Perfect rice

[tommy]

mix in a LOT of butter, and serve.

ACK!

[sladeums]

.

...Wash rice well. Put in a saucepan and add water equal in depth to the rice - this is for small batches - larger batches not so much water...

.

Define small/large batches.

I usually am preparing 10-12 (US) servings.

[Nick]

...bring the water back to a boil, and stir the whole thing occasionally to keep the stuff from sticking to the bottom of the pan and serve.

Never stir the rice once the cover is on. Leave it alone until you've just got to check it to see if it's done.

Maybe Tommy and I are finally agreeing on something.

[sladeums]

my method is similar to nick's.  i rinse thoroughly.  i put the rice in a sauce pan and cover with cold water and then an additional 1/4-1/2 inch of water above that.  high heat to a boil uncovered until the water is the level of the rice, lower all the way, cover, and finish.  it's almost fool-proof.

edit:  ok, once again i see that i've already said this on this thread.  this time, it was 1.5 years ago.  i suppose it's now clear that i haven't changed my approach in some time.   

Actually Tommy, it's my fault.

I will disclose my pre-publication edit.

The sentence posted above which reads:

"...Is it simply rinsing that is the answer?..."

Originally read prior to publication:

"...Yes, Tommy I already read your post...so is that it - is rinsing the answer?..."

I initially was most caught by the rinsing subject and whether it was necessary (since the first post suggested not to, then your's recommended and subsequently the thread turned into 'all about rice cookers' <---- that's a funny emotion showing icon thing),

but prior to publication I decided against naming names .

But now, the cats out of the bag, and so...does rinsing make a difference, and if so where's the proof.

(I still think my shit rice does make a difference, but I know I have in the past used decent rice and stickiness is always a problem for us...oh, and I forget to mention we have really shitty very thin aluminum, dented-up, some non-stick with all the non-stick shit wearing off pans that we cook rice in...hopefully someone can fix my rice! )

[Nick]

Define small/large batches.

I usually am preparing 10-12 (US) servings.

You're cooking (for me) large batches and I never cook more than say four-six servings. Part of it depends on the size of the pot, part on the rice, and part on the burner. In general, if you had an inch of rice in a large pot, I'd try covering the rice over with another 5/8"-3/4" of water. It really depends on how you cook it - what with bringing it to a boil, how long before you turn it down and put the cover on, and what kind of flame you have under it from thereon. You just have to keep trying (with the same pot) until you get it figured out. At first it might burn.. or it might be totally soggy and awful. I'd rather have burned rice... and years ago I burned plenty of it. If there's any chance you might get a little stoned or drunk while the rice is cooking, put a little extra water in the pan.

[Nick]

But now, the cats out of the bag, and so...does rinsing make a difference, and if so where's the proof.

You don't just rinse it. You wash it in a bowl and keep changing the water until the rice comes clean. With some rice you might have to change the water six or eight times. With other rice, once or twice. It depends on how well the rice was cleaned before you got it.

OH! SLAP MYSELF ON THE HEAD! You guys are probably talking about white rice. About all I've ever cooked is short grain brown rice. If you're cooking white rice, forget everything I've said. I have no idea.

[Jaymes]

Thought I'd chip in here - although my method might not work for everyone.

I learned how to cook rice while I was living in the Orient. I have no clue if it's "right," but it's what I've been doing for a very long time and it seems to work.

Take some rice. I usually buy whatever's on sale. It also depends on what I'm using it for, whether I buy short-grain "pearl" rice, or long-grain, or one of the more interesting varieties.

I put some in a nice heavy saucepan. I don't measure - just as much as I need. Then I rinse it several times, as NickN says, until the water is if not completely uncloudy, at least fairly uncloudy. Then I put fresh water in the pan and (this is something I learned in Asia) stick my pointer finger down into the water to touch the rice. The water should be "two knuckles" deep.

