Cooking rice - Any tips?

[ImaWestie]

Other than a "rice cooker" appliance, the microwave cooks rice by pretty much the exact same method...
Pot, covered or not, rice to 3/4 fingernail over the top, in the nuke-o-cuter for 3 minutes.
3 minutes more, until all water absorbed & rice is "right".

Works well, even at work!

 

[mdunn]

in a rice cooker - half water, half coconut milk, then adding some grated ginger.


yummmm

 

[okey]

I have a foolproof way..I let someone else do it

 

[Slash McCoy]

If you don't want to get a rice cooker here is how to do it in the pan.

Rinse the rice with cold water. This removes any starchy residue from the surface of the rice before cooking.
bring 2 cups of water for every one cup of rice used to a boil.

1. 1 cup rice 2 cups water
2. 2 cups rice 4 cups water
3. 3 cups rice 6 cups water

After the water comes to a boil add the desired amount of rice, about 1 tablespoon of oil, (you can use any oil you prefer) stir to break up any rice that is clumping together and cover. reduce heat to the lowest you can get and set the timer for 20 minutes.

DO NOT REMOVE THE LID when the 20 minutes is up, remove the rice from the heat and let stand with the lid on the pot for about 5 - 10 minutes. Remove the lid and stir the rice with a fork.

Hope this helps, Enjoy

Different varieties, grades and ages of rice will demand slightly different amounts of water or cooking time, and personal preference might dictate a looser, fluffier, stickier, softer or harder finished product. But this is the official base recipe. Work from this and you will eventually get it perfect. Myself, I find adding a couple tbsp of water to the standard recipe. My idea of perfect rice is each grain soft and offering nearly zero resistance to the tooth, no liquid left to pour off of the cooked rice, and a balance between fluffy and sticky so that it will stick together when mashed gently together, but will also fluff up nicely with a fork. I absolutely hate rice that rattles around like BBs on the plate, with completely individual grains. It is called RICE, not "RICES".

I love jasmine rice! It is definitely my go-to rice variety. Louisiana long-grain is okay but sometimes it doesn't give me the stickiness I look for. Sushi rice is too sticky. Well, except for sushi. Basmati is okay for a change of pace. Puh-LEEZE no Uncle Ben's! No "Franken-rice"!

Some things to remember. The salt you can use or not use, but you must be consistent. Salt raises the boiling point of the water. The water and therefore the rice cannot cannot repeat cannot get hotter than the boiling point of the water for your atmospheric pressure. Salt therefore regulates the cooking temperature. Use it always, or never. Use the same amount... no guessing.

Try to always use the same burner and the same pot and lid, preferably a back burner to avoid drafts. A glass lid is nice. You can tip the pot to see if the water is cooked off.

stay with one brand of rice for consistent results. Modify the cooking time and maybe the water with changes in altitude. Just a 1000 foot change in altitude can have a noticeable change in your rice.

Or get a rice cooker. I don't like them. It is like shaving with a cartridge. I want to control it and do it myself.

 

[Tedzy]

Rinse the rice with cold water. This removes any starchy residue from the surface of the rice before cooking.

I second this. Rinse the rice with a siv until the water runs clear. This removes starch, glucose, and other substances on the rice that when cooked may cause it to be sticky (especially glucose). It is also a good general rule of thumb to wash meats and vegetables, why not rice too?

The Asian way I was taught as a boy is to jostle the rice so that it's level, touch your finger to bottom of the pan (or rice cooker insert), use your thumb to mark the top of the rice on your index finger, then without moving your thumb from where you're holding it against your index, lift it out of the rice and place the tip of your finger on top of the rice (without pressing through). You then fill the water to your thumb. This gives you a little less than 2:1 ratio of water to rice. This produces fluffy, though not sticky rice like sushi rice.

 

[WilliamIam]

Other than a "rice cooker" appliance, the microwave cooks rice by pretty much the exact same method...
Pot, covered or not, rice to 3/4 fingernail over the top, in the nuke-o-cuter for 3 minutes.
3 minutes more, until all water absorbed & rice is "right".

Works well, even at work!

Awesome! Thanks! I've never known a way to cook rice quickly. And someone else who uses the fingernail measurement - sweet!

 

[Mink]

in a rice cooker - half water, half coconut milk, then adding some grated ginger.

yummmm

Hey, wait a minute, this sounds good. Would you use this rice for say a Thai curry? Do you add the ginger at the beginning or stir it in when it's done? Does this make a normal texture rice or is it really soft?

 

[StillShaving]

Isn't stickiness largely a function of the type of rice, or how it was processed. Parboiled rice like Uncle Ben's doesn't stick when cooking, while other varieties do. Sticky rice is a good thing if you are eating with chopsticks or by hand. As others have said, I think rinsing off before cooking can help.

 

[WilliamIam]

Stickiness comes from the starch. Loose starch will bond with the water and the rice grains and keep it stuck together. Rinsing, but not soaking, will reduce the starch present.

True Sticky Rice is thai glutinous/sweet rice that you have to soak, then steam in a special pot. I loooove it. I don't make it that often though, I don't have anyone else to feed it to lol.
I believe Sushi rice is similar.

 

[Alacrity59]

Depends on where you live - I know Henry's in the San Diego area has it. You can most likely find it in any natural foods store. Check the loose grains section, as you can usually purchase it by weight.

Steel cut oats take longer to cook, but have a much higher amount of fiber than rolled oats, and I prefer the consistency. I usually make a large batch at the beginning of a week and can quickly microwave some in the morning before work.

