Freezing leftover wild rice and wild rice blends 

For ease of use, many chefs will cook up more wild rice or a wild rice blend than they need and freeze the remaining rice or they may have rice left over after a banquet or dinner service. Reasons to freeze left over rice include: 

1. Time savings—only have to cook one batch of rice when the chefs have time.
2. No waste—use the frozen rice for side dishes, soups, casseroles, etc. 

Directions for freezing rice:

1. Take the rice that you want to freeze and place on large cookie sheet or hotel pan (depending upon how much rice there is).
2. Make a thin layer of rice on the pan and place in the walk in freezer.
3. Let the rice IQF (individually quick-freeze).
4. When the rice is frozen, empty it into a freezer bag or pail and keep in the freezer until needed. 

How to thaw and use frozen rice:

1. Take from freezer and scoop out the amount you want to use
2. Reheat in the microwave or add a small amount of liquid to reheat on stove
3. May also be thawed at room temperature
4. Frozen rice can be mixed into soups and casseroles and will thaw during heating