I have seen where RICE can take a laser mark, but what about cleaning?
I have not got bOb yet so cannot verify myself.
Will a scorched item stirred and shaken in a bed of RICE clean it as well as SALT?
Just seems like a tidier thing to use than salt.
First blush problem is it may not get into the little cuts and nooks as well, but for a longer flat surfaces it seems like a win…
Probably not as well as salt for some of the reasons given, among others. While rice is good for controlling moisture in salt, I doubt it is as effective for cleaning. It would be worth testing, I suppose. I don’t keep rice, and my spare container of size is full of salt, so it might take a while. 
Well, I know you can use kitty litter, so why not rice? Might work!
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I don’t believe that rice is as abrasive as salt (kosher salt crystals being the most abrasive, I believe) but it oughta work, if not a bit more effort.
Grain size might be an issue for some pieces – salt if much smaller and can get into tight corners and notches rice might not. Worth a try, though.
BTW, as far as untidiness, use a larger grain salt? I haven’t really had much of an issue with powder/residue etc. It dirties quick, but it also seems to hold a LOT of soot before it needs changing out.
My box is a mix of course and fine.
I’ve been running my MDF cuts through a “rice” box. It does not clean up the “burn marks” on top of the MDF. But it takes away a lot of the charring on the edges, and greatly reduces with the smell of burnt wood.
I have not tried it with salt.
Maybe I need a rice box and a salt box. Hrmmm…