fried rice syndrome

The problem with fried rice is that the rice has to be pre-cooked. What may happen then is that the boiled rice sits on the bench to cool until it is needed for the fried dish.  We wouldn’t do that with meat or fish but what can go wrong with rice? Quite a lot, it seems. There have been so many cases of food poisoning from fried rice that the dish has given its name to the botulism acquired from incorrect storage of cooked grains.

The culprit is the bacterium Bacillus cereus which can find a home in the boiled rice when it is left at room temperature too long. This particular bacterium produces spores that are resistant to heat, so that, while other bacteria may not survive the reheating process, B. Cereus can.  Rice puddings are also a danger zone and well known for causing ill effects. Any grain-based dish using rice, quinoa, pasta, etc., needs to be managed carefully in terms of storage. Death is rare but can happen, and did in the case of a 20-year-old student in Belgium who ate spaghetti, left it out of the fridge, then reheated it five days later.