Fake rice vs real rice. [Photo/opindia.com]
Fake rice seems to be on an increase in the Kenyan market. This week, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) came out guns blazing saying they have put all the pulls and stop, to ensure there is no plastic rice in our homes.
We cannot, however, dispel our fears just because the government says everything has been sorted out – we have heard that before. Here are a few ways to recognise fake or plastic rice.
The water test.
Take a handful of your rice and pour it into a bowl of water. If it floats, it’s plastic. If it sinks to the bottom, then it is okay to consume.
Fake rice floats on water.[ Photo/beforeitsnews.com]
The fire test.
Burning plastic emits a smell. Take a matchstick and burn a few grains of your rice. If they smell like plastic, it’s because they are plastic. When burning pure rice, there should be no smell.
Another burning trick is to watch whether the rice melts. Plastic melts when exposed to heat or fire. Real rice will not melt; it will just start turning colour.
The hot oil test.
Boil some oil and when it’s still very hot, drop some rice in it. Plastic rice will melt and settle at the bottom of the pot.
The fungus test.
Cook some rice and leave it in the open for about three days. If the rice does not show any signs of going bad or growing some fungus, it is possibly made out of plastic.