Question about rice?

[Jay]

I started using rice, as I have never been around anyone that used it. I only, so far used the instant cook stuff, but bought a bag of regular whole grain rice. It says to simmer 45 minutes, and am wondering if one can pre soak it overnight like one can with beans in order to reduce cooking time.

 

[Caribou]

White rice keeps for decades, brown rice has oil in it and all eventually go rancid.

I put two knuckles of water over the rice and then simmer. I have a rice cooker, they're not expensive, it saves on burnt rice.

 

[Peanut]

This should get you started..

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/perfect-rice-in-a-rush-recipe-1957606
https://altonbrown.com/recipes/perfect-rice-in-a-rush/

I have a rice cooker also, perfect rice every time. If you have an instapot... it doubles as a rice steamer. Several of modern "one pot" type cookers have rice capability. I have a 30yr old rice cooker, an intapot and a vegetable steamer... All can cook perfect rice. I use the 30yr old cooker more than the other two.

Run some searches on Alton Brown and rice. He explains all rice types thoroughly. I buy rice at an asian market. They have at least 9 types of rice, probably more.

Most americans buy long grain rice but each type has its advantages.

 

[backlash]

I started using rice, as I have never been around anyone that used it. I only, so far used the instant cook stuff, but bought a bag of regular whole grain rice. It says to simmer 45 minutes, and am wondering if one can pre soak it overnight like one can with beans in order to reduce cooking time.

Yes you can presoak rice. For some types of rice it is recommended.

Every type of rice and recipe calls for specific instructions, but this is generally how long to soak rice:

• Unmilled or unhusked whole grain brown, black, red, wild or other unpolished rice: Soak 6-12 hours
• Polished brown rice: Soak 4-6 hours
• Thai sticky rice: Soak overnight
• Basmati, jasmine and sushi rice: Soak 15-30 minutes, unless the recipe specifically recommends otherwise
• Short grain starchy and glutinous rice (arborio): Don’t soak
• Ordinary polished white rice: Soak 0-15 minutes (recommended but not necessary)

 

[UrbanHunter]

We use Basmati rice as a staple, as long as you get the rice:water ratio it is easy peasy (even I can do it) here is a simple recipe:
*******************
HOW TO COOK BASMATI RICE
The first step in cooking basmati rice is to properly measure your ingredients. For perfect basmati rice, you need 1 cup of basmati + 1 ½ cups cold water.
Bring the pot to a boil. Put the pot on high heat with the lid off. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot.
Simmer the rice. Set a timer for 12 minutes. Don't peek at the rice!

Let the rice rest. Move the pot off the heat and let the rice rest for 10 minutes with the lid on. This step is very important and will give you the fluffy rice that you are looking for!
Fluff the rice. Use a fork or spoon to gently fluff the rice before serving.
******************
To be honest, our stove holds heat for a long time so I use a 2:3 rice to water ratio, bring it to a boil and cover turning the stove to low (est) setting, then turn it off after 10 minutes, it's done.... I have a hard time figuring out why I spent all those years buying instant rice

 

[Curmudgeon]

HOW TO COOK BASMATI RICE
The first step in cooking basmati rice is to properly measure your ingredients. For perfect basmati rice, you need 1 cup of basmati + 1 ½ cups cold water.
Bring the pot to a boil. Put the pot on high heat with the lid off. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot.
Simmer the rice. Set a timer for 12 minutes. Don't peek at the rice!

Let the rice rest. Move the pot off the heat and let the rice rest for 10 minutes with the lid on. This step is very important and will give you the fluffy rice that you are looking for!
Fluff the rice. Use a fork or spoon to gently fluff the rice before serving.

Works every time. Comes out nice and fluffy.

 

[Weedygarden]

As Caribou said, rice cookers are not expensive and are an excellent way to cook your rice. I have one that is more than 30 years old, actually more like 40. I am not big on having lots of small appliances, but a rice cooker is well worth it.

If you have never cooked rice, then maybe you do not know that there are more than 1000 varieties of rice. Rice does get bugs, weevils, but if you freeze it to kill any potential eggs, and keep it in a well sealed container, it does keep for a long time. Rice is an excellent investment for preparedness and food storage. Other than the potential of weevils, it is shelf stable for many years, if properly stored. The price of rice is hard to beat. We have several places where we can get 25 pound bags in my area, and a 5 gallon bucket will hold one of them. Sealing the rice in mylar is another layer of protection. Gamma seal lids make it easy to access the bucket and to keep things protected.

