How to cook rice.

[karter]

Why does brown rice take 45 minutes to cook and white rice takes a few minutes to cook?

Is it best to eat brown, white or red rice?

How do you cook the damn stuff?

Will this thread collapse as did the pizza thread? :)):)):))

[Loz]

If you want collapse, just you wait for the souffl? thread.

[womanofdulwich]

whats red rice? white rice is quickerto cook ::o

I am sure brown rice is better for you- it releases energy more slowly etc-

[the-e-dealer]

Brown Rice is better for you. Bit of Salt loads of water - do not stir.

[bon3yard]

Husk. Thats the culprit.

[karter]

White rice is white, brown rice is brown so red rice is red?

And another dilemma, when choose short grain over long grain?

[katie1997]

this thread should really be titled, How to cook rice - Part II.

karter - there should be no dilemma over short or long grain. Grain size in cookery (as in geological identification of rocks) is important. Arborio is a large grained rice (superfino) with a high level of surface starch. This means it breaks down to give the very creamiest texture and a dense, sticky risotto.

On the other hand, Vialone nano has smaller, round grains (semifino) so they keep their shape better during cooking giving a risotto with more bite. It works well when you are stirring in robust ingredients as the grains are less likely to break down.

But....Carnaroli is known as the king of the rice. It is a superfino grain with a good balance of the two starches. This means it gives a creamy texture but retains some bite ? perfect for simple risottos with few ingredients.

Are you cooking risotto? If not, then please ignore this advice.*

*edited to add: yes, of course I pasted from google.

[KidKruger]

Sticky Rice has it's own method and best done with proper basket and steaming pot which are available on internet mail order for like ?16.

IMO easiest of all the rices to cook, just needs a few hours soaking in front.

When it's steaming you only need 20-25 mins, returning to it once to lift lid off basket and turn rice over.

[karter]

Thank you.

Not cooking risotto this time round but good to know. Are you saying that i cannot use 45 minute long grain brown rice for my future risottos???? Better to cook in a pan or rice cooker?

Katienumbers, you can come round to ours and practice your chandelier cleaning. Our ceilings are high mind you but i can get you a ladder. ;-)

[the-e-dealer]

Arborio Rice is best for risottos

[HAL9000]

Are you having a laugh or what - you of all people should know how to cook risotto, surely?

For Italian-style risotto, use a high-starch, low-amylose (polysaccharide) round medium or short grain variety such as Arborio, Baldo, Carnaroli, Padano, Roma or Vialone Nano.

[womanofdulwich]

who has a big enough kitchen to keep more than 2 types of rice?? 5 sugars and 2 flours and 2 pastas takes up enough space. .......

[DJKillaQueen]

5 sugars????

[the-e-dealer]

Gordon Bennett?

[maxxi]

the-e-dealer Wrote:

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> Arborio Rice is best for risottos

Oooooooh have to disagree, KTdigits is right - Carnaroli is by far the best (Vialone Nano goes mushy too 'suddenly') and it is available from the ED Supermkt (opposite ED Deli), Arborio is a little too sticky and starchy.

Red Rice (or Camargue Rice named for the region of France where it is cultivated) is wonderful stuff (available in SMBS) - it needs rinsing first then soaking for 20 mins and cooking for 40-45. Nutty without the dusty flavour of some brown rice.

Wild rice (whilst not - strictly speaking - a rice at all) can be treated in the same way.

[????]

[karter]

This is all very rice indeed and Carnaroli seems to be the popular one for risotto BUT what do i cook my red and brown rice with? Should i fry them with onions (and garlic?) or does that ruin the rice? Use stock, bouillon or just salt?

[womanofdulwich]

icing sugar , caster sugar, granulated sugar, demerara sugar, dark brown sugar ( and thats not counting light brown sugar I get sometimes)- sweet tooth - moi??? seriously I use all of these of a regular basis :)

[maxxi]

You can cook red rice like risotto rice (i.e. frying it with olive oil/butter onions etc. then adding stock) but you don't need to stir it to release the starch.

You can add more stock/water near the end if the rice is still too hard or drain some off if it is cooked before the stock has all soaked in/evaporated, the rice is robust enough to sustain this treatment without collapsing into mush or sticking like white rice.

Stock, water, anything you like but add no salt until the end.

[maxxi]

womanofdulwich Wrote:

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> icing sugar , caster sugar, granulated sugar,

> demerara sugar, dark brown sugar ( and thats not

> counting light brown sugar I get sometimes)- sweet

> tooth - moi??? seriously I use all of these of a

> regular basis :)

And have you separated your caster sugar into with and without vanilla pods? This is not to mention unrefined 'molasses' cane sugar (dark and light), left-over preserving sugar and those dinky little cubes (brown and white) from La Perruche for when guests come to tea/for coffee.

[womanofdulwich]

no maxii there is no room!

[karter]

I do not want any sweeteners in my rice thanks very much, unless it's in baby rice.

Is basmati rice any good?

[tfwsoll]

There is also Canadian black rice that has a wonderful nutty texture - very good for salads.

My favourite long grain rice is basmati. Use 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water. Wash the rice in boiling water, place in a sieve and rinse in cold water until the water runs clear. Place the rice in boiling water, with salt to taste and a small knob of butter. Bring back to the boil and turn the heat to the lowest setting and place the lid tightly on the pan. After 20 minutes turn off the heat and leave for 10 minutes. Do not take the lid off during the 30 minutes cooking time otherwise rice will be ruined! My Lebanese ex mother in law taught me this method and it always turns out perfectly.

[Alan Medic]

I didn't know you could divorce a mother-in-law. Wow. Learn something new every day!

[Salsaboy]

What's wrong with opening a packet?