Can I still use the 6 cups of brown basmati rice that I cooked last night but forgot to put away... It still smells soooo good!

Technically you shouldn’t.

I will confess, however, that I have done it with no ill effects.

Partly, it depends on the temperature it sat out in.

Also, if you do, use it as quickly as possible (the next day or so at most).

I’ve left food with mayonaise out over night, and eaten it the next day with no ill effects. I’ve eaten bread I’ve cut mold off of with no ill effects. Rice? I think that’s even less of a problem.

If the cover was left on and no new object, like a spoon, touched it, chances are that the rice has been in a nearly sterile environment all this time. Personally, I wouldn’t hesitate to use it.

Temp in kitchen ranched from mid-50s to mid-60s.

I gave some to the dog when I put it in the refrigeratr… He is passed out on the floor next to me…

It was covered! That is probably why it didn’t get put away!

In this case I would probably use the rice.

Now would you tell your husband? I make several lunches for him in advance and put them in the freezer. He is a worry wart…

If he really is a worry wart, I would probably play it safe and make new rice for his lunches, and save the non-perfect rice for myself.

Ixnay on telling the usbandhay.

@Marina – too funny!

If it was me, and the rice was cooked in water, given the other factors you mentioned, I would definitely eat it.
If it was cooked in chicken broth, I wouldn’t.

I am a worry wart, I hate to take the chance and there is the strange rice bacteria strain:

“Storing Leftover Rice
Storing leftover rice is a tricky business. Bacteria present in the rice multiplies astonishingly fast at room temperature, so cooked rice must be cooled and stored quickly.
1 Make sure it’s in the fridge within one hour of coming off the stove – the refrigerator makes bacteria growth dormant, so the rice should be safe to subsequently reheat.

2 Cover the cool rice with an airtight plastic lid – don’t use anything that may contribute bacteria, such as a tea-towel.

3 You can also freeze the rice at this point, as it will be fine in the freezer too.

Quick cooling and thorough reheating will mean that you avoid food poisoning.

When you reheat the rice, remove what you want from the fridge (using clean spoons, not your hands). Break up any lumps (again, using a spoon or fork). You can use the microwave or wok to reheat; just make sure that you heat it thoroughly, so it’s piping hot right through.”

I am also a hypochondriac so if I know the rice was out too long I will immediately feel ill! So I would say don’t take the chance and definitely don’t let your husband unknowingly take the chance, should at the very least be his decision.