Is there a trick to cooking rice?

[Anonymous]

I am not much of a cook and usually use the frozen brown rice that I nuke for 3 minutes. It usually works for us but I am out of it and want to make something with the bag of brown rice I have. Is there a trick to cooking rice? I usually follow the directions on the bag but it usually doesn't turn out well for me. Should I rinse the rice first?

[Anonymous]

Get a decent rice cooker and hit the "cook" button. You do have to rinse the rice a few times.

[Anonymous]

Rinse rice? Why? I am boiling it

[Anonymous]

Directions on the bag usually say to put the rice in at first, when the water's cold. But in my experience, it works better if you wait until the water is boiling, then add the (unrinsed) rice, wait for it to come to a boil again*, and then turn it down to low and cover.

Be warned, brown rice takes FOREVER to cook. (White rice is something like 20 minutes after you lower the heat, while brown rice is more like 45 minutes after you lower the heat.)

*A friend of mine's mom called this the "fish eye" stage, because the bubbles coming up through the rice look like fish eyes -- she grew up in Thailand, and I don't know if that wording was a her thing or a Thai thing, but I think it describes what you're looking for perfectly.

[Anonymous]

You should be rinsing your rice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rinse rice? Why? I am boiling it

You rinse long- and medium-grain rice to remove the excess starch. You soak it (different than rinsing) to improve texture and reduce cooking time.

[Anonymous]

You rinse the rice to clean it of both the dirt it grew in and the pesticides it was sprayed with - boiling it kills bacteria but doesn't do either of those things. You also rinse it to remove some of extra starch that makes it sticky - it comes out a different consistency if you don't rinse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rinse rice? Why? I am boiling it

You rinse long- and medium-grain rice to remove the excess starch. You soak it (different than rinsing) to improve texture and reduce cooking time.

This.
There is excess starch dust/residue over from the milling process. If you cook it, it acts like a glue, glopping your grains together. A few quick rinses removes it and helps ensure you have free flowing grains hat will separate after cooking.

[Anonymous]

Definitely rinse, and get a rice cooker. Stupid easy.

[Anonymous]

OP here.
Rinsers - do you rinse both brown and white rice? It seems like the brown rice doesn't usually get sticky, right? So you don't need to rinse?

[Anonymous]

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/ucm319870.htm

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-03/features/ct-food-1003-rice-arsenic-cooking-tips-20121003_1_arsenic-rice-consumption-cooked-rice

Christ. How hard is it to rinse rice? Or you know, don't.

[Anonymous]

I use a rice cooker, add a bit of oil, a bit of salt. Boom, so easy and good. My kids will eat plain ol rice throughout the day (after lunch or dinner is over) if I leave it in the cooker.

[Anonymous]

I don't use a rice cooker. Rinse the rise, place in a pot with twice as much water as rice. place on high without a lid. Once it starts boiling, put a lid on and turn the heat right down to lowest setting. leave for 12-5 minutes.

Perfect rice every time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
Rinsers - do you rinse both brown and white rice? It seems like the brown rice doesn't usually get sticky, right? So you don't need to rinse?

I rinse all brown medium-grain and long-grain rice. I even rinse wild rice and the green, black, etc. varieties.

I don't really cook arborio rice anymore but when I did, I did not rinse it. Cooking arborio rice in hot butter and olive oil is a key step in making good risotto, and you don't rinse it first.

[Anonymous]

if you don't have a rice cooker, simply boil your brown rice like you'd boil spaghetti -- rinse, add lots of water to the pan, and boil for 30 minutes. Drain the excess water.