Then, bring to a boil (the Chinese don't add any salt at all at this point), take a paper towel and wet it, and set it on your counter and put the lid of the pot in the middle of the paper towel and fold the corners of the wet paper towel up onto the lid. Then put the lid with the paper onto your pot. The paper towel seals in the steam. Cook on very low heat until done - 20-30 minutes. When the rice is done, remove the lid and stir and fluff the rice the with a fork. Allow to sit a few minutes uncovered, fluffed and cooling before serving. That seems to keep it from getting sticky.

When I moved to Panama, our cook laughed at the way I made rice. She said I made it "a las 'Cheenas'" (which is how Spanish-speakers pronounce China). In Panama, they took some kind of grease - most often a neutral oil sometimes with a little butter - and put it in the bottom of a heavy saucepan. They picked through the rice and some of them rinsed it briefly, but most didn't. They heated up the oil and put the rice into the saucepan and sauted it over med to high heat until the rice was beginning to color. Then they added liquid - usually a broth of some kind, most often chicken broth, or salted water, covered (our cook did the "paper towel" trick, but with a dishtowel) and cooked on very low heat until done. Again, though, when the rice was cooked, they took the lid off, fluffed with a fork, and allowed it to sit a few minutes (almost drying, you could say) before serving. Rice is a staple in many Central/South American countries - think Arroz con Pollo, etc.

So there you go. Right or wrong - it's how I cook rice. It's worked pretty well for me for some 35 years. Have no desire to get a bulky rice cooker.

Guess it might be nice if I had plenty of room, but I don't. So I'll just stick to the "two knuckles" and a "wet paper towel" approach for now.

Edited May 25, 2003 by Jaymes (log)

[Nick]

Jaymes, Water two knuckles if the rice is one knuckle?

[Jaymes]

Jaymes, Water two knuckles if the rice is one knuckle?

Truly, Nick, my rice is NEVER one knuckle. I always make at least three cups or more of rice. I think it keeps extremely well, and I use it for all sorts of things. I love having cooked rice handy in the fridge.

I heat water until boiling in the microwave, then pour it over the cold leftover rice and allow it to sit a few minutes until the rice is hot, then drain and fluff.

Or, I put some leftover rice into a coffee mug and heat it in the microwave until it's hot and then add a little pat of butter, some cream, raisins, pinch of salt, cinnamon and sugar for a quicky "rice pudding."

Or take the cold leftover rice and make chow fan (fried rice) for lunch or a light supper.

Or pour some chile over it and have rice and chile (VERY popular in Asia).

Or even open a can of gumbo, and pour that over it, or some red or black beans, with salsa or pico de gallo....

The possibilities are endless.

So, don't know about the 2 knuckles if you've only got 1 knuckle thing. The depth of my rice is always at least 3-4 inches.

However weird that sounds.....

Edited May 25, 2003 by Jaymes (log)

[Nick]

3-4 inches of rice when you start? That's a lot of rice. You're way ahead of me when it comes to cooking lots of rice. I just cook enough for a meal with maybe some leftover to fry the next day.

[sladeums]

Interesting replies so far...

and Nick, yes I am assuming white rice - and also, we (I) are (am) speaking of preparing enough for a hungry family of two parents and 2.3 (+) children as opposed to individual consumption.

[torakris]

look here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...T&f=19&t=20638&

though this thread deals mostly with Japanese rice in the rice cooker, the are some hints that are applicable for pan cooking.

I once found my self with a bag of basmati that I couldn't get to turn out decent no matter what cooking method I used, I finished up the bag making lots of pilafs!

Another time I had a bag of very cheap, very bad Thai (not jasmine) rice, it was awful tasting but i am too cheap to throw things away so I would cook up a bunch of it and put in the refrigerator and make fried rice every day for lunch.

[fresco]

My wife uses the "knuckle" method. I just use twice as much water as rice. Think it amounts to exactly the same thing. We don't rinse. We heat to boiling in a pot with a tight fitting lid, then immediately turn the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Brown rice gets twice the cooking time and a bit more water. We don't lift the lid during the cooking process or mess with it in any way. Neither of us is anything remotely like a rice expert, but I can't recall a failure. I think using good quality rice is important--and I'm assuming you wouldn't touch minute, converted or other such abominations.

