my rice was too sticky

[Deleted User]

I bought a new pack of basmati rice from tesco. Their own brand. It is too sticky and is like gloop

Why does rice get sticky?

What is the best way to cook basmati rice and is there any real difference between a more expensive basmati and tesco own brand?

B52

Will rinsing the rice a few times before cooking help?

I suppose excess starch will be washed away so it will become less sticky.

sloppychops

I always rinse rice before cooking it and also when its just about cooked.That takes all the stickiness out of it.

[Deleted User]

Hi B52 I did rinse it

I wondered if there are different types of basmati

rchddap1

OH does this sometimes when cooking rice. We call it 'gloop' or 'slop'. Simply put he has the rice on too high a temperature and over cooks it.

B52

Kittie, sorry I don't really know.

I think different rice are different in the amount of water it will absorb so perhaps you need to reduce the amount of water to this particular type of rice?

But recently I found the Balmati Rice from Aldi and we absolutely love it.

filigree_2

I find that the cooking instructions for basmati tell you to cook it for far too long. The first time I cooked it the instructions said to cook it for 30 mins! I find that 10 minutes is plenty.

My method goes:
Put water on to boil in a pan big enough for the rice to expand
Rinse the rice in plenty of cold water
Put rice in boiling water, return to boil
Simmer for 8-12 minutes (keep tasting a few grains to see if it's done)
Rinse with boiling water from the kettle
Dish up

Sarahsaver

Soak it for 30 mins beforehand, drain and cook as normal, just 2 minutes less when you have soaked.
I use a rice cooker and put in 1 1/2 times water to rice, e.g. one cup rice, 1.5 cups water.

TOBRUK

kittie, I have used the tesco basmati rice with no problems whatsoever. You say you rinsed the rice - I rinse it in a colander (one with very small holes or large sieve) and rinse it thoroughly, mix around, and make sure the water runs clear so you know you have rinsed all the starch out.

When you cook it, once come to the boil, let it simmer and don't over cook it - give it a stir every now and then. Once cooked rinse it with boiling water if you like if you think it is still a bit sticky - it shouldn't be.

If you are making rice for salad, or want it cold (or warm it later) after cooking rinse it with cold water - and this will stop it cooking further. This is the same with pasta - once cooked, cold water stops it cooking further.

I suppose you could put a drop of olive oil in the water to stop it sticking - I always put in a dash of olive oil when I cook spagetti.

I use a steamer (for the microwave) a lot to cook rice and it turns out great every time! I can only say that the tesco basmati isn't the problem.

Hope this helps you.

jenniferpa

I guess we all have a favourite method of cooking rice. Mine is as follows. ! cup of rice + 2cups of water. Bring to a boil. Immediately cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and leave for 5 minutes. At no point after you cover the saucepan do you remove the lid or stir until it's time to serve the rice. Result - perfect rice. The only rice I rinse for the purposes of removing starch is japanese rice. Some organic rices need to be rinsed simply to remore debris.

Jennifer

Linda32

I don't know the difference but I beleive the starch content causes the problem. I stir once when I first put the boiling water over. Also I do the rinse when its cooked with boiling water.