Important notice regarding rice storage

May 18, 2020

The coronavirus outbreak has led to an increase in new customers. Thank you very much.

You may have been purchasing your products at supermarkets etc. until now, but we would like to point out some points to keep in mind when using our store .

I. Antioxidant

　We recommend storing rice in the refrigerator .

In a market dominated by counterfeit and old Japanese-milled rice, we deliver rice that is milled on the day of delivery, making it truly one of a kind. It is extremely fresh, with zero oxidation levels.

Therefore, its weakness is that it oxidizes quickly after delivery and its taste deteriorates quickly.

Rice that has been stored carelessly or milled a long time ago (more than a month ago) has already oxidized sufficiently, so the deterioration of its flavor is gradual.

Now, what is the indoor environment like in Singapore? Unlike our warehouse, the air conditioner is not running at full capacity to maintain a constant environment , and the average temperature is probably around 28 degrees and humidity around 85%.

The speed of oxidation (deterioration) of food, not just rice, is proportional to the temperature and humidity.

When rice oxidizes, the first thing that happens is that it becomes bubbling in the mouth.

It also loses its fluffy, chewy, and crunchy texture, loses its smooth, refreshing feel down the throat, and of course, loses its natural sweetness.

For example, freshly ground coffee beans are rich in aroma and have a mellow taste. However, if they are not stored properly, they will lose their flavor.

I don't think that an average home has the ideal temperature environment for storing rice, such as a temperature of below 20 degrees and humidity of below 70%.

If anything, it's just a refrigerator.

If you don't have space in your fridge, the small 2kg pack is very convenient and easy to store.

The 2kg set is a little more expensive than the 5kg value pack, but considering the damage caused by storing it outside the warehouse, it is ultimately cheaper than storing the 5kg bag outside the warehouse.

However, even the 5 kg bag can be divided into smaller bags or plastic bottles. If you are considering purchasing the 10 or 15 kg 5 kg value pack, please first consider the space available in your refrigerator.

II. Insect repellent

Storing food in the refrigerator has another major benefit: it keeps out bugs.

When it's cold, they hibernate and don't move, but in this country's environment, they're active all year round.

You may think, "My house is very clean," but there are lots of them in the room, you just can't see them.

Due to government-led disease control measures, mosquitoes and flies are rarely seen, but common Japanese species such as cockroaches, rats, ants, and geckos will almost certainly be found in areas where there is food or garbage.

Their noses are as sharp as the big men in Matsumoto Seicho's books, able to detect the smell of food, food left in the microwave, and food left in pots and pans.

Also, grains attract a lot of insects.

Tiny moths, mites, grain-loving insects, and other invisible creatures less than a millimeter in size can be found on the openings of bags of rice stored outside the warehouse, just like ants are attracted to sweet things.

Freshly milled rice should smell especially good.

The moment you open the bag, all of these things rush in. Rice is one example, but powders like rice bran and wheat flour are especially dangerous.

...

For me, it's unthinkable to store rice or flour on a kitchen shelf at room temperature .

If my wife were doing that, I would beg her to please keep the rice in the refrigerator !

It doesn't matter if it's opened or unopened. As long as it's exposed to air, it will oxidize and attract insects.

Therefore, please keep any unopened product in the refrigerator. While buying in bulk is certainly a good deal, it's best not to buy so much that you can't fit it all in your bag.

Please be especially careful if you are purchasing a value pack of 10kg or more .

No, we store them in an airtight container under the sink, just like in Japan . That's the norm in our house. There are no Gs. They're fine even in temperatures of 28 degrees and humidity of 90%.

Some people may think this way. Insects are attracted to powder on the edges of unwashed containers, and people with a laid-back Southeast Asian attitude may be fine with leaving it as it is.

Sometimes it's best not to know what's going on in your empty kitchen .

However , Inazo believes that our customers choose our restaurant because they want to eat delicious rice .

For rice and other food products from other companies, you can use the storage method recommended by the manufacturer or your own household method.

However, we would like to maintain the quality of our rice at the time of shipment, so it would be a great honor for us as a rice merchant if you would store your rice in the way we recommend .