How To Dry Out Rice For Fried Rice? Make Perfect Fried Rice

You need to prepare rice the day before in order to make the perfect fried rice. The best choice is to use day-old rice, but many of us do not have that option. But what if you wanted to make fried rice right away?

Fried rice made from freshly cooked rice is mushy and soft. This is the reason why day-old rice is better, as it has dried out more.

Sometimes you’ll want to have fried rice for dinner when you wake up in the morning. Do not freak out if there isn’t day-old rice in the house. Even if you didn’t cook rice yesterday, you can still have a delicious meal today.

Fresh rice won’t ruin your fried rice just because day-old rice is necessary to make fried rice. Old rice is often stored in the refrigerator. This prevents the rice from losing its shape when it is fried.

Spreading freshly cooked rice out on a piece of paper will allow them to dry out given enough time. Use a fan to accelerate the drying process. There are plenty of other ways to dry out rice quickly.

Golden Rules Of Making Perfect Fried Rice

Fried rice made with day-old rice is excellent, but it tends to clump. Rice that has been stored for at least 12 hours is ideal. Stir-frying is slightly more challenging as the rice has a dryer interior than fresh rice. In order to prevent the rice from drying out, you have to be quick.

After the rice is cooked, it needs to be dried under a fan for one hour by spreading it out on a tray. I highly recommend this method since it can produce results similar to those that use day-old, dried-out rice.

You should also remember that rice only needs to be dry, not stale. So it is not necessary to make the rice a day ahead. To prevent clumping, rinse the rice well to eliminate as much surface starch as possible.

In general, it does not matter if the rice is day-old or not. Some world-renowned chefs prepare their fried rice with fresh rice, which is generally considered to be better. I believe the most important part of fried rice is the technique and the ingredients.

How Do You Dry Out Rice?

You can quickly dry those grains by freezing them. Make rice and put it on a sheet tray in a thin layer. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. Once the rice has cooled, portion it into freezer bags.

In this way, the grains won’t clump together. Just freeze for a couple of hours and you’re done. Now you can fry dry rice. Before you begin frying the rice, the rice needs to be thawed.

How To Make Fried Rice Without Drying Too Much?

If you don’t have the time to dry out rice, there is another way to prepare fried rice. Generally speaking, fried rice tastes better with slightly drier rice; long grain rice is a traditional choice as well.

When there isn’t time to dry the rice, you can use the following recipe. Golden fried rice is yellow instead of brown when prepared correctly. It appears more brownish because of the eggs.

1. In just a few minutes, you can whip up some eggs and mix them with freshly cooked rice to create some fried rice.
2. As the starch in the rice starts to get hot, the egg coating prevents the grains from sticking to each other or turning mushy.
3. Egg coating prevents the rice from sticking as well as from drying out too much when it is cooked.
4. You don’t want your rice to be too wet with too much beaten egg. Use just enough to coat your rice. For the fried rice, you can use the remaining beaten egg.
5. To make a bowl of properly cooked fried rice, you require a good wok/pan that is well-seasoned, and high heat. In addition, a bit of arm strength is needed for tossing the rice, so it cooks evenly.
6. Then you can add any ingredients you would like to the rice to make it your own recipe. Hopefully, the fried rice will be delicious, moist, and slightly soft if prepared properly.

How Do You Get Moisture Out Of Cooked Rice?

You should not try to cook off the water if there is still water in the pot after the rice grains have been cooked to your liking. If you plan on using freshly cooked rice, pour it in a fine-mesh strainer and drain the excess water as you would when using pasta. Then proceed with the recipe.

You can spread hot rice on a tray and let any moisture evaporate from the surface if you do not have an hour to wait. As the surface moisture of freshly cooked rice is evaporating, it will steam quite a bit as it is spread out on a plate.

That’s what counts. The moisture on the surface of your rice will cause the temperature in the wok to rapidly drop. Rice sticks together because of this surface moisture. That is why it is really important to get the moisture out of cooked rice.

That is why fresh rice works so well when placed under a fan. In fact, a lot of people prefer this way to make fried rice. On the other hand, placing rice in the refrigerator slows down the rate of evaporation.

The grains will also start to release moisture from within, adding moisture on top of the grains and making it more challenging to fry. That surface moisture will evaporate again eventually, allowing you to easily fry the rice later on.

Is It Necessary To Sit The Rice For Fried Rice For A Long Time?

When using fresh rice, it is important to allow it to cool slightly before using it. If you’re impatient like me, you can chill the rice in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes or spread it on a sheet pan at room temperature and let it cool. Before adding the rice to the pan, it should be cool to the touch..

Patience Is The Key

Here’s a great method for getting a flavorful, crusty, and crispy layer of rice at the bottom of your paella pan. Using a spatula, push down the rice mixture after it has been cooked over high heat.

After 30 seconds, you’ll be tempted to toss the rice. However, resist the urge. The rice should sit for about 2-3 minutes before being flipped, patted, and repeated. There will be no burning of the rice; instead, it will toast, char, and caramelize.

You can serve fried rice this way if that’s how you like it. If you serve it any differently, you’re breaking the rules.

Final Words

A study conducted by serious eats found that rice spread on a plate or sheet after it has been freshly cooked was better than rice that has been stored for six hours in the fridge.

Basically, the surface of the rice evaporates while internal moisture is allowed to get to the surface after a couple of hours. To speed up the drying process, make rice early in the morning and store it in the freezer.

To keep it fresh and dry, just leave it uncovered in the fridge. Rice that has been left out long enough to dry out works better. Cooling does not help, it’s the loss of moisture that does. Refrigeration for 6 hours will be more than enough. The next time you want to make fried rice quickly, follow the tips mentioned here.