Getting rice to be 'fluffy' -what's the secret?

Butterfly_Brain

I use the cup method so one cup rice to 2 cups water or stock
Rinse your rice till the water is clear, put into a pan then bring to the boil, turn down to the lowest heat and put the lid on the pan leave for a couple of minutes, take off of the heat an leave it with the lid on for another 5 minutes, fluff with a fork and serve and that is using the cheapo rice

krlyr

I follow this method, works well for me
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/resourceschinesecooking/tp/Steaming-Rice-How-To-Steam-Rice-On-The-Stovetop.htm

I tend to do a couple of cups of rice and freeze the excess - I think cooking more makes it less likely to burn or stick, plus it saves on time for the next few dinners you need rice for.q

Eenymeeny

Lots of variations on a theme here!
I use a microwave rice cooker. Just a plastic pot with a vented lid and a perforated pot inside. (I think that it was about a fiver from Poundstretcher) Place a cup of rice in the inner pot, rinse with cold water (the outer pot holds the water so makes this operation easy!) Drain it off and cover with boiling water. 10 minutes in micro, then rinse with the hot water from the base. (If I still have spare hot water in the kettle I use that)
I like this method because I can concentrate on the curry, chilli etc and don't have to worry about it. A couple of minutes with the lid left on after draining. seems to help too. (I never seem to have everything ready at once!:o)
I read that a spoonful of rice vinegar in the water helps to make rice fluffy, although I haven't tried it. Now I have a use for the bottle that's been in the back of the larder for ages...:)

Linda32

This is what I do. With rice I put in enough boiling water to just cover and leave on a simmer. When holes form in the liquid, (sound odd but it does happen). I then add further boiling water and simmer. When holes for again its cooked.

Tip into a sieve and pour further boiling water over and serve.

For couscous, make a stock cube and use enough liquid to just cover the base of a big saucepan. (Freeze the rest of the stock in portions) I'm afraid I don't have a measurement here because I pour in enough to almost absorb the liquid then take off the heat and put the lid on.

Leave for 5 minutes then put back on heat and fluff up with a fork and re-heat then serve.

HTH

banwa

For couscous, I put it with a little salt in a normal porcelain cereal type bowl and cover it with hot water straight off the boil from the kettle (not too much water, just enough to make it all wet but not swim about in it) , put a plate over the top of the bowl and leave for 10 minutes.

Emuchops

Rinse rice, put in microwave-proof container, add boiling water to cover by 1.5 cm, microwave for 10 mins. This formula works whatever the quantity of rice.
Remove from microwave and cover with a teatowel for 5 mins, fluff with fork.

thorsoak

My method is great if you cook with electricity - otherwise it just don't work!

One cup of rice - straight into saucepan. Two cups of COLD WATER into saucepan. Put lid on saucepan. Bring up to boil - then turn heat off. Leave alone whilst you cook the rest of your meal. 20 mins later, take lid off saucepan and all the liquid will have been absorbed - fluff up with fork - and voila - perfect rice!

But I think Pigpen's receipe is 100% guaranteed!

valk_scot

I use value rice, any rice really. I boil it in lots of water till done, drain and then pour cold water over it till it's totally cold. Then I leave it in the sieve propped up over a bowl, in the fridge. After half an hour all the water has drained out, the grains are separate and you can reheat whatever portion size you need in the microwave and it's always perfect.


One advantage of this method is that you can make it up to 24 hours in advance. And before someone asks about rice safety? Because I've cooled it down immediately after cooking and got it into the fridge the growth of the bacteria that produce the toxin responsible for rice food poisoning is slowed down. It's leaving luke warm rice lying around in a warm kitchen that's the dangerous method. Cooked rice should be kept very cold or very hot. And no more than 24 hours in the fridge, even with my method.

peachyprice

I use a very simple method, I don't ever cook a meal that includes it (don't particularly like it anyway).

bargainbetty

mcculloch29 wrote: »

Donkeys' years ago Madhur Jaffrey had an Indian cookery programme on TV.
In that programme she showed how she washed her (white) rice in fourteen changes of water until the water ran clear and no more starch was released (it makes the water cloudy, so you'll know when it is present).

I must have missed that bit! I've never rinsed my rice first. I use long grain or basmati, and currently have a tub with a mix of white and brown rice in - if I am doing all brown rice I add about two mins to each cooking section, but rinsing it seems like a lot of hard work!