The water left after washing rice... Use it like this when washing your face to brighten your skin

Washing your face with rice water, creates bright skin

Washing your face with rice water helps deliver various nutrients from rice to the skin, aiding in the removal of dead skin cells and impurities. Rice and rice bran are rich in essential amino acids, lipids, minerals, and vitamins A and B. These components are also effective in brightening the skin and preventing skin troubles. When using rice water for cleansing, it is recommended to use water that has been rinsed 2 to 3 times, as the initial rinse water may contain pesticides, dust, and foreign substances.

It is also good to use rice water instead of water when making stew dishes. Boiling soybean paste stew, seaweed soup, or kimchi stew with rice water can make the flavor deeper and richer. There are also methods of soaking red pepper powder in rice water or adding rice water to enhance the umami flavor of water kimchi. Rice water is also used to remove odors from cooking ingredients. Soaking sour kimchi, dried fish like herring, or mackerel in water can reduce their strong taste and smell. Boiling bamboo shoots in rice water also helps eliminate their characteristic astringent taste.

Rice water is also useful for dishwashing. Soaking greasy dishes in rice water before cleaning helps remove grease effectively. Pouring rice water into a sealed container with a lingering smell and wiping it after about a day can also eliminate odors. Additionally, soaking stained kitchenware in rice water for about an hour and then wiping it can remove stains and odors due to the starch content in the rice water.

Especially, rice water is useful for cleaning earthenware pots. Unlike regular bowls, earthenware has many tiny holes on its surface, and when cleaned with detergent, the detergent can seep into these holes and mix with the food. Therefore, when cleaning an earthenware pot, first fill it with warm water and soak for a few minutes to remove residues. Then, scrub with a scrubber and rinse with boiling rice water. The starch in the rice water adsorbs foreign substances inside the holes of the earthenware. You can also put rice water into the pot, boil it over medium-low heat, let it cool, and then wash away residues with warm water and a scrubber.

Meanwhile, if the water used to wash rice turns blue or black, it may indicate mold on the rice. In this case, both the rice water and the rice itself should be discarded. Mold on rice can affect the stomach, kidneys, and reproductive functions. It is also likely that nearby rice has mold as well, so it should be discarded immediately. Mold toxins are resistant to heat and cannot be removed by washing or heating.