Crunchy Rice

[BadRabbit]

Every now and then I'll make a rice dish and the rice itself will be crunchy. No amount of additional cooking or added liquid seems to be able to bring it out of this state.

This is never when I make simple white rice. It only happens when I'm making spanish rice, jambalaya, etc... and even then very rarely. I was originally thinking that there was something going on with the acid from the tomatoes that was causing it but a few days ago it happened with saffron rice.

This is also not a problem with a specific bag of rice as I've made additional dishes from the same bag without this problem.

Any ideas on what causes this?

Edited May 16, 2011 by BadRabbit (log)

[Lisa Shock]

Could be your water, maybe. I try to use my RO water to cook beans after reading that sometimes they take forever to cook due to minerals in the water. So, this might be related to either acidic or mineral-laden water.

[BadRabbit]

Could be your water, maybe. I try to use my RO water to cook beans after reading that sometimes they take forever to cook due to minerals in the water. So, this might be related to either acidic or mineral-laden water.

My water is pretty soft but I have never checked the PH. Does acid have a known effect on rice?

[GlorifiedRice]

GMO?

[Lisa Shock]

Acids keep starches firm as a general rule. That's why, for example, I add a tablespoon of vinegar to the water I boil cut potatoes in -to help them keep the shape of the knife cuts. It's also why you don't add acidic ingredients to baked beans until they are cooked and tender.

[Mikels]

It might be the amount of water available. When you make just rice, all the water is available to cook the rice. This will be true when you use stocks, etc. However, when you cook the rice with other ingredients, some of the water might be unavailable, either because it is in a thick sauce or because the water is bound or absorbed by the other ingredients. To test this, I would all additional water or water substitute to the mixture. Or, cook the rice with less water than you normally use and see if this crunchy rice results. Just an idea.