[Suzanne F]

...bring the water back to a boil, and stir the whole thing occasionally to keep the stuff from sticking to the bottom of the pan and serve.

Never stir the rice once the cover is on. Leave it alone until you've just got to check it to see if it's done.

Maybe Tommy and I are finally agreeing on something.

Did your eye jump while you were reading? Because the instructions as I posted them are

bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil;

add however much rice you want to cook (assume it will double in bulk);

bring the water back to a boil, and stir the whole thing occasionally to keep the stuff from sticking to the bottom of the pan;

cook uncovered at a rolling boil for about 15 minutes; but start checking at 13 minutes to see if the rice is done;

when the rice is tender but not yet splitting, drain it thoroughly, mix in a LOT of butter, and serve.

The pot does not get covered, except perhaps while bringing the water to its initial boil (before adding the rice); this is what Alford and Duguid refer to as the "lots-of-water" technique, and it works for many kinds of rice (they say NOT Thai jasmine or Japanese rice). And, of course, if you are cooking rice with the husk still on, it will take longer.

[fifi]

For typical long grain rice (I usually use Mahatma brand)... 1 1/3 cup water. 1 cup of rice. Salt. Use a heavy sauce pan with a good lid. Boil the salted water. Stir in rice, Reduce heat to low... such that there is very little steam escaping. Cook for 17 minutes. If anyone lifts the lid... kill them. Fluff with a fork. Works every time for me.

But then, a few years ago, I saw that fuzzy logic cooker at Williams-Sonoma and bought it for myself as my totally insane Christmas present I give myself every year. I LOVE that thing. It does brown rice perfectly, even that sticky rice that you steam with pandanus leaves then stir in coconut milk and palm sugar for a Thai desert. I never did get that stuff right with the steamer, water spraying and all that jazz.

Oh... The coolest thing about the rice cooker? It has a retractable cord!

[Nick]

Did your eye jump while you were reading? Because the instructions as I posted them are

bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil;

add however much rice you want to cook (assume it will double in bulk);

bring the water back to a boil, and stir the whole thing occasionally to keep the stuff from sticking to the bottom of the pan;

cook uncovered at a rolling boil for about 15 minutes; but start checking at 13 minutes to see if the rice is done;

when the rice is tender but not yet splitting, drain it thoroughly, mix in a LOT of butter, and serve.

My eye did jump. I never caught the part about cooking uncovered at a rolling boil the whole time. Neither did I notice the part about a "LOT" of butter. Different strokes for different folks.

[torakris]

For typical long grain rice (I usually use Mahatma brand)... 1 1/3 cup water. 1 cup of rice. Salt. Use a heavy sauce pan with a good lid. Boil the salted water. Stir in rice, Reduce heat to low... such that there is very little steam escaping. Cook for 17 minutes. If anyone lifts the lid... kill them. Fluff with a fork. Works every time for me.

But then, a few years ago, I saw that fuzzy logic cooker at Williams-Sonoma and bought it for myself as my totally insane Christmas present I give myself every year. I LOVE that thing. It does brown rice perfectly, even that sticky rice that you steam with pandanus leaves then stir in coconut milk and palm sugar for a Thai desert. I never did get that stuff right with the steamer, water spraying and all that jazz.

Oh... The coolest thing about the rice cooker? It has a retractable cord!

rice cookers are really one of the most incredible creations, the new one that I want costs close to $500 and workd like a pressure cooker, Japanese rice in 11 minutes!

[fifi]

And I thought $200 for the one I bought was nuts!

[FoodZealot]

I have a question about the method that some Asian cultures use for measuring the water to cook with any amount of rice - the knuckle method. If I understand correctly, the palm is placed flat on the surface of the rice, and water is added to the top of the knuckle of the first finger.

