Best answer: Do I have to use leftover rice for fried rice?

Use cold, leftover cooked rice. Left in the fridge overnight, the rice grains will firm up, making it easier to separate and decreasing the chances of your fried rice turning out mushy. If you can’t wait, air freshly cooked rice to remove moisture and refrigerate the rice for a few hours before cooking. 2.

Can you use just cooked rice for fried rice?

Fresh-cooked: So long as you spread the rice out on a plate or tray while it’s still hot and give it a few minutes to allow some surface moisture to evaporate, you can make excellent fried rice with fresh rice. … That said, if you happen to have day-old rice, it’ll make excellent fried rice.

How do you make fried rice with same day rice?

Drying the freshly cooked rice by spreading it on a tray and putting it under a fan for one hour does the trick. Kenji’s recommends this method (even more than day old rice!) If you don’t have an hour to wait, you can spread still hot rice on a tray and let the surface moisture evaporate.

How do you dry rice for fried rice?

Drying the freshly cooked rice by spreading it on a tray and putting it under a fan for one hour does the trick. Kenji’s recommends this method (even more than day old rice!) If you don’t have an hour to wait, you can spread still hot rice on a tray and let the surface moisture evaporate.

What is the fastest way to cool rice for fried rice?

The key to fresh rice is allowing it to cool slightly before using it. The cooling process can quickly be done by spreading the rice on a sheet pan at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes if you’re impatient like me. The rice should be cool to the touch before adding it to the pan.

What happens if I use fresh rice for fried rice?

Freshly cooked rice has more moisture in it than you need, and the starches are gelatinized, soft, and sticky. That’s bad for fried rice, where you want the grains more or less distinct and intact. If you make fried rice out of it like that, it’ll be mushy.

How long do I have to refrigerate rice for fried rice?

Make a batch of rice and spread it in a thin layer on a sheet tray. Put the tray in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes (this keeps the grains from clumping), then portion out the rice into individual freezer bags. Freeze for a couple hours and BOOM—dry rice, ready for frying.

Can you fry rice after boiling it?

When using previously cooked rice for a fried rice recipe, the rice is first fully cooked using the boiling/absorption/steaming method. The cooked rice is then well chilled. After chilling the rice for a number of hours (or overnight), it is cooked a second time using the frying or stir-frying method.

What do you do if you put too much water in rice?

1 Dry it out



If you think your rice is cooked but there’s still water, simply drain the water out and keep cooking on low heat, uncovered. This will help the water evaporate. As soon as it’s dry, remove it from heat, or maybe even transfer it to a bowl to aerate. Fluff it up with a spoon!