7 Creative Rice Uses You Haven’t Thought Of

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Rice can be quite versatile, which is why it is the perfect item to keep in your cabinets. Sure it makes an excellent side dish, but did you know that rice can be used in many other ways as well? You can eat it, craft with it, and even use it for certain life hacks. Look at these 7 creative ways to use rice, and see why you will want to keep a bag of it on hand always!

1. Keep drafts out.

Is your house cold and drafty? Fill a long tube sock with dry rice and tie the ends off. Place the sock in front of doors to keep drafts out. This will help keep your space warmer and can even help your furnace run more efficiently! You can even make these for windows if drafts are an issue.

2. Soothe sore muscles.

Fill a sock with dried rice and a few drops of lavender oil. Tie the ends closed and heat in the microwave for 20 seconds or until warm. Use this heat pack on sore muscles or to help with head and neck tension. It is an easy way to banish the pain!

3. Scrub away grime.

Dried rice can be used to scrub away grime on pots and pans as it acts as an exfoliant. Just be sure to throw rice away when done and don’t put it down the sink. When rice gets wet and expands it can cause blockage in pipes and make for a mess.

4. Enjoy a sensory experience with kids.

Kids can build find and gross motor skills from pouring and playing with dried rice. Place some dried rice in a bin and use cups and measuring instruments to manipulate it. Kids will love how it feels and help develop these skills in the process.

5. Bulk up soups and stews.

When you need to feed a crowd, use rice to bulk up the meal. It is inexpensive yet filling, making it perfect for soups and stews. You can even use it in casseroles when you don’t have a great deal of meat or vegetables to add. When in a financial bind, rice is one of the least expensive foods to make.

 

6. Weigh things down.

A few cups of rice is enough weight to hold helium balloons down. Just place some in a sandwich bag and tie it to the end of the balloon. You can also pour rice into luminaries or anything else that needs a little weight to hold it in place.

7. Keep salt shakers from getting clogged.

As we mentioned, rice can absorb moisture. Place a few pieces of rice in your salt shakers and it will help keep moisture absorbed and keep salt from clumping and hardening. In turn, your shakers are less likely to get clogged.

Are you ready to head to the store and grab a few bags of rice for yourself? Consider these 7 creative ways to use rice and see why every household should keep some in stock!