Some of you may already know this, but I’m going to let the rest of you in on a little kitchen secret; you can’t make proper fried rice without using leftover cold rice. It’s the truth. If you start fried rice with freshly cooked, hot rice, it’s going to be mushy and it won’t develop that little crusty, flavour-packed exterior that makes good fried rice so, well, GOOD.
And if you try to use freshly cooked rice that you’ve quick cooled on a sheet pan, you’ll only be marginally better off than you were with the hot rice. It’s something about that rest time and letting the rice get cold all the way through that makes the magic in fried rice. The same holds true for cold rice salads (one of my favourite whole-grain goodies: cold, leftover brown rice, some veg, some dressing, and a little time for flavours to meld.) and rice pancakes.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m positively dismal at thinking 24 hours ahead on what I’d like to eat. If I’m LUCKY, I’ll think “Hey. Fried rice sounds AWESOME. I have some leftover meat, a few veggie odds and ends, and all the other things I need to make a rockin’ fried rice” the day before I actually want it. Most of the time, though, I think it at the very moment I’d be willing to elbow a grandma out of the way to get a bowl of steaming hot fried rice. I’m a loser that way. BUT I KNOW MY LIMITATIONS and have figured out a way around them.
The Solution
I deliberately make BEAUCOUP rice whenever I make rice for a meal, both because we eat a ton in a sitting, and because I now have the way to ensure that I always, always, ALWAYS have my fried rice cravings in hand. How? I chill the rice overnight (because that helps it set up more firmly so it doesn’t stick to itself), spread on a silpat, and freeze ’til rock solid before transferring to a labeled, dated, resealable zipper top bag and stashing in the freezer. I do this will all of the kinds of rice we cook: white jasmine, brown jasmine, basmati (white or brown), medium grain white, short grain white, and sticky sweet brown rice.
If you’re not a fan of fried rice, I’m sorry. No wait. That’s not what I meant to say. I meant to say that even if you’re not a fan of fried rice, this is a great solution for you. Why? Because a bag full of cooked rice in the freezer means you’re just a few microwaved minutes from tasty hot rice with a meal. That means you don’t have to wait however long to cook that pot of brown rice to serve with your beef stew or soup or Chickpea Tikka Masala. Let’s be real here. Sometimes the difference between ordering out and having a home cooked meal can be determined by how fast we can have our sides ready, right?
Is anyone interested in a good, solid, customizable fried rice recipe?
Cook’s Notes
- This works best with rice that’s cooked firm and not mushy. I think most rice dishes (with the notable exceptions of rice pudding and jook) work best when cooked firm and not mushy.
- I’m a BIG fan (and by big, I mean huge) of rice cookers. This takes the guess work out of cooking any variety of rice from the most mundane to the most exotic. Even my little sister who routinely refuses kitchen gadgets because of her extremely limited kitchen space grew to rely on a rice cooker. You can cook all kinds of whole grains in them from rice to quinoa to barley to teff to freekeh and everything in between.
- DO let the rice cool in the refrigerator overnight before spreading on your silpat lined sheet pan. This gives the starch on the outside of the rice grain a chance to set up so it will be easier to separate on the pan which makes it more separate when frozen and less clumpy in your fried rice, rice salad, or rice pancakes.
- While you don’t have to be strict about spreading your cold rice in a single layer, the closer you can get to that, the better your overall results will be and the less clumping you will have.
How to Freeze Rice {for fried rice and other dishes}
Rate RecipeIngredients
- Any amount of leftover rice well chilled
Instructions
- Line a sheet pan with a silpat or silicone baking liner to prevent sticking. Use your hands to crumble the cold rice over the silpat lined baking sheet, gently breaking apart any clumps. While it doesn't need to be a single layer, it should be as close to that as possible. Divide the rice between as many sheet pans as needed to keep the rice close to a single layer. Freeze for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before breaking the frozen rice up into labelled, dated, resealable freezer bag. Keep frozen for up to 3 months.
To Reheat Frozen Rice:
- Add desired amount of rice to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and vent one side. Heat for 2 minutes on HIGH in the microwave, carefully pull back the plastic wrap and fluff with a fork, recover the plastic wrap and reheat in 1 minute increments or until hot all the way through.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
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Reader's Thoughts...
