How to best preserve rice

Q. What is the expiration date of rice?

A. On our packaging we indicate 12 months from processing (not from harvesting, but from the moment it is then “husked”) for non-vacuum-packed packaging (cloth, cellophane, paper) and 18-24 months for vacuum-packed. Brown rice (Integrale, Riso Venere, Riso Rosso Ermes) is instead all vacuum-packed because it contains a little oil in the external part of the grain, which in contact with air would tend to oxidize within a few months and make the taste “rancid”.

Q. I put it in the fridge, am I doing the right thing?

A. Rice has very little humidity, about 13-14%, and is hydro-receptive, that is, if you put it near a source of humidity, it absorbs it. Therefore, putting it in a very humid environment like the fridge can be fine in the summer as long as it always stays there. In fact, the fridge is obviously also very fresh, but when you take it out of the fridge and leave it in the pantry, then it is a food that has definitely changed compared to its original state, as its humidity will certainly be very high and at room temperatures of even 18-20 degrees, it can give rise to the classic problems of "weevil" or "butterfly".

Q. So, how do you preserve rice, without having problems with butterflies or anything else?

A. If your home and in particular the pantry where you keep it, is not humid and is not exposed to heat sources (for example near a radiator, a window with persistent light) I would say that you can rest assured. You can leave it in the bag it is in or at most transfer it to a glass jar.

If, however, you are not comfortable or think you have too much humidity in the house, then you can:

- in the summer, store the rice in the FREEZER, which is a dry and cool environment, better than in the fridge which is very humid.

Rice does not freeze and when you need it you can use and take the quantity you want and put the other one in the freezer again. Just 1 tip: wrap the bag in a freezer bag to act as a barrier with the smells of other foods that you have in the freezer, for example mushrooms, fish, otherwise the rice will absorb the aroma of mushrooms or fish ...

- buy vacuum-packed packages and open them one at a time (the vacuum-packed ones do not cause conservation problems.

Unfortunately rice does not have preservatives, so if it is in an incorrect environment for 15-20 consecutive days it is likely to cause these problems.