Here's What To Do With Soggy Rice

Cooking rice seems like it should be a simple task. Yet it's incredibly easy to screw up, something even prominent chefs profess to do from time to time (via Delicious). Perhaps you've made the mistakes everyone makes while cooking rice, such as cooking the rice too hot (which causes the grains to burst), or you couldn't resist stirring the rice (which causes the starch to activate and make the rice mush). Whatever the reason, the final result is a pot of too soggy, mushy rice. Is there anything you can do to salvage the disaster of overcooked rice?

If the rice is only a little bit sticky, you can salvage it by running it under cool water in a colander and separating the grains with your fingers, according to The Kitchn. They cautioned that if the rice is too soggy and mushy, then it's best to start over and make a new batch. That doesn't mean you have to throw away that first batch of overcooked rice, as you can use it in different ways.

According to The Kitchn, you can turn the overcooked rice into fried rice or make it into cakes, fritters, or even veggie burgers. Bon Appétit suggests turning it into congee, a Chinese rice porridge that's savory, or a chicken rice soup, with a warning to add the rice toward the end, so it doesn't get even mushier than it already is. Epicurious recommends adding even more liquid in the form of milk, plus vanilla and sugar, and turning your overcooked and soggy rice into rice pudding instead. And who doesn't like dessert?

A Reddit thread also came up with an unusual (but we think genius) idea for what to do with that overcooked rice — turn it into sake. All it takes is some koji — a fungus used to make rice ferment found in most Asian grocery stores — added to the rice in mason jars. Then let it all sit and ferment for two to three weeks, with a few stirs and burps along the way. Now that's an idea we can drink to. Kanpai!