Five gallons of rice might seem like a very large amount to most people.
However, if you cook large meals for your family or need to calculate how much rice to buy for a restaurant, knowing how many pounds of rice are in a 5-gallon bucket can be extremely helpful.
Storing rice in 5-gallon buckets is also a great option if you prefer to buy in bulk.
How many pounds of rice are in a 5-gallon bucket?
To find out how many pounds of rice are in a 5-gallon bucket, you first need to know how much 1 gallon of rice weighs. The weight of rice can vary slightly depending on the rice type.
How the rice has been stored can also change its weight, as rice stored in a very dry environment will have a lower moisture content and will, therefore, weigh less.
On average, 1 gallon of dry, uncooked rice weighs about 6.74 pounds. To find how many pounds of rice are in a 5-gallon bucket, all you need to do is multiply 6.74 by 5. The answer is 33.7, which tells you that a 5-gallon bucket holds just less than 40 pounds of rice.
Do different types of rice weigh different amounts?
Because of their size, how they’re grown, and even how they’re readied for eating, different types of dry rice weigh slightly different amounts.
For example, 1 cup of uncooked medium-grain brown rice weighs about 6.7 ounces. One cup of uncooked white rice weighs about 6.35 ounces.
Although 6.74 pounds per gallon of rice is an accurate estimate, you may want to reduce this estimate slightly if you’re working with white rice.
One gallon of white rice might weigh as little as 6.35 pounds, which would mean that 5 gallons could weigh closer to 31.75 pounds.
On average, a 5 gallon bucket of uncooked dry rice weighs 33.7 pounds.
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Does cooked rice weigh more than dried rice?
As rice cooks, it absorbs water, which softens the rice. Because it’s absorbing so much water, rice also gains a good deal of weight as it cooks.
In general, white rice doubles in both volume and weight, and brown rice triples in volume and weight.
If you were to cook 5 gallons of white rice, you would end up with about 67.4 pounds of cooked rice.
If you cook 5 gallons of dry brown rice, you would have an end product that weighed about 101.1 pounds.
How much rice should be served per person?
How much rice to serve per person depends on a few things. If you’re using rice as a side dish, for example, each person won’t eat as much.
If the rice is a base in the main dish, however, you’ll need to offer each person a full serving. Some people who are on low-carbohydrate diets might also want less rice.
On average, an appropriate serving size for rice is 1 cup of cooked rice per person. If you’re cooking white rice, you would cook 0.5 cups of dried rice per person.
One cup of cooked white rice contains about 200 calories. Using calories is another excellent way to decide how much rice to serve, especially if you or your guests are keeping track of the number of calories you intake.
It’s important to remember that dried and cooked rice have different calorie counts for the same volume measurement.
For example, while 1 cup of cooked white rice contains about 200 calories, 1 cup of uncooked white rice contains about 685 calories.
How should you store rice in a 5-gallon bucket?
When storing rice in a bucket, always invest in a food-grade bucket instead of a bucket designed for construction work. Then, line the bucket with a Mylar bag.
Mylar is a type of polyester fabric that keeps out water and ensures that whatever is inside the bag stays fresh and dry.
Add the rice to the Mylar bag in the bucket. On top, place an oxygen absorber. For a 5-gallon bucket, a 2,000 cubic centimeter absorber is best.
Oxygen absorbers remove oxygen from the bucket, leaving only nitrogen. Removing oxygen helps to prevent the rice from oxidizing, keeping it fresher for longer.
A lack of oxygen will also kill bacteria or bugs that could contaminate the food during storage.
After filling the bag, use an iron to seal the Mylar bag, and place the bucket lid on top.