Each month in Well Stocked<\/strong>, our staff shares unfussy recipe ideas that you can call upon any day of the week. Because yes, our editors love to cook, but sometimes we need to get dinner on the table 12 minutes ago. That\u2019s when we look to pantry and fridge staples that can quickly morph into delicious meals. This month, it\u2019s all about leftover rice.<\/em><\/p>\n There\u2019s a reason fried rice recipes tell you to start with leftover rice. The time in the fridge allows the cooked grains to firm up and dry out. \u201c[The rice] has crystallized. The starches in it have made it hard,\u201d explains Peking House chef and founder Eric Huang. This is a great thing for stir-frying. When slicked with oil over high heat, the morsels crisp into a textural marvel, jumping a long way from their original sticky form.<\/p>\n That\u2019s one of our favorite ways to use leftover rice, but there are other fish in the sea. Pack down day-old rice in a roaring-hot skillet and you\u2019ve got crispy rice to stretch a salad. Simmer it in bone broth until the grains fall apart and you\u2019ve made short-cut congee. Or cover it in coconut milk instead, let that bubble away, and poof, rice pudding. Limitless options! Read on for our editors\u2019 favorite ways to use leftover rice.<\/p>\n Fridge-clearing fried rice<\/p>\n If I have cooked rice in the fridge\u2014almost always!\u2014it is there to accompany an upcoming dinner. Usually a stir-fry (love this sesame tofu) or curry (love this saag feta). But if I have an awkward amount leftover\u2014often!\u2014I\u2019ll turn it into a fridge-clearing fried rice. Sometimes it\u2019s ripe kimchi and crumbled tofu. Other times it\u2019s scrambled eggs and fresh ginger, based on this cure-all recipe from cookbook author Hetty Lui McKinnon. Her trick is to finely chop<\/em> the ginger, instead of grating it, so there are spicy-sweet nubs in each bite. It always hits the spot. \u2014Emma Laperruque, director of cooking<\/em><\/p>\n You don\u2019t need a lot of ingredients\u2014just a lot of ginger\u2014for this quick comfort food.<\/p>\n View Recipe<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Dessert for one<\/p>\n When I\u2019ve got one awkward scoop of rice leftover, I take it as a sign from the universe to make myself dessert. I just toss the rice into a pot and drown it in coconut milk, plus an overflowing spoonful of honey and a pinch of salt. (Any milk you have on hand works.) Let the mixture heat up and break down till it resembles a custardy porridge. Top the rice pudding with whatever fresh, dried, or frozen fruit you have around. My favorite will always be tart cherries. \u2014Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor<\/em><\/p>\n Laotian-style crispy rice salad<\/p>\n When I lived in Chicago\u2019s Lincoln Square neighborhood, I would often order from Rainbow Thai, an unassuming take-out spot. They specialize in heady Northern Thai cuisine, and truly excel with their naem kao tod, a celebration of crunchy-chewy rice mixed with red curry paste, peanuts, and fish sauce. It\u2019s been years since I\u2019ve had the pleasure of ordering from Rainbow, but I\u2019ve been craving those flavors. So I turned to my colleague Shilpa Uskokovic\u2019s Laotian-style version, which uses similar ingredients. The fun of this salad is the playful textures of super-crispy rice made from day-old leftovers. \u2014Joseph Hernandez, director of drinks & lifestyle<\/em><\/p>\n This Laotian-style rice salad is crunchy, spicy, sour, and bright. Store-bought red curry paste and skillet-crisped rice keep it fast and weeknight friendly.<\/p>\n View Recipe<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Dressed-up crispy rice<\/p>\n I like to use leftover rice as a base for a one-pan meal that I can assemble with kitchen staples. I\u2019ll crisp some smashed garlic and chickpeas in an oil-coated skillet, then transfer to a plate to cool. Back in the skillet with more oil, I spread the rice into one layer and let it crisp. I\u2019ll then break it up into large chunks and flip to brown the other side. Slide the rice and garlicky garbanzos onto a platter, then scatter with chopped dried fruit (dates or apricots, maybe cherries) and chopped toasted cashews. Finish with a few dollops of thick yogurt and a squeeze of lemon or lime. \u2014Rebecca Firkser, Test Kitchen editor<\/em><\/p>\n Molten arancini<\/p>\n Leftover risotto is unideal. If not eaten immediately, the lovely creaminess becomes a dense pile of goop with no hope of Cinderella-ing itself back to a luxurious state. I tend to turn risotto (a Northern Italian classic) into arancini (a Southern Italian staple). You just roll the rice into balls, stuff them with mozzarella, and fry until golden. If you happen to devour them with friends (like I do), they\u2019ll be gone in seconds. \u2014Marisa Alia Malanga, research fellow<\/em><\/p>\n This is a labor of love that will make other people love you, which is reason enough to give this recipe a try.<\/p>\n View Recipe<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Lap cheong fried rice<\/p>\n A container of leftover rice collecting condensation in the fridge beckons one dish and one dish only for me: fried rice. It\u2019s a predictable solution, made less generic by the addition of my all-time favorite add-in: lap cheong. It\u2019s cured Chinese sausage that is fatty, a little sweet, and mouthwateringly savory. I\u2019ll pair the rice and lap cheong with peas, scrambled eggs, and scallions. Quick, easy, and incredibly satisfying. \u2014Li Goldstein, associate newsletter editor<\/em><\/p>\n Short-cut congee<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been on a congee kick, making this version for work-from-home lunches. Instead of cooking red rice from scratch, I cut 25 minutes off the recipe by using whatever leftover rice I have in my fridge. I add the grains to a pot, generously cover them with broth (I use water plus a spoonful of Better Than Bouillon), and throw in a couple skinless, boneless chicken thighs. Simmer until the rice is porridge-like and the chicken is tender. (I shred the meat by hand. You could chop it.) Now, toppings! Sometimes butter-fried mushrooms, other times chili crisp and scallions. Each day, a new adventure. \u2014Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Ginger](\"https:\/\/assets.bonappetit.com\/photos\/65ca6bc164786bb14f43d34d\/master\/w_775%2Cc_limit\/20240130-WEB-0241.jpg\"\/)
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