Everyone like fried rice, right? It’s an easy-to-make meal that tastes great and fills you up.
And with this popular dish, you would think that not a lot could go wrong but despite what you think, this dish could land you in the hospital if it’s not prepared right.
Because this is what Texas resident Germaine Mobley experienced after getting sick from eating fried rice at a restaurant outside of Dallas.
Well, there is something you should be aware of before you begin if you intend to consume Chinese food this weekend.
Germaine Mobley, 62, is a resident of Texas and like many other people, Mobley enjoys going out to eat, so it’s pretty much par for the course. She honestly felt that she could not go wrong when it came time for her to pick dinner, considering that there are so many cultures in this massive state at the border with Mexico, However, she quickly found out after eating fried rice that she had made a terrible mistake.
Mobley fell ill very quickly, getting “very, very sick” and soon had some “problems breathing,” after she indulged in a dish of fried rice at a restaurant outside of Dallas, She had apparently developed fried rice syndrome without her knowledge. It was so bad that she thought that she was going to die; she ought to have rushed right to the emergency room because this situation is extremely serious.
Mobley was unable to attempt to carry on with her day and ignore the symptoms. However, Mobley spent eight days in intensive care, and now she hopes her story warns others about the dangers of “fried rice syndrome.”
This is due to the fact that cooks frequently let the rice sit at room temperature to prevent clumping, But, when that happens, the bacteria, known as bacillus cereus, a potentially hazardous substance, — start to form.
The Asian King Buffet in Waxahachie, however, has refuted claims that Mobley contracted an illness there, but the 62-year-old woman begs to differ.
Investigations revealed that many trained cooks let the rice cool to room temperature in order to avoid clumping when additional ingredients are added afterward.
“Often we will cook batches of rice, we will leave them out at room temperature to cool,” Celeste Rogers, a culinary expert, explained. “It is that period of time that we need to watch. We have a max of six hours to cool that rice.”
It is common for chefs to do this but it cannot be allowed to occur for more than six hours, Rogers said.
The story of Mobley, her attorney Kathryn Knotts said that this should serve as a caution to others. “‘Fried rice syndrome’ sounds like a joke, but it’s very serious,” she said. “I remember going, ‘I’ve never even heard of this.’
“She wasn’t sure what could even really be done, she just wanted this to not continue to happen to other people.”
Food poisoning is an unpleasant experience that no one wants to go through again, although this story isn’t intended to convince you to surrender that tasty grain forever, it is important to be aware of how long a particular food has been sitting at room temperature.
At a buffet, this can be challenging to judge, but don’t be afraid to ask one of the chefs.
Rogers offers some advice on how to keep from becoming sick at home while still cooling rice rapidly to make the ideal fried rice dish. “To cool it quickly, we are going to get it on a flat surface so that it has more surface area to cool off,” she said.
Sources: Awm, Nypost, Sharesplosion