 

[Neb]

As Caribou said, rice cookers are not expensive and are an excellent way to cook your rice. I have one that is more than 30 years old, actually more like 40. I am not big on having lots of small appliances, but a rice cooker is well worth it.

If you have never cooked rice, then maybe you do not know that there are more than 1000 varieties of rice. Rice does get bugs, weevils, but if you freeze it to kill any potential eggs, and keep it in a well sealed container, it does keep for a long time. Rice is an excellent investment for preparedness and food storage. Other than the potential of weevils, it is shelf stable for many years, if properly stored. The price of rice is hard to beat. We have several places where we can get 25 pound bags in my area, and a 5 gallon bucket will hold one of them. Sealing the rice in mylar is another layer of protection. Gamma seal lids make it easy to access the bucket and to keep things protected.

The Princess does what you prescribe but I don't think she does the freeze step. She may have to get another freezer... but hey! She is working to fill empty bellies.

Ben

 

[UrbanHunter]

We repackage some of our rice into seal-a-meal bags, pull the vacuum, and then freeze for a week, I store them long term in an old plastic ice chest. I try to keep my seal-a-meal bags of rice at about 4 pounds. We have used rice that is very old stored in this manner and it seems fine....

 

[Amish Heart]

Cook the rice and then dehydrate it. Then all you have to do is add a little hot water and fluff it up

 

[sonya123]

I cook rice all the time and have a cheap rice cooker from Walmart. Had it for many years. All you have to do is put in the rice, put the water to the fill line ( rice cooker came with a measuring cup) and push the button. Perfect rice every time. It cost less than $20 but that was some years ago.

 

[Tirediron]

Rice is a horrible evil over sold commodity the first stage of a Chinese invasion, and worst of all it looks like bleached mouse poop,
That is just my opinion , but....................

 

[Alaskajohn]

White rice keeps for decades, brown rice has oil in it and all eventually go rancid.

I put two knuckles of water over the rice and then simmer. I have a rice cooker, they're not expensive, it saves on burnt rice.

Exactly how I do it. A rice cooker can be inexpensive. The best place to look for variety of the Asian rice are the oriental stores. My wife gets the Thai Jasmine rice at Costco if I am not mistaken.

Also folks should experiment with different rices. We use the Thai Jasmine rice, but I am also fond of Japanese style rice. Once you start making rice in a rice cooker, then you can go on and start making fried rice throwing in veggies and meat! We freeze a lot of our excess veggies and fried rice is a good way to use them during the winter months.

 

[Peanut]

My wife gets the Thai Jasmine rice at Costco if I am not mistaken.

Also folks should experiment with different rices. We use the Thai Jasmine rice, but I am also fond of Japanese style rice. Once you start making rice in a rice cooker, then you can go on and start making fried rice throwing in veggies and meat! We freeze a lot of our excess veggies and fried rice is a good way to use them during the winter months.

@Jay Here my ancient rice cooker, has a little steamer basket in which I've steamed shrimp and assorted veggies. I now have a larger multi-fuction steamer for those items.

With my old ricer I cook one cup of rice then put it in the fridge. Even wrote the basic rice to water ratio on it with a marker (I was tired of looking it up) Best to refrigerate rice overnight before cooking fried rice. I can get 3 meals out of a batch of fried rice or make a batch of rice for beef tips n rice.

I like long and some med grain rices, jasmine rice is a long grain. Different types of rice have very different gluten amounts so experiment for what meets your needs.

@Alaskajohn is this the brand of Thai jasmine rice you buy? I just got a 25lb bag last week from an asian market. (below)

 

[Alaskajohn]

@Jay Here my ancient rice cooker, has a little steamer basket in which I've steamed shrimp and assorted veggies. I now have a larger multi-fuction steamer now for those items.

With my old ricer I cook one cup of rice then put it in the fridge. Even wrote the basic rice to water ratio on it with a marker (I was tired of looking it up) Best to refrigerate rice overnight before cooking fried rice. I can get 3 meals out of a batch of fried rice or make a batch of rice for beef tips n rice.

I like long and some med grain rices, jasmine rice is a long grain. Different types of rice have very different gluten amounts so experiment for what meets your needs. Higher gluten contents means a chewy rice but it stand up better in stews or other long cook dishes. Low gluten rices get mushy so I avoid them.

