6 Easy Dinners From a Bag of Rice (and How to Store Cooked Rice Safely)

The short answer: if your rice is freshly cooked, use it for dishes with sauce or broth, such as one-pot chicken and rice or a bean bowl. If it is cold from the fridge, fry it. That one distinction decides most rice dinners.

Freshly cooked rice is soft and moist, so it absorbs pan juices, curries and broths. Rice that has been refrigerated firms up and dries on the surface, which lets each grain toast in a hot pan instead of turning into paste.

Cooking plain rice

Package directions are the best guide because rice varieties differ. As a starting point for long-grain white or jasmine rice on the stovetop, rinse 1 cup of rice, add about 1½ cups of water and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, cover, and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes. Rest it off the heat, still covered, for 10 minutes. One cup of raw long-grain rice makes roughly 3 cups cooked. Brown rice needs more water and around 40 to 45 minutes.

Six dinners

One-pot chicken and rice

Brown bite-size chicken pieces, soften onion and garlic in the same pot, toast the raw rice for a minute, then add broth and return the chicken. Cover and cook on low until the liquid is absorbed. Because the rice cooks in chicken-flavored broth, it tastes richer than rice cooked in water. Recipe: one-pot garlic chicken and yellow rice.

Black bean and rice skillet

Warm drained black beans, cooked rice, salsa and cumin together, then melt cheese over the top under a lid. It is one of the cheapest complete dinners on this site. Recipe: black bean and rice skillet.

Egg fried rice

Use rice that has been cooked and chilled. Scramble the eggs separately, fry garlic and scallions, add the rice, press it into the hot pan to toast, then season and fold the eggs back in. Recipe: 15-minute egg fried rice.

Garlic butter rice with a fried egg

Melt a tablespoon of butter per serving, cook a minced garlic clove in it for 30 seconds, add cooked rice and stir until hot. Finish with grated Parmesan or cheddar, black pepper, and a fried egg on top.

Quick congee

Congee is usually made from raw rice simmered for an hour or more, but cooked rice gives a faster version. Simmer 1 cup of cooked rice in about 4 cups of broth with a few slices of ginger, stirring now and then, for 20 to 30 minutes until thick and creamy. Top with soy sauce, sliced scallions and a soft- or hard-boiled egg.

Spiced chickpea rice bowl

Dry canned chickpeas well, crisp them in a hot skillet, then toss with smoked paprika and cumin off the heat. Serve over warm rice with chopped cucumber or tomato. Recipe: crispy spiced chickpea bowl.

Storing and reheating cooked rice safely

Rice needs more care than most leftovers. Uncooked rice can carry spores of Bacillus cereus, which survive cooking. If cooked rice sits at room temperature, the spores can grow and produce toxins that reheating does not destroy.

• Cool cooked rice quickly: spread it on a tray or in a shallow container. The NHS advises cooling rice within 1 hour and refrigerating it.
• The NHS recommends eating cooked rice within 24 hours. USDA's general guidance for leftovers is 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. If you want the cautious option for rice, use the shorter window.
• Reheat rice until it is steaming hot all the way through, and reheat it only once.
• Throw out any cooked food left at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F / 32°C).

Common rice problems

• Gummy rice: too much water or too much stirring. Rinse before cooking and leave the lid on.
• Crunchy rice: not enough water, or the lid was lifted and steam escaped. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, cover and cook on low for 5 more minutes.
• Burnt bottom: the heat was too high. Use the lowest setting once the pot is covered.