Can you reheat chicken curry and rice?
In this brief guide, we will answer the question “Can you reheat chicken curry and rice?”, mention ways to properly reheat chicken curry and rice, and discuss the potential health risks of reheating chicken curry and rice.
Can you reheat chicken curry and rice?
Yes, you can reheat chicken curry and rice only if they were stored properly in the fridge. From chicken curry and rice to be safe for consumption later, they should not be left out on the countertop for more than 2 hours after cooking.
If they were left out for more than two hours of cooking then chances are that they have been contaminated. Reheating them does not guarantee that it will be safe to eat them.
They should be placed inside airtight containers or ziplock bags and then placed in the fridge to minimize any contamination.
Chicken only lasts for about 3-4 days in the fridge after which it is better to throw it out. It will be the same for chicken curry as it has chicken added to it.
How to reheat chicken curry and rice?
You can reheat curry in a pan over a stove. Heat it on medium to low heat. It is better to add water or a dash of oil to get rid of the clumpy texture of a refrigerated chicken curry. Keep stirring it constantly so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Alternatively, place the chicken curry in an oven safe container that has a lid and then put it in a microwave oven. Stop the microwave oven midway, stir the chicken curry, and then place it back again.
This way keep stirring the curry at regular intervals so that it does not get burned from the sides.
Constant stirring also allows the heat to be distributed evenly and preserves the texture of the curry.
As for rice, put them in an oven safe container or a plate, and then cover the top with a bowl or a lid. Then put the covered rice in the microwave. Rice is very dry and does not have a wet component so if you do not cover it, it will go even drier and become hard.
This is why it is important to cover rice while reheating so that the steam gets trapped and the rice stays damp.
Learn all about reheating curry here.
What are the health implications of eating spoiled chicken curry and rice?
Chicken contains a bacteria called Salmonella which causes food poisoning. If cooked chicken is left out for longer periods of time, Salmonella starts to rapidly grow on it. Once ingested, it causes food poisoning. The symptoms of food poisoning are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, loss of appetite, and headache.
In severe cases it may even cause high grade fever. Profuse vomiting and inability to keep food down leads to severe dehydration which if left untreated, can be fatal.
Another harmful bacteria found in chicken is Campylobacter Jejuni. The most dangerous implication of this bacteria is Guillain Barre syndrome. It is a syndrome in which there is ascending paralysis.
There is numbness, weakness, and tingling in the arms and legs which rapidly spreads throughout the body. The patient may also suffer from inability to walk up or down the stairs.
If this infection spreads up to the respiratory system, it paralyzes and the person is unable to breathe due to a lack of power to respiratory muscle. Eventually, the person dies.
Raw rice contains spores of a bacteria called Bacillus cereus. They are not always killed when rice is cooked and spores can survive heat. So if this contaminated cooked rice is stored for longer periods of time, the bacteria will multiply and produce toxins which will cause food poisoning.
Reheating the rice again may not kill the spores either. Even if you do choose to reheat the rice, make sure that the heat is spread evenly throughout the whole portion by stirring it at regular intervals.
Other FAQs about Curry that you may be interested in.
How do you make restaurant style Thai curry?
How do you get rid of the bitter taste in curry?
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we answered the question “Can you reheat chicken curry and rice?”, mentioned ways to properly reheat chicken curry and rice, and discussed the potential health risks of reheating chicken curry and rice.