Some people feel that this is the BEST way. I feel foolish asking this, but it seems to me that this introduces more variables into the ratio than eliminating them. First off, what if the rice pot is wide and shallow? What about a person with meaty/fleshy hands - wouldn't they displace more water than someone with tiny hands - although the tiny hands are lower to the level of the rice. What if you have big knuckles, but thin fingers? What if you are retaining water that week and have swollen extremeties? If a child makes the rice for the family, is their rice more or less moist? I see how clothing can be measured by cubits, or hands, but on this I'm boggled....

I'm aware that different kinds of rice require different ratios of water, and that age of the rice is thought to be a factor in how much water is necessary. However, all else being equal... enlighten me, eGullet! Please!

Also, does anyone know - while cooking rice for his/her 3 years of rice duty, is the traditional sushi chef taught to use a volume for volume measurement or some sort of relative measurement like the knuckle method?

Thank you,

~Tad

P.S., when we made rice at home, we always measured 1:1 with the cup that came with the rice cooker, plus the same amount extra (about 1/4 of that cup), no matter how much rice was being made - which doesn't make sense either. More rice being cooked, less water necessary? Aaaaagh...

[Ladybug]

I have a question about the method that some Asian cultures use for measuring the water to cook with any amount of rice - the knuckle method.  If I understand correctly, the palm is placed flat on the surface of the rice, and water is added to the top of the knuckle of the first finger.

Some people feel that this is the BEST way.  I feel foolish asking this, but it seems to me that this introduces more variables into the ratio than eliminating them.  First off, what if the rice pot is wide and shallow? What about a person with meaty/fleshy hands -  wouldn't they displace more water than someone with tiny hands - although the tiny hands are lower to the level of the rice.  What if you have big knuckles, but thin fingers?  What if you are retaining water that week and have swollen extremeties?  If a child makes the rice for the family, is their rice more or less moist?  I see how clothing can be measured by cubits, or hands, but on this I'm boggled....

I'm aware that different kinds of rice require different ratios of water, and that age of the rice is thought to be a factor in how much water is necessary.  However, all else being equal... enlighten me, eGullet!  Please!

Also, does anyone know -  while cooking rice for his/her 3 years of rice duty, is the traditional sushi chef taught to use a volume for volume measurement or some sort of relative measurement like the knuckle method?

Thank you,

~Tad

P.S., when we made rice at home, we always measured 1:1 with the cup that came with the rice cooker, plus the same amount extra (about 1/4 of that cup), no matter how much rice was being made - which doesn't make sense either.  More rice being cooked, less water necessary?  Aaaaagh...

I've always wondered about that too. I've used the same method as fifi's for more than 10 years now and never have any trouble. My mom even wanted to know my secret because she says her rice never turns out right. I was mystified - I never realized rice was considered tricky to make.

[Sweet Willie]

We have one of the cheapo rice cookers. It has performed admirably but is lacking in preparing some different kinds of rice.

There are more expensive models that compensate for the differences in the types of rice. We will soon purchase one.

I like to "set it and forget it"

[homechef]

stovetop rice breakthrough!

i was inspired by the discussion of the zojirushi to try something different. i usually cook aged basmati rice. my usual method is to wash thoroughly, add water to rice in a ratio of 1.8 to 1, crank heat to maximum possible, bring to boil, add salt, then turn heat down to a gentle simmer for exactly 15 minutes. it's key not to lift the lid at all during the entire cooking and for at least 10 minutes after the rice is done - the water and steam are still working their magic with the rice. then i fluff the rice, mostly to enjoy the basmati fragrance.

the breakthrough? let the rice soak in the water for about 15 minutes before switching heat on, then bringing the rice to a boil over medium heat. this adds around 25 minutes to the whole cook time, for a total of 40 minutes, plus 10 minutes of rest after the cooking's done.

almost every bag of rice needs to be understood - the differences between brands of the same kind of rice can be quite considerable, and i would definitely expect to experiment a bit with this formula before expecting to get it right for jasmine rice, for example. in my experience average priced jasmine (and younger rice in general) requires less water, so i'd start without the soak and with maybe 1.6 cups of water for every cup of rice. figure out your experiment and go with it - don't try to fix it with a few minutes left on the clock, because therein lies the way of complete disaster.

