How to keep rice (uncooked)?

[ifse]

I don't eat much rice but when I came to Malaysia, I decided to get with the program and got a 10-kg bag of rice, It worked. The neighbors were impressed

But within a few weeks I started getting bugs in the rice. They looked like small grains of rice, only black, and they moved like ants. I thought it was a bad bag of rice and threw it out when the neighbors were not watching. I got a new 5-kg bag instead. Guess what? Same thing again. I keep the rice in its original plastic bag on a shelf, cool and dry - or as dry as the air gets in Penang.

What should I do now? I remember that around Chinese New Year, they sold these wooden tubs for rice but I didn't get one. Do they have special anti-insect properties?

[Donaldxr]

We use a large 32 gallon plastic garbage can to store our rice. Don't need to get anything fancy, just find some kind of large air tight container. You can keep it in the bag and then place it into the container for extra protection if you want.

[funlol]

lots of tupperware!

[tumbleweeds]

I'd get a big plastic container with a snug lid. Wash the container thoroughly, then microwave it for a few seconds just to make certain that there is nothing living inside. Next, buy a decent quality of rice - some of the cheaper rices have bugs whereas the higher quality ones are less likely. If you have a brand you like, buy a small quantity at first, take good care of it as outlined above and make sure that the quality is good. If you don't have any problems, then you can buy a larger quantity next time around. I like the Cambodian and Thai rices the best and many places sell them in bulk.

Good luck!

[ifse]

Thank you, everyone, for your replies. I bought a new small bag of rice and am storing it in a large plastic tub, with a somewhat air-tight lid. It's been about ten days, and still no bugs. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. If this doesn't work, I'll be permanently carnivore

[sunset70]

Toss a few pieces of garlic into the rice tub, or around the place you store it! That should keep bugs away too!