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Minute Rice Long Term Storage?

49K views 29 replies 22 participants last post by  justcurious 
#1 ·
We have been storing a big box of Minute Rice and it was past the expiration date....by 1 year! There was no indication that the box had been compromised so we used it and have had no problems.

It seems to me that Minute Rice would be much more efficient to use than regular rice since it cooks so quickly compared to regular rice. Just bring water to a boil, add an equal amount of Minute Rice and let is sit for 5 minutes. That would use much less fuel than steaming or boiling regular rice for long periods of time.

Has anyone tried to store Minute Rice long term and how did it work out?
 
#3 ·
Packed the same way, it'll last the same as white rice. Personally, I don't like the taste so I don't store any. Cooking rice is a snap anyway. And it doesn't have to use much fuel if you use the thermal retention method of cooking. It takes the same amount of fuel to boil water either way.

A better choice in my opinion is parboiled/converted bran rice. It is a white rice that has been processed to contain most of the nutrition of brown rice. It stores the same as white rice, cooks the same, etc.
 
#6 ·
It's just a flavor thing. I love the taste of Minute Rice. A little butter, some salt and pepper, and it's just fabulous.

My wife hates it. She'd rather have the other kind of rice, which means, any other kind. :)
 
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#8 ·
The problem with storing minute rice is that no matter how well it stores, at the end of the day it is still minute rice.

Sorry, can't stand the stuff. I am sure it has something to do with me spending several of my formative years living in Beijing China. When you eat rice 3 meals a day for 3 years straight you tend to acquire a taste for the real deal.
 
#10 ·
Do yourself a favor.....buy parboiled rice.It has 80% of the nutritonal value of brown rice and in vacuum sealed bags it'll last damn near forever.Either put it in mylar with an 02 drier or vacuum seal it in plastic foodsaver bags with an 02 drier,wrap it in clear plastic wrap real tight then put the whole wrapped bag in mylar bags...........................I got that Idea watchin Tammys vids on http://dehydrate2store.com/
 
#15 ·
I do not much care for Minute Rice, the flavor is fine but I do not care for the texture at all. I guess my year living in Japan (on business) has forever ruined my taste for crushed rice.

Along these same lines, what about canned mandarin oranges? I have a case around a year or so past the expiration date and I am curious if they are worth it. Will the citric acid have eaten through the can liner? What about other canned fruit?
 
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#16 ·
Along these same lines, what about canned mandarin oranges? I have a case around a year or so past the expiration date and I am curious if they are worth it. Will the citric acid have eaten through the can liner? What about other canned fruit?
Generally canned foods last nearly for ever. But high acid foods are the exception. I'm sure they're fine a year past the best by date if for no other reason that safety margin. But I'd open one to check, and start using them up. They probably don't have a whole lot of time left on them.
 
#17 ·
^This. I have brown rice from 2008, in a half gallon jar in the freezer with only some packs of silica gel, as an experiment. Periodically I cook a cup, to see it it's still viable. So far so good, hasn't gone rancid, check with me next year. At least I know it'll keep 4 years frozen. And I'm using right now some Swansons chicken broth that I bought cases of on sale at Longs, years ago. This batch is 2007. It's fine. But Snow's clam chowder does NOT store well, trust me...
 
#19 ·
The absorber doesn't work over and over. It only works as long as it still contains enough moisture to activate the reaction. In time, that moisture migrates into the food and reaches equilibrium. I guess if you're in a humid climate, the air might have enough moisture to keep the absorber going for a while.

But your method seems sound enough if the jars seal properly.

I can relate about vacuum only. It just simply doesn't remove enough atmosphere for long term storage.
 
#20 ·
I've stored both kinds of rice, parboiled and instant. They each have their place in my preps. I can't eat any wheat so rice shows up in our meals a lot. Instant rice works well with freeze-dried vegetables and spices to make up your own "m.r.e. type meals" in jars or small mylar bags. Parboiled rice is much cheaper, and cup for cup cooks up more rice as instant. So, instant is good to include if you need to have stuff on hand for times you can't cook, like if you are too busy fighting off zombies, raiders, or grasshoppers in the garden to cook a full meal.

The price here for instant rice is avg. 3 times more than parboiled per ounce. A cup of parboiled yields 2 cups of cooked rice. A cup of instant rice yields 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice.
 
#24 ·
I prefer sticky rice most of the time. I use long grain rice for pilafs, buttered rice, or when I'm going to glop something on top of it. But for general eating, I prefer Asian type short grain stickier rice because it has a chewier texture, a better flavor, and it's easier to pick up because it sticks together.

I actually stock more sticky rice than long grain.

Just as an aside, when you go to cook your minute rice, make a simple fried rice with it. put some butter or margarine in the pan and melt it, brown the rice, then add in place of the water, beef stock or bullion, it tastes really good.
That's a basic pilaf and is one of the most versatile ways you can use rice. You can add all sorts of stuff to it and make it into so many different things.

Cultures all around the world use rice as a staple. It's smart to learn some of their uses. There's no excuse for plain ol' boring white rice, with so many recipes and methods out there. You can make exciting dishes based on rice, so many different ways that you could go a lifetime without eating the same one twice unless you wanted to.
 
#23 ·
Just as an aside, when you go to cook your minute rice, make a simple fried rice with it. put some butter or margarine in the pan and melt it, brown the rice, then add in place of the water, beef stock or bullion, it tastes really good.
You can also make your own "minute" rice by dehydrating regular cooked leftover rice. then "cook" it again like minute rice.
 
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