How should cooked palov be stored?

Uncooked rice may contain spores of Bacillus cereus. Some can survive cooking and grow if cooked rice is left at room temperature. Safety therefore cannot be judged solely by whether the food was cooked thoroughly in the first place.

Do not leave rice dishes at room temperature. Cool the portion to be eaten later as quickly as possible, ideally within one hour, and refrigerate it. Dividing it into smaller portions rather than keeping it in a large pot helps with cooling.

Some toxins produced during unsafe storage may not be destroyed by reheating. A plan to 'heat it thoroughly tomorrow' does not replace safe storage today. Do not rely on palov whose storage conditions are unknown or that has stood warm for a long time being safe to eat.

Estimating how much palov you need before cooking reduces leftovers. The calculator's raw-rice quantity is a starting plan; adjust it next time to your household's actual consumption. Once the meal is over, do not put off storing what remains.