How do you cook perfect rice?

Sassy_Saver

Used to have the same problem! My advice - add a steamer to your Christmas list!! My brother bought me one for Christmas last year. It's a great,healthy way to cook veg too.

quids_in_2

I swear by Lidl rice. They do one in a yellow box, called "pan boiled" its excellent. you know if you leave it too long cooking it goes soggy, this one stays firm. And its only about £1 a box

calleyw

Should have read this thread to husband as he just made me feel sick by the smell of burnt rice wafting through the house.

He put it on low on the gas cooker and walked away :mad:


Yours

Calley

jobbingmusician

That's the one reason I love having a rice cooker - I have a carp memory (anag.) and the cooker means I can go away and do something more creative like reading this site whilst the rice is cooking, safe in the knowledge it won't burn!

blue-kat

I do brown basmatic ( much healthier as Ted said earlier in this thread) in the elec tiered steamer and it comes out PERFECT every time. I cook 200g as per the instructions and freeze some for quick dinners.

I used to waste so much by forgetting about it, and cremating the pans! Elec steamer switches off autically so no more ruined pans :j.
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Katya

BWZN93

Ive always found that washing the rice in cold water before putting it in the pan has worked fabulously.

Jo xx

ashmit

Microwave rice steamer. Perfect every time

london_saver

Oh dear - what a mixed bag of responses. I bet you are so confused!

Take it from me, forget about rinsing and seives and salt and onions.


Rice - any kind. wash well, rinsing with cold water. This gets rid of the starch (the water goes white).

Put rice in rice cooker or saucepan and fill with water. Rest your index finger on top of the rice and fill the rice cooker/ suacepan with enough water so that it comes to your first knuckle. This should be something like 1 cup rice to 1 cup water. Flick rice cooker ON, when the Keep Warm switch has come on (should take 10 mins) wait another 10 mins for the rice to rest. Serve. If cooking with saucepan, heat saucepan until water is boiling, then when you can see that all the water has evaporated from the rice, put a lid on the saucepan and turn the heat off. Rice will them steam cook for another 10 mins. You can check if the rice has cooked by the fact that all the water should be gone.
I am chinese, so I should know how to cook rice! Dont rinse after its cooked with cold water in a seive, dont mix with onions, dont put salt in it, dont soak in water for 30 mins (not point), dont rinse with boiling water. The fluffyness comes from the fact that the rice is steamed cooked (thats the way rice is cooked), not rinsed with water.

ti1980

Thanks for the response london_saver. I was confused before though!
Everyone has different methods which work for them and after putting my post up I have to admit I haven't tried any yet as they all sound so good! Also I had planned to have pasta with sauce I had previously made that I defrosted so just went with that.
I did go and buy some of that rice from Lidl yesterday but yesterday me and the BF cheated and had takeaway (decided to treat ourselves as I'm not working all weekever for the 1st time in ages).
Must say that when I was younger I used to have quite a few Chinese friends whose parents would cook with a rice cooker and the rice was so perfect every time.
My mum has always made lovely rice without a rice cooker though.
There is barely space for our pots and pans at our house where I live now so I'm gonna have to use a saucepan to try and get it right.

I will post to say how I went on when I finally get round to making some.

Many thanks to all who responded, I know its not just me that will benefit from this post as rice can be really tricky for others too.

N9eav

I always do mine in a heavy bottom pan. Put as much rice in as you want. add water until the level of the water is above the level of the rice 'one thumb knuckle' In other words pop your thumb in, when the tip touches the rice the water level should come up to the thumb knuckle.

Place on high heat, no lid until the water level drops and the surface looks like a boiling mud pool from the Nat geographic films. The slam the lid on and place on the lowest heat possible for 15-20 mins. Leave the lid on, don't peek. It will steam perfectly and then you can fluff it up with a fork.