Whether you've ordered takeout or are preparing it at home, you should be glad when you have some rice left over. Unless you plan to reuse it to make fried rice, the key to enjoying soft, fluffy rice a second time is knowing how to reheat it.
After spending the night in the refrigerator, the rice loses some of its moisture. It becomes dry, hard, fluffy and clumpy. Let's just say it needs a little help and that means knowing how to reheat your rice. But it's not a lost cause: there are three simple ways to bring this beloved staple back to life.
Here are the three ways to easily and effectively reheat your rice:
- Reheat rice on the stovetop
- Reheating rice in a heated lunch box
- Reheating rice in the oven
Whatever method you use, reheating your leftover rice for another meal serves two purposes: Not only do you reheat the rice, but reheating it is an opportunity to rehydrate it so that it is as moist as the first time you cooked it. Some people also like to add a little drizzle of oil or a dab of butter to help soften the rice and prevent it from sticking - it all depends on personal preference, so it's up to you.
Let's take a closer look at these three ways to reheat your rice.
How do you reheat rice without a microwave?
In this section, we'll look at the three best ways to reheat your rice without a microwave.
Reheating rice on the stovetop
Add the rice to a pot, along with a little water, and use a fork to break up any large pieces of rice. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice is heated through.
The amount of water will depend on how much rice you have. Generally, add 2 tablespoons of water per cup of rice.
Caution: Do not use a pan that is too deep so that the rice can be stirred easily. In addition, the rice heats up quickly.
Reheating rice with a heated lunch box
At Healthy Lunch, we offer a wide range of electric heated lunch boxes that will allow you to heat up your rice anywhere without a microwave. You don't need to be at home to do this and only an electrical outlet will allow you to properly heat up your meal.
To heat your rice with a heated lunch box there are two types of models:
- The first model: put water in the lower part of the food container and heat it up. It will steam and you will get a tasty rice.
- The second model: put a little water in your rice and heat it up.
To heat up rice, check out our blue heated lunch box which is well suited.
Reheating rice in the oven
Combine the rice and a little water in an oven-safe dish. Using a fork, break up the large pieces of rice, then cover with a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil. Bake at 160°C for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is heated through.
This method of reheating rice will give you delicious, fluffy rice.
How to heat rice in the microwave?
To microwave rice, place it in a shallow microwave-safe dish or bowl and sprinkle it with a few tablespoons of water per cup of rice. Then cover it with a damp paper towel and microwave it for about 20 seconds per cup, until it is heated through.
Caution: use a bowl that is deep enough to allow you to stir without throwing the rice grains everywhere, but not so deep that it is easy to mix the rice. For large batches, stir occasionally once the rice gets hot around the edges, as the center will still be cold and you will want to redistribute the rice to heat more evenly.
These methods work with most types of rice: white, brown, basmati, jasmine, texmati, black, and even wild rice (did you know that wild rice is actually an herb?).
However, if you use these methods to heat risotto or other dishes made with Arborio rice or other types of very starchy short-grain rice, or glutinous or sticky rice, you will get hot rice, but not separate, fluffy grains.
