Rice in the old days in Asia were not pre-rinsed and needed to be rinsed of dirt, small rocks, etc. That's why the older generation from Asia has a habit of rinsing rice. I don't think it is necessary nowadays in America.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, rice is very dirty.

You must rinse it several times before cooking, to get the water from cloudy and dirty to almost clear.

The cloudiness in water is starch, not dirt.

Yes. Gets rid of the starch and any bugs in the rice.

Yes, rice is very dirty.

You must rinse it several times before cooking, to get the water from cloudy and dirty to almost clear.

We always did to remove excess starch, but I'm not an authority on rice.

Anonymous wrote:Who knew? Never occurred to me to do so. For those who have a rationale for this - cold water or hot? just til the water runs clear or are you trying to soak it for some period of time?

Cold, to remove some of the starch but not cook it at all. You'll get a less sticky result. I also soak after rinsing but that's for specific dishes.

I do. It removes excess starch... or so my lovely rice cooker says.

That and my mom, grandma, and Asian friends do, so I just follow suit. I tend to rinse it in the pot/rice cooker bowl I'm going to use. I run it under colder water, swish it around, dump the water, and repeat several times. I lose a few rice grains here and there, but nothing significant.

Who knew? Never occurred to me to do so. For those who have a rationale for this - cold water or hot? just til the water runs clear or are you trying to soak it for some period of time?

Yes, it's coated in talcum. Gross if you don't rinse it.

Anonymous wrote:I've started to since reading about arsenic in rice.

http://www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/metals/ucm319870.htm

I also soak and rinse for this reason. I also have cut way back on the amount of rice I eat every week due to arsenic.

Anonymous wrote:yes, rinsing and soaking actually reduces arsenic. I always rinse and soak my rice.

brown rice has more arsenic than white rice too.

certain types of white rice have less arsenic than others

OP here. Thanks. I guess I'll start rinsing my rice. It only takes an extra minute anyway.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but because DH insist, he says this is necessary to clean it and make it taste better. FWIW he is Asian and in his home country rice is a huge staple, not sure if its a cultural thing.

I'm Asian and my mom always rinsed rice.

Is it really necessary to rinse it though to get it clean? You boil the water anyway - won't that sanitize it?

I rinse basmati rice to help make the grains separate. If I don't rinse, it's stickier.

yes, rinsing and soaking actually reduces arsenic. I always rinse and soak my rice.

brown rice has more arsenic than white rice too.

certain types of white rice have less arsenic than others

Anonymous wrote:I've started to since reading about arsenic in rice.

http://www.fda.gov/food/foodborneillnesscontaminants/metals/ucm319870.htm

I thought the arsenic was actually 'inside' the rice. Does rinsing lower the arsenic levels in rice?