@Alaskajohn is this the brand of Thai jasmine rice you buy? I just got a 25lb bag last week from an asian market. (below)

View attachment 74987View attachment 74988

That is one of the one's the wife will come home with! The current batch is Dynasty. Sometimes Costco switches suppliers I guess. I like the Three Ladies brand logo better.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

I use the "Vietnamese peasant recipe".
Water/rice ratio is 2 to 1.
2 cups water to 1 cup rice, or 4 & 2, etc.
Combine cold water with rice in pot. Bring to a good, roiling, boil until the rice is tender (I try this by eating some). Takes about 6 to 8 minutes.
When tender, turn off heat, put lid on pot and let it sit a few minutes. Rice will absorb any remaining water and get nice and fluffy.

No need for fancy rice cookers.
I love rice and buy it by the 50 pound bag at the Vietnamese grocery.

 

[joel]

I use Kroger rice, they have about seven kinds of rice.

 

[backlash]

In 1991 I was working in Hawaii. I reunited with an old Navy buddy and spent my free time with him. His Mom had me over for dinner and I told her I really liked her rice and my wife couldn't cook it very well. She couldn't believe we didn't have a rice cooker so she went to the kitchen and dug out a new in the box rice cooker and gave it to me. She had had it since the early 70s as a backup.
We still use that same rice cooker today. It's still in the original box with the rice scoop. One container of rice and one container of water. Rice comes out perfect every time.

 

[Terri9630]

Check thrift stores for a rice cooker. I bought my last one for $3 and it lasted for years. It still works but my oldest stole it from me.

 

[Patchouli]

Regular white rice is for starvation. I’m kidding.
Jasmine rice, Basmati brand is the one we’ve been using.
Season up white rice by using broth or bouillon instead of water, or add salsa after it’s cooked, or sauté onions and mushrooms to add to it.
Brown rice has been a favorite for a long time.
I tried using a rice cooker with my jasmine rice, #fail so far, prefer pan on the stove. Using a rice cooker is new to me.
I’m interested in the bamboo rice steamer. Anyone here have one?

 

[Peanut]

I’m interested in the bamboo rice steamer. Anyone here have one?

I have a bamboo steamer basket. I've never steamed anything but shrimp in it.

 

[Weedygarden]

I started using rice, as I have never been around anyone that used it. I only, so far used the instant cook stuff, but bought a bag of regular whole grain rice. It says to simmer 45 minutes, and am wondering if one can pre soak it overnight like one can with beans in order to reduce cooking time.

I have used a rice cooker, and it usually takes about 20 minutes. I have never cooked rice for 45 minutes.

I do want to say, it is best to leave the lid on while rice is cooking. I had a friend once say the rice I made was good, and he couldn't cook rice that was at all good. I asked him how he cooked it. It seems that because he didn't think his rice was good, he was fussing over it. He would take the lid off and stir it. Oops! I've been told to never stir rice while it is cooking.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I've been told to never stir rice while it is cooking.

I've heard that too. We usually don't stir rice, add the water, bring to a boil turn down to a simmer and put the lid on. 15 minutes it's done and then we fluff it. I can't see how stirring it would hurt it though. Maybe I'll try it next time halfway through. We just had General Taos last night with rice so it will be a few days, lol.

 

[SheepDog]

Stirring rice makes it sticky and less moist. for sticky rice add water and stir it once or twice while it is boiling.

 

[Weedygarden]

 

[Terri9630]

I love watching his videos.

 

[Weedygarden]

I love watching his videos.

Me, too. I hadn't heard of him until the last year or so. Evidently he had a cooking show.

 

[Terri9630]

Me, too. I hadn't heard of him until the last year or so. Evidently he had a cooking show.

Theres also Tim Farmers Country Kitchen. They have a show on TV as well.

 

[billyjack]

I buy a 20 pound bag of Jasmine Rice about once every ten months and keep it in the freezer. It keeps it fresher and you don't have a bug problem.

I have a rice steamer I bought in 1980 or so from Comet Rice. It cost something like proof of purchase from one package of Comet Rice and 50 or 75 cents postage and handling. It is kind of like a double boiler.

This is one (but not mine):

I have also used electrical rice cooker appliances. They are good, but not as good as the Comet Cooker.