The Simple Trick for Reheating Your Leftover Rice

Old rice lasts several days in the fridge, but it can dry out fast. Unless you're frying it, crunchy isn't a quality you want from your rice. Luckily, you don't have to toss out your leftovers and make a new pot from scratch to get the texture you desire. All you need is an ice cube and a microwave.

This hack for rehydrating cooked rice was first shared on TikTok. According to the viral video, adding an ice cube to a plate of rice before heating it up in the microwave is the key to reviving the side dish. Though you may expect the ice to melt and leave you with a puddle of rice soup, that isn't the case. Instead, the moisture from the ice steams your rice, returning it to a tender, fluffy state.

The Kitchn tested this method and confirmed that the ice cube trick lives up to the hype. As for why the ice stays intact instead of making your rice soggy, you can thank science. The rigid hydrogen bonds in ice prevent the water molecules from rotating. This means the bonds don't absorb a lot of energy from the microwave, which allows the ice to retain its solid form as the surrounding food heats up.

You can check out more simple kitchen hacks to make your life easier here.

[h/t The Kitchn]