Cooking rice.

[Cycleops]

Does anyone 'wash' rice before cooking? I did it for the first time in a long time tonight and it does seem to result in more separate grains and a better taste.

 

[ianrauk]

As a matter of course. Not sure why but have always done it.

 

[Gwylan]

Will do to see if it makes any difference.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Wash 3 times. 1 part rice to about 1.2 parts water. Bring almost to boil and then turn down heat to lowest setting. Rice will absorb all water, and comes out perfect

 

[bobzmyunkle]

Wash 3 times. 1 part rice to about 1.2 parts water. Bring almost to boil and then turn down heat to lowest setting. Rice will absorb all water, and comes out perfect

Isn't that supposed to increase the likelihood of arsenic or mercury poisoning? This suggests more water https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/arsenic-in-rice

 

[Cycleops]

Regarding how much water my rule has always been to add water until it rises to the first joint on my index finger above the rice In the pan/cooker.

 

[Profpointy]

Regarding how much water my rule has always been to add water until it rises to the first joint on my index finger above the rice In the pan/cooker.

My rule is the same depth of water above the rice as depth of dry rice; no pre-wash.

 

[Once a Wheeler]

Put rice in a seive and rinse thoroughly under the running cold tap. It gets rid of the rice-dust that can accumulate in the packet and turn to glue on cooking. I then put it in an oven-glass covered dish, mix in a teaspoonful of vegetable stock powder and half a teaspoonful of turmeric, cover with boiling water and cook on medium power in the microwave for whatever is the recommended time on the packet. When cooked, I pour the boiling rice back in the seive, rinse with boiling water and set aside for a few seconds whilst I wash up the oven-glass dish. I then put the hot cooked rice back in the dish and put it in a warm oven whilst I cook the rest of the meal. Oven-to-table glassware is perfect for rice.

 

[Reynard]

I use the instructions that came with the rice cooker - was a gift from a family friend who brought it back from Hong Kong about 30 years ago...

So, wash rice thoroughly (it removes the surface starch, which stops the grains becoming gluey mess), then by volume, two parts water to one part rice* and a generous pinch of salt before letting sit for half an hour prior to turning the cooker on.

*I have noticed that different kinds of rice absorb different amounts of liquid, so there is the need to tweak the volume of water accordingly to make sure the rice is properly cooked.

 

[Sharky]

Just tear the top two corners and microwave for 2 mins - perfect.

 

[Seevio]

1 part rice to 1+ a bit parts water. Put in rice cooker. Sometimes I wash the rice before, sometimes I don't. Doesn't seem to make a whole lot of difference.

 

[Cycleops]

My rule is the same depth of water above the rice as depth of dry rice; no pre-wash.

I'll have to try that next time to see if it comes out the same as mine.

 

[a.twiddler]

The problem with cooking with more water is that as well as reducing any trace elements such as arsenic, it removes the vitamin content to a large extent. It's a matter of balance. I don't often cook rice these days but I generally rinse rice in a saucepan with cold water at least three times until it runs clear, then once more with warm. It's surprising how cloudy the water is with warm water. This should remove any dust from the grinding process, and any grindstone particles. Add a little salt. This helps the grains fluff up and in the case of long grain rice makes the grains longer. Then bring to the boil with just enough to cover the rice plus a bit more. Cover and simmer until all water has been absorbed. For those who prefer to live dangerously and eat brown rice, the process is similar, but bear in mind that most of the benefits from extra fibre, vitamins, and yes, noxious trace elements, will be concentrated in the husk. The above method was shown to me by my wife who is of South Asian origin and gets through a lot of rice. So far she hasn't shown any ill effects.

From a quick google, rice from India, Pakistan, and California are likely to contain least arsenic. The USA rice from other states surprisingly can have a higher content as the FDA have no guidelines as to maximum acceptable levels of arsenic. The higher levels are due to residue in the soil from older agrochemicals particularly in cotton growing states where they often contained arsenic in decades past. Due to rice needing raised water levels at some stage in its growth it is more susceptible to absorbing dissolved substances that would normally remain in the soil and not be present in other grains. Australian rice also tends to have higher trace levels of arsenic, and presumably other Asian countries that followed Western rather than traditional methods of pest control would too.

It makes you wonder about what you are getting from your average takeaway as well as the origins of the rice you cook yourself. As said before, it's a matter of balance. You would probably need to eat an incredible amount of rice to suffer any measureable side effects, as many other foods such as shellfish also contain traces of arsenic.

 

[Grant Fondo]

Its the soaking as well that helps, particularly with basmati and jasmine. At least 15 mins.

 

[raleighnut]

It depends on the type of Rice I'm cooking, frinstance I don't wash Jasmine 'sticky rice' when cooking a Thai dish or 'Wild and Basmati' Rice when doing summat 'posh'. I do wash Basmati and 'Long Grain' before cooking though as it gives better results.

BTW I have 8 different types of Rice in my cupboards (note 'types' not brands) from Rissotto and 'pudding' to brown (both long and short grain plus some 'Whole Basmati')