How To Cook Rice

i am no rice expert, but i am glad you posted this, because i had no idea rice was so suseptable to bacteria growth.  what i read says to refigerate it no more than an hour and a half after you make it.  but, i would do it sooner, myself.  are you getting sick when you eat it right after it is cooked?  it has the spores in it already, but it grows rapidly if it sets after cooked is what i understand.

Keeping Rice Safe

Cooked rice turns out to be a potential source of food poisoning. Raw rice almost always carries dormant spores of the bacterium Bacillus cereus, which produces powerful gastrointestinal toxins. The spores can tolerate high temperatures, and some survive cooking. If cooked rice is left for a few hours at room temperature, the spores germinate, bacteria multiply, and toxins accumulate. Ordinary cooked rice should therefore be served promptly, and leftovers refrigerated to prevent bacterial growth. The rice in Japanese sushi is served at room temperature, but the surfaces of its cooked grains are coated with a flavorful and antimicrobial mixture of rice vinegar and sugar. Rice salads should be similarly acidified with vinegar, lemon or lime juice.

Sticky Rice

Sticky rice or glutinous rice is standard fare in Northern Thailand and Laos. The rice is thicker than "regular" steamed rice and the sticky texture allows it to be rolled into golf ball sized patties and eaten with the (right) hand. Served with most meals, this rice is scrumptious and filling . Southern Thai cuisine usually serves this rice with condensed (or coconut) milk (rolled in banana leaves) or with mangos as a dessert.

When eating a meal it is customary to take the rice out of the bamboo basket it is served in, roll it into a ball and smoosh your "meat", vegetables and sauce into the rice. You don't need chopsticks or silverware, just don't use your left hand. Sticky rice is a tasty comfort food that becomes quite addicting especially if you have chili sauce to dip it in.

When cooking Sticky rice it isn't recommended that you prepare this rice in a rice cooker or steamer. The following steps should do the trick:

• First, you need Thai Sticky Rice, not the Japanese rice used in Sushi. Some brands available in the U.S. are; Peacock Extra-Super Quality and Ko-Ko Thai Sweet Rice.
• Then, rinse 2-3 times and soak the rice in a pan with plenty of water for 4-12 hours. (Like beans, the longer they soak, the less time it takes to cook).
• Drain and rinse again until the water is clear and place in a bamboo steamer. (Steamer resembles a basket).
• Place steamer over a metal pan of boiling water (don't let the bamboo touch the water...), and cover rice with a lid (any lid will do). Note: Some people also wrap the rice in a cheesecloth or add a little boiling water to the rice to speed cooking, though I don't.
• Steam for 30-45 minutes or until rice is tender.

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=sticky%20rice

this page is how to cook all rice:  http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=576555

Pathogenesis

B. cereus is responsible for a minority of foodborne illnesses (2–5%). It is known to create heavy nausea, vomiting, and abdominal periods. ^[2] Generally speaking, Bacillus foodborne illnesses occur due to survival of the bacterial spores when food is improperly cooked.^[3] This problem is compounded when food is then improperly refrigerated, allowing the spores to germinate.^[4] Bacterial growth results in production of enterotoxin, and ingestion leads to two types of illness, diarrheal and emetic syndrome.^[5]

• The diarrheal type is associated with a wide-range of foods, has an 8–16 hour incubation time and is associated with diarrhea and gastrointestinal pain. Also know as the long-incubation form of B. cereus food poisoning, it can be difficult to differentiate from poisoning caused by Clostridium perfringens.^[6]
• In the emetic form, cooked rice that is improperly refrigerated is the most common cause, leading to nausea and vomiting 1–5 hours after consumption. This form can be difficult to distinguish from other short-term bacterial foodborne pathogens (e.g. Staphylococcus aureus).^[6]

Fried rice is a leading cause of B. cereus emetic-type food poisoning in the U.S. The organism is frequently present in uncooked rice, and its heat-resistant spores survive cooking. If the rice is then held at room temperature, the spores might germinate and multiply. The toxin produced can survive heating (for instance, stir frying), and many people are unaware that cooked rice is a potentially hazardous food.

This organism will grow at temperatures as low as 39°F, at a pH as low as 4.3, and at salt concentrations as high as 18%. Unlike other pathogens, it is an aerobe, and will grow only in the presence of oxygen. Both the spores and the emetic toxin are heat-resistant.

Bacillus cereus is a Gram positive rod-shaped bacterium responsible for outbreaks of food poisoning, and more rarely wound infections, septicaemia and meningitis. The bacteria multiply rapidly (once every 20-30 mins) under ideal conditions (35 - 40°C) and also produce spores which are very resistant to heat. The bacteria are found everywhere - in the soil, dust and air, as well as being carried by humans and animals or in foods. Good kitchen practice is essential to prevent rapid reproduction and avoid food poisoning. Food should be kept at above 50°C or below 4°C; cooling should take place as rapidly as possible, especially when dealing with cooked rice.

The bacteria produce a number of chemicals including proteases, phospholipases, hemolysins and enterotoxins. Two distinct types of food poisoning may occur, depending on the type of toxin produced by the bacteria.

• The emetic type, is characterised by very rapid onset of nausea and vomiting - occuring between half an hour and 6 hours of consumption. This is usually associated with eating rice products, although other starchy foods can also carry this type of contamination.
• The second type causes watery diarrhea and stomach cramps and symptoms begin between 6 and 15 hours of eating the contaminated foods, typically milk, meat and fish products.

In both cases symptoms persist for about 24 hours requiring no further treatment.

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=576555

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=Bacillus%20cereus

(Good page on rice, here is an excerpt):

History of Rice

Rice is thought to be the oldest cultivated grain and has been a vital food source to billions of people spanning thousands of years. Its importance can be seen in the various ancient cultures that have relied on it. Chinese mythology states that rice was brought to the starving people by a dog and the grain was prized more than jade or pearls. In Burma and Bali rice was thought to be a gift from the gods. In Japan, the emperor was considered the living embodiment of the rice plant. Additionally, in several Asian languages the word for "rice" was the same word as "food" or "agriculture".

Rice was thought to be cultivated as early as 6000 BC and sealed pots of ancient rice have been found in China that are about 8000 years old. The exact origin of the rice plant is not known, but it is thought to have been originally cultivated in Southeast Asia around modern Thailand and China. Traders were responsible for spreading rice throughout the world. It spread first to the to the Philippines, then to Japan, and later to India. It reached Greece in 300 BC and was traded throughout the Mediterranean. Rice was initially not grown in Western Europe due to the threat of malaria. Rice plants grew best in flooded fields, yet the standing water also increased mosquito populations. The rice plants finally spread throughout Europe in the 1400s. The Spanish and Portuguese introduced rice to Central and South America and they also transported rice to South Carolina in the 1600s, where it spread to New Orleans and later to California.

Today, rice remains a vital source of food. It is a staple for about half of the world's population and it is cultivated in more than a hundred countries around the world. More than ninety percent of all rice on the planet is grown and consumed in Asia. Trading and breeding has produced more than seven thousand varieties of rice.

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=rice