What happens to starch when rice, pasta or potatoes cool down?

Did you know that cooked rice or potato salad can be healthier than freshly cooked ones? This is due to a fascinating phenomenon called resistant starch . Sounds complicated? Don't worry – here's what it means and how you can benefit from it in your cooking.

🍚🥔🍝 What is starch anyway?

Starch is a carbohydrate—a type of sugar—found in foods like potatoes, rice, and pasta. Our bodies love starch because it provides quick energy.

When we cook these foods, the starch becomes soft and easily digestible. But what happens when we let them cool down afterward?

❄️ The trick with cooling: Resistant starch is created

During cooling, part of the starch changes. The original structure becomes firmer and more crystalline —and this form is called resistant starch . It is no longer digested in the small intestine but passes into the large intestine.

There, it acts like fiber and is "metabolized" by good intestinal bacteria. A real benefit for your digestion!

🧠 Why is this good for you?

Resistant starch has many advantages:

• Good for the gut: It feeds your beneficial intestinal bacteria.

• Blood sugar friendly: It causes blood sugar to rise more slowly after eating.

• Stay full for longer: You feel full for longer.

• Helps with weight loss: Less cravings due to stable energy.

🥗 Rice, pasta or potatoes: Which is the best?

• Potatoes: Very starchy. Cooked and then cooled potatoes (e.g., in potato salad) contain particularly high levels of resistant starch.

• Rice: Varieties such as basmati or brown rice in particular produce many resistant starches after cooling.

• Pasta: This also produces some resistant starch – especially if you cook it “al dente” and then chill it.

💡 Pro tip: If you reheat the food slightly , most of the resistant starch will be retained.

👩🍳 It's that easy:

1. Cook rice, pasta or potatoes as usual.

2. Allow to cool completely – preferably overnight in the refrigerator.

3. Enjoy as a salad or gently reheat.

✅ Conclusion

With a little trick— cooling cooked carbohydrates —you can make your meals more gut-friendly and keep you feeling fuller for longer. All without additives or effort.

So: let it get cold – for your health!

🔬 You want to know exactly?
Here you can find the detailed scientific article on the topic:
👉Article