Hope this helps.

You are so very very right. Steel cut oats are nutty and crunchy and so very much better than the wall paper paste variety. Once you get used to cooking them the amount of prep time is very little and yeah it takes the better part of 20 minutes to cook but by then you can have the coffee ready and the dish washer unloaded and have made some hard boiled eggs for lunch etc.

 

[luvmysuper]

Cooking rice - Any tips?

My advice is avoid the Grill.

I have a foolproof way..I let someone else do it

In quite a similar fashion - I ask SWMBO to do it.
I am not a bad cook, but truly delectable rice, for some reason escapes me.

 

[ouch]

1 cup rice 2 cups water

Way too much water. One cup of rice should get about 1 1/4 cups of water. I've been using the damned near foolproof Justin Wilson method for 25 years now- it works for any quantity of rice.

Rinse rice in cold water several times until no longer cloudy. Drain and place in pot. Cover with cold water until the water reaches a level one knuckle's worth above the rice. Cook on medium high heat until the water boils down below the surface of the rice (until you can hear it but not see it). The surface of the rice will be pockmarked with craters. Cover and reduce heat to low and steam for 20 min. If anyone removes the cover from the pot at this point, cut their fingers off. Turn off heat and allow to stand, covered, another five minute. Fluff and serve.

 

[kg0mz]

Rice cookers work. We buy new crop jasmine rice. Both the cookers and a vast rice selection can be had at most any Asian grocery. Ask someone there for advice.

 

[SafetyManiac]

Steel cut oats. Where does one find these?

I can find them on the top shelf of the supermarket.

If you happen to be a Good Eats fan, these recipes are pretty good.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/overnight-oatmeal-recipe/index.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/steel-cut-oatmeal-recipe/index.html

 

[Drubbing]

Have got my chicken curry to a decent level served with Naan bread, but the only thing truly letting it down is that my rice is not perfect.

Can you lot give me any tips so it doesnt come out too sticky?

My wife is part Indian. All her family are Indians. They ALL use rice cookers. Even when they make fried rice they start it in the rice cooker.

Use a good basmati and give it a decent wash beforehand. Can't go wrong. I like to whack in some saffron or Kaffir lime leaves as well.

 

[luvmysuper]

My wife is part Indian. All her family are Indians. They ALL use rice cookers. Even when they make fried rice they start it in the rice cooker.

Use a good basmati and give it a decent wash beforehand. Can't go wrong. I like to whack in some saffron or Kaffir lime leaves as well.

Mmmmmm.... saffron.

 

[duotone]

Other than a "rice cooker" appliance, the microwave cooks rice by pretty much the exact same method...
Pot, covered or not, rice to 3/4 fingernail over the top, in the nuke-o-cuter for 3 minutes.
3 minutes more, until all water absorbed & rice is "right".

Works well, even at work!

Tried this about an hour ago.

It turned out good. Took longer than 6 minutes, but thats probably down to me using too much water.

Thanks! Will definitely try this method next time.

 

[Doc4]

Truffled salt?

where does one find such a delicacy?

Shake a liberal dose of salt onto a truffle pig, and let him get to work.

Different varieties, grades and ages of rice will demand slightly different amounts of water or cooking time, and personal preference might dictate a looser, fluffier, stickier, softer or harder finished product. But this is the official base recipe. Work from this and you will eventually get it perfect. Myself, I find adding a couple tbsp of water to the standard recipe. My idea of perfect rice is each grain soft and offering nearly zero resistance to the tooth, no liquid left to pour off of the cooked rice, and a balance between fluffy and sticky so that it will stick together when mashed gently together, but will also fluff up nicely with a fork. I absolutely hate rice that rattles around like BBs on the plate, with completely individual grains. It is called RICE, not "RICES".

Isn't stickiness largely a function of the type of rice, or how it was processed. Parboiled rice like Uncle Ben's doesn't stick when cooking, while other varieties do. Sticky rice is a good thing if you are eating with chopsticks or by hand. As others have said, I think rinsing off before cooking can help.

I always assumed that the Uncle Ben's approach to rice was somewhat like "chop suey" and that nuclear-red version of sweet-n-sour: an adaptation deemed necessary for the north american market. Or in any event, the way "we" like it, contra the rest of the rice-eating world.

Way too much water. One cup of rice should get about 1 1/4 cups of water. I've been using the damned near foolproof Justin Wilson method for 25 years now- it works for any quantity of rice.

Rinse rice in cold water several times until no longer cloudy. Place in pot. cover with cold water until the water reaches a level one knuckle's worth above the rice. Cook on medium high heat until the water boils down below the surface of the rice (until you can hear it but not see it). The surface of the rice will be pockmarked with craters. Cover and reduce heat to low and steam for 20 min. If anyone removes the cover from the pot at this point, cut their fingers off. Turn off heat and allow to stand, covered, another five minute. Fluff and serve.

Oddly enough, I've never seen your daughter's left hand in any photographs.

 

[mdunn]

Hey, wait a minute, this sounds good. Would you use this rice for say a Thai curry? Do you add the ginger at the beginning or stir it in when it's done? Does this make a normal texture rice or is it really soft?

yah, its awesome with a thai curry. i ginger it up at the beginning (before cooking)

its maybe a little softer, but not at all by much.

 

[Drybonz]

I'm thinking about upgrading my Zojirushi rice cooker. If I put my old one up on the BST would there be any interest in such an item here? It's a basic, one button model.