Rice in the Freezer

[bbqLuv]

Do they have a freezer in a Winnebagos?

[Dan Deter]

This place is gonna bankrupt me...first beans, now rice. I'll never have enough money to indulge in MCS...

[Donw]

We buy ours from Marsh Hen Mills. They were known as Geechie Boy Mill until social forces made them change the name. https://marshhenmill.com/collections/pantry/rice

[smokin fool]

WillTravelForFood Thank you, an interesting read.
I initially thought it was a way of cooking/preparing rice not an actual strain of rice.
Neat to see how it made a comeback after almost disappearing.

[Jim White]

Now why did you go and put up that link to Carolina Gold rice?

Dang it. That stuff sounds so good.

[LA Pork Butt]

Uncle Bob "We use a saying in our house; when in doubt, throw it out."


That’s the saying at our house, too!

[rickgregory]

I don't buy the 'something is rotting' thing - it's in the FREEZER.

That said, the only other explanation I can think of is water expanding into ice, but there should not be that much water in there. Perhaps email the place that sold it?

[WillTravelForFood]

Some background on Carolina rice, from our friends at Serious Eats:

https://www.seriouseats.com/carolina-gold-heirloom-rice-anson-mills

[smokenoob]

any chance your freezer is traveling with you and you went up in altitude?

[Uncle Bob]

We use a saying in our house; when in doubt, throw it out.

That said usually that sort of expansion is the result of something in the package off gassing, usually because something is decaying. In your case a couple questions come to mind. You put a "package" within a bag......maybe? Is the rice in it's own package and is that package sealed (not opened since manufacturer sealed)? If so, is that original packaging swollen as well? If not, then there was something in the freezer bag that "died" or whatever. If the original package was opened, or swelling within factory seal, then there is/was something in that that probably is deteriorating to cause the off gassing. In which case, back to the opening sentence.

[smokin fool]

I'm interested too.
Dry rice there's no need to freeze but I'm unfamiliar with Carolina rice.

[FireMan]

I have no idea what happened. It will be interesting when the answer comes along. In the mean time, I have never heard or done put rice in the freezer. Mebbee jus learnt why.

[WillTravelForFood]

A few months ago, we obtained a package of Carolina Rice. We put it into a freezer bag and placed the bag in the freezer.

Yesterday, I noticed that the freezer bag has expanded/puffed up like a pillow. No idea how long it's been like this, so no idea if it was a gradual increase or something more sudden.

a) what could have caused this?
b) is the rice still safe to cook and eat, or should we toss it?