Rice is a versatile food that is cheap, delicious, inexpensive, and staple in every household. People love to eat rice in their routine diets because of its dynamic taste and flavor. It is a pretty common and central dish in Italian foods. But sometimes, rice remains undercooked or under processed for many reasons while cooking. So, in such a situation, you may wonder can you eat undercooked rice? Or, is it safe to eat undercooked rice?
Here, in this article, you will find answers to these questions. In addition, we tell you why your rice remains undercooked? What mistakes you make while cooking rice, and how you can fix undercooked rice? So, stick to this informative article to know the real facts.
Can You Eat Undercooked Rice?
And the answer is simply no. You shouldn’t eat as they can cause numerous health issues like food poisoning, fatigue, unpleasant abdominal pain and cramping.
Although eating raw or undercooked foods is nutritious and healthy for the human body but it isn’t a good move to eat undercooked rice or raw rice. So, cook them properly before eating.
By the way, if you are thinking of eating undercooked rice just because of added nutrition, you are wrong. Undercooked or raw rice is not more nutritious than properly cooked rice.
So, use other rice varieties instead of white rice for added nutrition. For example, brown rice, red rice, and wild rice provide more antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins to your body than white rice. However, these varieties are also not safe to eat undercooked.
Is It Safe To Eat Undercooked Rice?
It is entirely unsafe to eat undercooked rice as it could be dangerous and cause various health disorders.
Undercooked rice is not safe to eat because they carry harmful bacterial spores and thus causes food poisoning. On the other hand, the proper cooking or rice reduces the growth of these bacteria significantly. Thus, here it is advisable to avoid eating undercooked rice.
Undercooked rice is higher in lectins that make the digestion of food difficult. Besides food poisoning, they can cause several gastrointestinal issues like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Brown rice is particularly unsafe to eat undercooked or raw because of its outer cover, bran. Ingesting bran causes stomach problems. So, the continuous eating of undercooked rice may cause severe symptoms like fatigue, stomach pain, tooth damage, and iron deficiency.
Moreover, undercooked rice is hard to chew and bad to taste. Thus, it isn’t an enjoyable experience to eat undercooked rice at all.
Read Also: Why Does Brown Rice Cost More Than White Rice?
Why Your Rice Remains Undercooked?
Rice is not as simple to cook as you think. It requires perfect measurement of water and proper cooking time for a fully cooked delicious meal.
There are various mistakes that people make while cooking rice dishes, and therefore, rice remains undercooked. Here, I will mention some of the mistakes you should avoid while cooking rice.
- Maybe you are not washing your rice before cooking.
- Maybe you are not soaking rice before cooking.
- And, probably you are cooking your rice at a high temperature.
- Or, maybe you are not using enough water.
So, let me discuss them one by one in detail.
You’re not washing rice
During milling and packaging processes in industries, some undesirable byproducts remain on the rice grains that consequently increasing the cooking time of rice.
However, washing rice before cooking removes such substances and also the excessive starch content of rice grains. Thus, it would be helpful for the better cooking of rice.
Domestic varieties of rice that are not processed by the industries are free from such leftovers, thus you can use them as is. But it is safe to wash them before cooking to avoid the problem of undercooked rice.
You’re Not Soaking Rice
Pre-soaking rice significantly reduces the cooking time of rice and thus you can cook them properly in less time. Sometimes, rice remains undercooked because you miss this important step.
Besides this, pre-soaking rice is also helpful in preserving the natural oil of aromatic versions of rice. Their oil is responsible for a mouth-watering aroma and taste. So, in order to retain aroma and flavor, soak the grains of rice for about 30 to 40 minutes.
Pre-soaking of rice grains will allow you to cook them properly, even in less time. So, it is the best way to avoid undercooked rice.
You’re Cooking Rice At A High Temperature
Cooking rice at a high temperature is a common mistake causing undercooked rice. Too hot temperature or fast cooking burst the rice grains releasing the starchy content. It will not only increase the cooking time of rice but also ruins the overall texture of the dish.
Moreover, too high temperature evaporates water quickly from the pot leaving rice dry and undercooked. So, avoid this mistake and cook your rice on a medium flame.
Avoid to eat undercooked rice as they are chewy and not so flavorful at the same time.
You’re Are Not Using Enough Water
The proper rice cooking requires the right amount of water. But many people make a big mistake here. They do not add enough water to the cooking pot resulting the undercooked rice.
Different rice varieties require different measurements of water and also have different cooking times. So, do some research and know how much water goes perfect in which rice variety for perfect cooking.
Aside from these mistakes, people do many mistakes while cooking rice resulting undercooked rice at the end.
For instance, lifting the lid again and again while cooking rice, stirring rice while boiling, and treating all rice varieties in one way are some other common mistakes causing your rice dry and undercooked.
Read Also: Why People Put Rice In Salt Shakers?
How Can You Fix Undercooked Rice?
If you find your final rice dish undercooked at the end of cooking, you can fix them instead of eating. Here, know some easiest ways to fix your undercooked rice.
A simple and best way to fix undercooked rice is to sprinkle some water in your rice pot. Stir and simmer them for a while and put a lid on them. Then, left them for 5 to 10 minutes.
However, if your rice is crunchier and harder in texture, add some more water and leave them for 8 to 10 minutes. The added water will cause the formation of steam pockets, helping to cook rice thoroughly.
Moreover, you can also fix your undercooked or poorly cooked rice, by using the microwave and it sounds amazing. Simply put rice in a microwave bowl and sprinkle some water on them. After that, cover the bowl with wet paper towels. And, put the bowl in a microwave for 3 to 5 minutes.
So, in this way, you can fix the problem of undercooked rice.
How To Tell If Your Rice Is Undercooked?
Knowing whether rice is fully cooked or still remain undercooked is not a tricky task. The texture and the final appearance of the dish tell the whole story.
Undercooked rice has a grainy texture with all the water evaporated from the pot. You can feel every grain individually.
Moreover, you can also check the extent of cooking by pressing the grains by thumb. The outer skin will soft to press, but they are hard internally. Undercooked rice is crunchy, chewy, and crusty to eat with a rough grainy taste.
On the other hand, overcooked rice is totally opposite to undercooked rice. They are mushy, watery, and little runnier. However, fully cooked rice has a soft and fluffy texture with a dynamic, delicious flavor.
Therefore, it would be best if you cook them with the right amount of water.
Where You Can Use Undercooked Rice?
If you are a beginner in the field of cooking and learn how to cook rice, it’s quite normal that you end up with undercooked rice. As you know, it is quite harmful to eat undercooked rice so you can use them in various other foods instead of wasting.
So, know where you can use undercooked rice. Here are some foods in which undercooked rice go great.
Preparing fried rice using undercooked rice is the best way to enjoy rice. So, if you find your rice little crunchy or hard after cooking, use them to make fried rice. It will enhance the flavor of rice and also make them softer.
Moreover, add undercooked rice in chicken or vegetable casseroles to cook them fully. Besides this, they also go great in creamy chicken soups and stews.
However, the addition of undercooked rice to sweet treats is another creative idea. So, you can prepare delicious rice pudding, rice cake, pies, tarts, phirni, or kheer.
Summary
Can you eat undercooked rice? No, you can not eat because they can cause food poisoning, stomach pain, improper digestion, and fatigue. It would be best if you fix them by either adding more water or microwaving them.
Moreover, we also tell you some food dishes where you can use undercooked rice, and they go great. So, enjoy your cooking and keep exploring new tastes.