Robby H. says
I dug this up again today to double check my memory on the technique. I was also hoping to find a Fried Rice recipe as you mentioned in the post. Any chance you’ve got one to share, the comments suggest several others are just as interested and it seems a perfect way to meet those frugal January goals. Thanks for all the creative ideas you share with us.
BagsDevlin says
After reading through your entire article…I still did not see how you use frozen rice for fried rice??? Do you use the rice frozen as is or microwaved for fried rice? Ugh…I thought the point of this article revolves around fried rice.
Rebecca says
Actually, the point of the post revolves around how to freeze it for using in other recipes such as fried rice and other dishes. The title is “How to Freeze Rice {for fried rice and other recipes.} And honestly, you just make fried rice with the frozen rice. The advantage is that the rice grains, when frozen as directed in this post, are separate, making a better, less clumpy fried rice than if you’d started with freshly cooked or even refrigerated rice.
Linda says
Would love your recipe for fried rice now that I know you can freeze rice ! Looking forward to some really really good fried rice ! Thanks in advance !
Rebecca says
I’m on it!
julz says
amaaaaazing cant wait to try
Brighteyes says
I have already made the fried rice using rice cooked the day before and refrigerated overnight. Then added onion, peas, pre cooked fried egg and bacon then added shallots, cooked prawns, soy sauce and sesame oil. Starting off with 2cups of l/g rice end up with 5 x 900ml containers.
Jessica @ Jessica in the Kitchen says
Thank you!! Very helpful! 🙂 Just used this to freeze some up!
Rebecca says
You’re very welcome!
Jenny says
Great website… just found it while surfing. May I request you to change the colour of the font to black….I find it very hard to read and may be there are some more like me. thanks very much
Rebecca says
Hi Jenny- Thanks for saying hi! The font is actually black. The only exceptions are the links (which are highlighted another colour), and some of the titles in the printable recipe area which are grey.
Jordan Ferguson says
Great post but i need some clarification! To make the fried rice, do you just fry up the ride while frozen? Also can you freeze rice and vegetables for a quick fried rice?
Rebecca says
You can certainly fry the rice from frozen. I have not frozen rice plus vegetables for quick fried rice, but I’d be inclined to advise against it because I always fry my vegetables separately from my rice then mix together.
Neil Garvis says
I would love the recipe if you don’t mind!
Anne says
I would love a solid fried rice recipe! I now have a ton of frozen rice waiting for the right recipe! Please share!!
Paula says
Please list a few great rice cookers. I have had a couple in the past & got rid of them…never cooked the rice the same way each time. The bottom was usually crusty.
Great idea to freeze the rice. Now if I had a rice cooker I might cook rice more often. Thanks!
(If possible, please email me your answer)
Rebecca says
Hi Paula-
The one that I linked to above is a good mid-line model… http://amzn.to/1u6oyUy If you have a little more money in the budget, though, I highly recommend either of these Zojirushi models. http://amzn.to/1uWSamE or http://amzn.to/1GvtAlh They’re top of the line in my opinion.
Amanda says
This is such a helpful post, thank you!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
What a useful blog—thank you!!!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
These are some great tips, Rebecca! I also give leftover rice to my dog. But maybe I should be freezing it instead…:-)!
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
I feel so much smarter after reading this. It makes perfect sense. So glad to know it. I really had no idea you could freeze rice or that this was the secret to fried rice. Yes I am in fact interested in a solid fried rice recipe.
Karen says
My mother taught me to do this when I was a little girl just starting to help in the kitchen and have passed on this handy time saver to my three children and they will pass it to theirs when they get old enough. We just leave it in the rice cooker until it’s cool, put it in one cup measures in zip lock bags and flatten it out as we squeeze out the air. Works great.
Deitan says
Great idea!
mar says
Yes please on the fried rice recipe! And brilliant idea, thanks for the tip!
Rie says
Can’t wait to give this a try. Brilliant!!!
Patrick Barringer says
Yes please on the fried rice recipe =).
Rene' Peery Beagle says
Love this post. My husband developed this method and shared it with me when we got married. It makes fried rice SO much better.