Rice tends to naturally go very dry after it sits in the fridge for a few days. Especially if you don't want to add gravy or sauce to soften the rice, which can make the dish really unhealthy! Thankfully, here is the best trick to keeping your grains moist after microwaving.
Rice is one of the favorite starches of many people around the wold. And for good reason, it can be cooked in many different ways, both hot and cold, steamed or even stir-fried. However, after a few days in the fridge, the white grains end up dry and very hard.
All you need to do to keep reheated rice moist is a cube of ice!
This now viral technique for reheating already cooked rice with an ice cube was popularized by Emily Mariko on TikTok. In the video, you can see the woman adding rice to a bowl and then placing an ice cube on top before heating it all in the microwave for a minute. She covers the bowl with parchment paper to lock in moisture but also to prevent splashing. After it's done, she simply removes the ice cube!
Take a look at the video:
But are you wondering how come the ice cube didn't melt?
Someone actually explained it in the comments: "Microwaves vibrate the water molecules inside food to produce heat. Since the water molecules inside ice are locked in place, they can't move."
This trick actually works because it is steaming the rice instead of heating it! Genius!
Christopher Arturo explains to the HuffPost: “The ice cube gives something for the microwave to heat, and the steam will diffuse all the way through the food ― so you don’t end up with half the food still cold. Steam is a penetrative form of heat ― it heats fully, evenly and all the way through. The parchment paper lid also helps to hold in the heat. Steam goes up, hits the parchment paper and hot liquid goes down to reheat the food. If Emily microwaved the food for a longer amount of time, the ice cube would melt fully.”
This anti-waste trick allows you to make your leftover rice enjoyment last longer!
