What to do with cheap rice...

pollyanna24

apart from eating it?

I bought a cheap bag and I can't make it properly without it being sticky, so I've got the next quality up (still own brand).

I have two young kids, so was just wondering if there was some kind of craft I could do with it?

cte1111

I found the value rice from Asda to be pretty inedible. We did hang on to it and found a great use eventually - drying out my daughter's mobile phone after she'd dropped it into the canal!

krlyr

Firstly, I would say give this method a try. I was rubbish at cooking rice until I stumbled on this link, now OH always asks me to "make it fluffy like last time" so it can't be too bad
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/resourceschinesecooking/tp/Steaming-Rice-How-To-Steam-Rice-On-The-Stovetop.htm

I also find it helps to make it in bigger portions, I tend to cook 4-6 portions and freeze the excess, smaller amounts are more prone to going sticky.

If that's no good, it makes a good desiccant, i.e. removes moisture for the air. Good to put in a tub/tray near any areas of the house prone to damp, you can add a few grains to salt/pepper cellars to prevent clogging, I've whacked them in my car when it was suffering a leak and getting a bit soggy, and so on.

Also, if you're handy with a needle you could make some microwave rice bags for the winter, like the wheat bags you can get.

krlyr

Or food colourings and glue - you can make 'rice art' for the kids

jm2926

Use it in soup e.g. chicken and rice

krlyr

Maybe try some rissotto type recipes too, where it'll cook in a stock or sauce anyway - unlikely to get sticky then

maman

pollyanna24 wrote: »

I have two young kids, so was just wondering if there was some kind of craft I could do with it?

I've used it for making little bean bags. Either just ordinary ones for throwing or a rather fetching frog a bit like this one

http://blog.hobbycraft.co.uk/make-bean-bag-frog/

citroen17

I found that washing the rice before using helps get rid of the starch. I usually throw mine into a Tupperware container with some water and give it a good shake and then rinse. This makes a huge difference and gets rid if the stickiness / starch.

suki1964

citroen17 wrote: »

I found that washing the rice before using helps get rid of the starch. I usually throw mine into a Tupperware container with some water and give it a good shake and then rinse. This makes a huge difference and gets rid if the stickiness / starch.

I agree, you need to wash the rice till the water runs clear. This will stop it being gluey and clumpy. I wash it in the sauce pan, just running the water over it whilst holding the pan at a slight angle