It doesn’t matter if you have made American-style or Korean-style rice cakes; it’s needless to say that you have to store the leftover rice cake to make sure you don’t end up with spoiled rice cakes. This is important because rice cakes can go stale pretty quickly, which is why it is suggested to make them in smaller batches. However, even if you have to store the rice cake’s leftover, it will be only for a few days. On top of everything, the storage method is different for different types of rice cakes, and with this post, we are ready to share the most suitable storage methods.
How To Store Rice Cake?
Uncooked Rice Cakes
The uncooked rice cakes are basically the ones that you haven’t molded into the desired cake shape. To begin with, you need to leave your rice cake in the packaging if you have purchased them from the bakery or store. This is because they are often packed in vacuum-sealed packages, which are better at keeping the air out. So, it is better that you leave the rice cake in its original packaging until you are ready to cook and eat them. Also, when you have to buy rice cakes in bulk, always choose the ones with individual packaging rather than one big pack.
Secondly, if you have to refrigerate the rice cakes, you need to use an airtight container because it is extremely important to keep the air bubbles out. An airtight container is better at preserving the rice cakes, promising long-lasting freshness. On the other hand, if you have the taller rice cakes, you can opt for a glass jar with a lid. You must remember that you can only refrigerate the rice cakes for three days and store them on the middle shelf, but it’s best to eat the rice cake as soon as possible. Not to forget, you should always read the expiration date because you cannot store it any longer than this.
Thirdly, if you want to store the rice cakes for a longer period, you can freeze the rice cakes in the freezer for over three months. However, they must be sealed in airtight conditions before you put them in the freezer. Whenever you have to reuse the rice cakes, you will have to thaw the rice cakes for one day but continue the thawing process in your refrigerator. You must remember that freezing the rice cakes might change the overall texture.
Cooked Rice Cakes
In case you have cooked rice cakes, the storage method will obviously be different. First of all, you have to store the cooked rice cakes in an airtight container and make sure that the lid fits. On the other hand, if you cannot find an airtight container, you could use plastic wrap for wrapping the rice cake. You must remember that leaving the rice cakes in open-air conditions will harden them, and the texture will be crunchy, which opposes the entire idea of rice cakes (they are meant to be sticky).
Secondly, you can always refrigerate the cooked rice cakes for three days but don’t wait any longer because it will result in a loss of flavor and texture. Also, if you have to reheat the refrigerated rice cakes, you can use a stovetop at the medium heat settings but make sure that you heat the rice cake with leftover sauce to make sure the rice cake is thoroughly warmed up. However, reheating will make the rice cake mushier, so don’t worry.
If you are thinking about storing your cooked rice cakes for a longer time period, it is not possible because you cannot freeze the cooked rice cakes. This is because freezing will increase the moisture, even if you use vacuum-sealing. Moreover, it will be extremely challenging to thaw cooked rice cakes. So, freezing is not recommended.
Additional Things To Remember
When it comes down to storing the rice cakes, we have mentioned different ways of storing the cooked and uncooked rice cakes. However, there are some other factors that you must consider, such as;
- Always use an airtight container with a tight lid and vacuum sealing
- The thawing should be done in the refrigerator to prevent the bacterial buildup
- Never freeze the uncooked rice cakes and rice cakes with meat filling