Rice in the Freezer

Rice in the freezer is simple, easy, the perfect meal prep hack, adding convenience that that feels like you cheated.  It is perfect for those time when you’re rushed, short on time, or just don’t want to spend the effort cooking.

Does anyone actually look forward to cooking rice.  I remember when I was working, with two young children, the idea of coming home and cooking rice for dinner caused mild panic attacks.  Part of that was I didn’t really know how to cook rice, and part of it was how long it took, or maybe it was not knowing how long it took.  We didn’t eat a lot of rice because I just couldn’t cook it as part of the meal.  What I did make a lot of was fried rice because I used cold rice that could make that a day or two ahead.

It was this problem that led me to my lifelong love of using my freezer to meal plan and prep.  I would make soups and add stews, freeze mashed potatoes, slowly exploring what you could freeze, and what you couldn’t.  I learned quickly that you couldn’t freeze rice and pasta in a soup or stew as it just expanded to almost unrecognizable sizes.  It was very unappetizing to find mutated rice or pasta in your soup.  I started experimenting with freezing the rice on its own.

Rice freezes really well, and it so convenient to have in the freezer.  Come home and grill a couple of chicken breasts or pork chops and add rice as a side.  Just take it out of the freezer and microwave until it’s hot, maybe 90 seconds if you’re just cooking for one.  One small microwave bowl to wash, no measuring, no waiting.  It’s one of the few freezer ingredients that I am very careful about making sure I have it in the freezer.  The other is some sort of grain.

At first I cooked it with stock, adding that little bit of extra flavour to the rice, but I found that a bit restrictive.  I would need to make three batches, one with vegetable stock, one with beef stock, and one with chicken stock, just to pair it well with the meals I was making.  Now I just use water and it goes with absolutely anything.

Frozen rice can be used as a side, in fried rice, or added to any dish that calls for rice.  I freeze it in serving size portions, easily taken out and used.  For me that is a single size portion, but for your family the freezer package could be larger.  I just like it for the convenience when I need some, and don’t have to wait for it to cook.

How to - Rice in the Freezer

1. Make rice as you normally would, increasing the amount.  Often, I use 2 cups of rice as that’s what fits well into my pot.  Cook following the package directions, or how you would normally cook rice. 

2. Fluff the rice as it cools.  Typically, after making rice you would fluff it before serving.  I just continue to occasionally fluff it until it has reached room temperature.

3. For freezing reusable snack size bags work very well for single or double portion sizes, but in general, freezing is bags is best. 

4. Place the rice in the bags.  If you are unsure of what a portion size is, actually add some to a bowl or place it on a plate go get an idea of how much.  You can then use a kitchen scale to copy the amount.

5. Gently pat the bag flat as you press the resealable portion of the bag, flattening it and pressing out the air.  The rice will store much more easily flattened, then if you used a container that is bigger than you portion.

6. Label and date the package.  A sharpie is excellent for that as it doesn’t come off in the freezer, but will wash off if you want to reuse the bag.

7. Place sealed bags flat on a baking sheet and freeze, at least a hour, depending on the size of the bags. This keeps the bags flat and the contents freeze flat and even making storage much easier.

8. Remove the bags from the pan. Place the smaller bags in a larger freezer bag for extra protection and to keep them in one place. I have large plastic containers I keep in the freezer that I stand the bags up in. Either way works.

Pretty easy, very convenient.  Let me know in the comments if you try this and how you used rice in the freezer.