Brown / Whole Grain rice

red0209

I'm not an expert when it comes to buying brown rice, and the variations between different brands with slightly different descriptions. For example, if I browse Tesco's online shopping I can find:

Easy cook brown rice
Wholegrain rice
Wholegrain basmati rice
Wholegrain pilau steamed basmati rice
Basmati brown rice


I know that basmati is a type of long grain rice, but is there any significant difference between any of the rices I found on Tesco's site?

meritaten

well - I know cos I am told that wholegrain rice is better for you (but isnt rice a grain anyway?)
to me, a large proportion of the worlds population eat white rice as their staple food - it isnt doing them any harm!
I cant stand 'brown' rice - it takes bluddy ages to cook and the taste is not quite as nice as white rice!

Seakay

Anything wholegrain is less processed than the white equivelent and retains the bran etc.
It will be more filling, have more fibre, possibly more vitamins, and take a little longer to cook.
Brown is a very non specific term and can mean almost any thing from dyed to contains a bit more of the original plant.
Easycook usually means that the grain is pre cooked and dehydrated so that it can be cooked very quickly.
Here's some info on what is retained by wholegrain (and removed from white) rice:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/401575-health-information-on-100-whole-grain-rice/

suki1964

The one time we like whole grain rice in this family is with stew. It got a kind of nutty flavour and the texture lends itself to a rich sloppy stew

red0209

To simplify what I was asking: If I bought all of the rices I listed above and cooked them all according to instructions, would I notice any difference between then?

Seakay

yes you would

ragz_2

In basmati the carbohydrate molecule chains
are slightly longer and more complex/ presented in different forms so it is a healthier choice because it has a lesser effect on blood sugar. Better for diabetics and all of us as well really.

red0209

Thanks for all of the replies. :money:

So if brown is non-specific when talking about rice, basmati is better than non-basmati and partially precooked foods are usually not a good idea, then it looks like wholegrain basmati rice is the way to go. Pilau seems to mean rice cooked in some sort of seasoning, so that depends on your personal preference I suppose.

amiaspden

meritaten wrote: »

well - I know cos I am told that wholegrain rice is better for you (but isnt rice a grain anyway?)
to me, a large proportion of the worlds population eat white rice as their staple food - it isnt doing them any harm!
I cant stand 'brown' rice - it takes bluddy ages to cook and the taste is not quite as nice as white rice!

I read a true-life account about a prisoner of war on the Burma railways. The prisoners were fed tiny amounts of white rice and nothing else, they were naturally starving but also had a terrible disease called beri beri, in which their whole bodies just swelled right up, they couldn't urinate at all and all their fluids were retained. Then their camp was provided a ration of rice polishings - the stuff that is removed to make the rice white. A lot of the prisoners rejected it, but the author of the story drank a small amount in some water and within an hour or so he could urinate again and the excess water just poured from him.

People who eat a diet of just white rice generally have some form of malnutrition, but in many poorer countries brown rice is seen as poor people's food and white is preferred.

Seakay

pilau is a cooking method; here is the ever reliable Delia's recipe:
http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/rice-and-pasta/how-to-cook-pilau-rice.html

The pilau method can be used for all sorts of grains.
I think that whole grain is the most nutritious way to go, and basmati is a variety of rice which is very nutritious and tasty and can be used in most savoury recipes and is possible to use for rice pudding, although not the most commonly recommended.
Arborio rice is better for risotto because it is a bit more glutinous.
Small round rice (also available as processed white or as wholegrain) is best for rice puddings.