients and moisture in your food.

So far, nothing special.

In fact, the cooling process after cookingtriggers them to germinate, so theyll begin growing right away.

cereusbacteria are growing, they can produce whats called an emetic toxin: a poison that makes you barf.

To recap, the main thing that makesB.

cereusdifferent from most other food poisoning bacteria is thatheat does not destroy the barf-inducing toxin.

cereuslaughs in the face of a good microwaving.The way to keepB.

But cantB.

cereuson leftover rice can make you barf, but its extremely unlikely to do anything more serious.

A typical case of emeticB.

cereuslasts less than 24 hours, and involves nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps.

Its not fun, and I dont recommend getting it.

But the dire warnings about how leftover rice puts people in the hospital are overblown.

There are two forms of food poisoning you could get fromB.

Taking both of these together,the CDC estimatesthat between 2000-2008, there were an average 63,000 cases ofB.

cereusfood poisoning each year, with 20 hospitalizations and 0 deaths.

So, one-third of 1% of cases needed care in the hospital, and nobody died.

cereusinfection, along with their complications and risk factors.

Medically significant: yes.

Waiting for you in bowls of refrigerated rice: no.

Lets go over the details.

These are much better sources than TikTok, blogs, or even major media outlets.

Food safety professionals know this stuff because its their job.

Does it say to throw out your rice?

Once cooked, the rapid cooling of the product will prevent any spores present from germinating.

However, note that foods cannot be made safe to eat if toxins have already been formed.

Refrigerate leftovers properly by cooling rapidly to 41oF (5oC) or below.

Since 32 is freezing, anywhere in the mid thirties would be perfect.)

But U.S. sources agree with the University of Florida.

The University of California agrees intheir own rice safety publication, recommending three to five days as well.

Ill stick to their advice instead of the TikToks, and keep eating my leftover rice.