The pace of modern society is getting faster and faster, most people basically do not have time to cook at home, so the diet on weekdays will be much sloppy, and I am no exception. Among the many "sloppy" meals, the appearance rate of overnight rice should be relatively high. Often the rice prepared the day before is not finished, and the next day it will be eaten on the heat, in the eyes of most people, this behavior is both frugal and convenient, and there is no big problem.
However, with the improvement of people's health awareness, many people will also focus on some of the more controversial eating habits, overnight rice is one of them, and even many health columns and so-called experts, think that overnight rice heating will have carcinogenic risks, it is really "confusing".
Is it really carcinogenic to eat rice on heat overnight?
Here to give everyone a "reassuring pill", the so-called "overnight rice will cause cancer" remarks, in fact, is the result of false rumors.
The earliest statement is actually that the team of senior food inspectors in China proposed in a paper that rice may breed bacteria during storage, and long-term consumption of overnight rice will increase the possibility of bacterial intake.
However, such a scientific description has been falsely spread by the public and many so-called health experts, and has gradually evolved into a rumor that "overnight rice will cause cancer".
But in fact, in the process of overnight rice storage, it is true that certain bacteria will breed, but according to research and analysis, most of the bacteria in rice are ordinary bacteria that live with us day and night in life, even if they are eaten, they will basically not cause damage to their health. Just like "overnight water", although there are bacteria, it does not cause disease.
What's more, if overnight rice is really harmful to the body, such as fried rice, back-pot meat stew and other dishes that specifically require overnight rice as an ingredient, isn't it unhealthy? It can be seen that the idea that overnight rice will cause cancer is a complete and utter rumor, and it is the result of false rumors, and please do not be gullible.
But then again, the intake of too much bacteria, after all, is not too healthy behavior, so in most cases, can eat fresh rice as much as possible to eat fresh rice, and for some friends who can only eat overnight meals due to busy working hours, learning the appropriate method for storage can also effectively reduce the bacterial content of rice.
What is a good way to reduce the "bacterial content" of overnight rice as much as possible?
(1) The utensils for storing the rice should be selected
When dealing with leftovers, many people put them directly in the rice cooker and heat them up when they are needed.
But in fact, using an electric rice cooker as a vessel for preserving rice provides a good environment for bacteria to multiply. This is because most of the family's rice cookers lack regular cleaning, some corners and corners of the places themselves are easy to breed bacteria, put rice in the rice cooker, the bacterial content will naturally not be low.
Therefore, if you want to reduce the amount of bacteria in overnight rice as much as possible, you must choose the right utensils, choose a clean and dry bowl or basin as much as possible, put the rice in the future and seal it with plastic wrap, and then put it in the refrigerator. The lack of suitable temperature, humidity and air conditions can greatly inhibit the growth of the microflora.
(2) Add a little vinegar before cooking
You know, the acidic environment can effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria, if you add a spoonful of vinegar in the process of cooking rice, artificially create an acidic environment, the number of bacteria in the rice will be significantly reduced, and in the subsequent storage, the degree of bacterial reproduction will be lower.
Some friends may think: "Rice with vinegar, can you still eat it?"
In fact, for example, when making pot rice, rice balls and other foods, chefs will have the habit of adding vinegar, on the one hand, because of the bactericidal nature of vinegar; On the other hand, adding vinegar can effectively catalyze starch, but it will make the sweetness more prominent, increase the deliciousness of rice, especially in the summer, when cooking rice with a spoonful of vinegar, but also play a very good appetizing effect.
In summary, even for picky friends, the use of appropriate methods can also effectively reduce the amount of bacteria in overnight rice, and eating some overnight rice appropriately will not have a significant impact on health, but it does not mean that all rice can be eaten with confidence, and some still need to be considered before eating, so as not to have a negative impact on health.
Please note! These rice are best not to eat
1) Rice that emits an odor
Normally, rice should be able to emit a fresh fragrance. But if the rice begins to emit a smell similar to rotten eggs, it means that the rice has become "steamy", that is, it has deteriorated, and forced consumption may lead to diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, etc.
2) Rice with yellow spots
The main ingredients of rice are starch and sugar, so it is a favorite growth environment for many bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus.
If there is staphylococcal contamination on the rice, most of them will show scattered golden spots, and staphylococcus will produce enterotoxin during the propagation process, which will cause food poisoning, so please eat with caution.
3) Half-cooked rice
Some cooking novices do not have a good grasp of the amount of water and time when cooking, and it is easy to make sandwich rice. This kind of half-cooked rice, in which starch is often not fully gelatinized, often eating sandwiched rice, will increase the gastrointestinal burden to a certain extent, induce bloating, belching, indigestion and other symptoms. Especially for friends who originally have a bad stomach, rice should be cooked and cooked thoroughly, and do not eat raw rice by mistake.
All in all, overnight meals do not have the risk of carcinogenicity, as long as reasonable storage, healthy eating, still will not bring negative impact on our health, on the contrary, some special cases of rice, but more worthy of our attention, reasonable discrimination, healthy diet, in order to care for our health.
Resources:
Ma Yuxia. Can "overnight meal" be eaten in the end[J]. Hebei Education:Teaching Edition, 2017(12):1.
Zhang Jinjuan, Shen Guoan, Zhang Xiaojian. Investigation of food poisoning caused by spoiled rice[J]. Journal of Preventive Medicine Information, 2007, 23(6):737-738.