i've used the "lots of water technique" for precooking rice for biryani. it gets rid of a good deal of the starch in rice (in fact the drain off from cooking rice in this method is used for starching clothes - when not flavored, of course) and consequently i can see it working for rice that usually turns out sticky - that stickiness is mostly starch and a little protein that will both be reduced considerably. the technique is ubiquitous in southern india, especially in kerala, and works brilliantly for the rice they have there - enormous, fat grains, often too irregular to polish quite completely, so they end up at the table slightly flecked with red and brown. i wish i'd had the chance to cook that sort of rice here - but it just isn't available. it's just the thing with a little meen curry and erichi veicha...

- anand

[alanamoana]

the knuckle method is sticking a finger vertically into the pot of rice and water. the rice should come up to the first knuckle and the water should come up to the second knuckle (the distance between first and second knuckle is a little longer and from what i've read most people cook one cup of rice to one and one third cup water, so that seems about right).

placing your palm flat on the surface of the rice, the water should just cover the top of your hand (you're right about the displacement though food zealot, i'm not sure about this but again, i think there should be a little more than a 1:1 ratio)

fat guy stated on the first page of this thread that he disregards the amount of water instructed and he disregards the measurement of "one cup"...therein lies his problem. the cup they include with the rice cooker is meant to correspond with the marks on the side of the bowl in the cooker. you use four "cups" of rice, then fill the rice cooker to the line marked with a four inside the cooking bowl. that is how they were meant to be used. that is why the cooker comes with a measuring cup.

i bought my electric (very basic, neither fuzzy nor warm logic) 10 cup rice cooker for about $50 in chinatown in nyc. it is a panasonic (another good appliance name brand for the japanese) and all it does is cook rice. it has a non-stick bowl. it is perfect. the fuzzy logic ones also have timers so you can set it like a coffee machine to make rice at a specific time. a little more planning than i can handle .

and FINALLY...no one so far has mentioned the MICROWAVE! i learned this from my mom. when my brother and i moved out of the house, there was no reason to bust out the 10 cup rice maker just for mom and dad, so when she makes 2-4 cups she uses the microwave and here's her method:

using a pyrex-type glass casserole container (that comes with it's own lid), measure your rice and water as you would for stove top methods.

(i'm assuming you rinse your rice)

cook on high for 10 minutes UNCOVERED

stir rice

cook again on high for another 10 minutes COVERED

depending on your microwave, you may need to adjust times. i usually end up with perfect rice every time. but, if it is a little dry, i just add a sprinkle of water and cook for another few minutes. if it is a little wet, just cook a little longer...you'll figure out the variables without wasting too much rice. the good thing about this method is that it is almost impossible to burn and you don't have to clean out the bottom of a pot! the rice doesn't stick to the glass container, and you can store the rice in the fridge in the same container you cooked it in. it is a real boon. and most people have microwaves, so you don't have to waste more counter space with a rice cooker if you don't cook rice all that much.

[project]

For decades, I've cooked rice just one way:

I buy long grain white rice, typically cheapest house brand,

at any US supermarket.

I don't inspect, wash, or rinse the rice before cooking.

I put 1 C of this rice in a 2 quart 'classic' Farberware pot,

add 1 3/4 C water, bring to simmer, turn heat very low, put on

lid, set timer for 20 minutes, and "forget it".

I don't know if the result is 'perfect', 'sticky', 'nicely

separated', 'fluffy', good, bad, or indifferent, but it's what

I do and seems fine to me.

The result is rice much like in a Chinese restaurant, that is,

mostly holds together in clumps to permit eating with

chopsticks (should one want to do this, which I don't).

If I cook the rice too long, then some of it will begin to dry

and stick to the bottom of the pot.

This 'recipe' scales well at least to 2-3 times the quantities

here. For three times, I use a 3 quart 'classic' Farberware

pot.

If the mixture goes past 'simmering' to boiling, then the

mixture will likely generate a lot of foam and boil over; so,

be careful in the simmering step.

Recently at Sam's Club I bought a much larger bag of long

grain white rice, and it's different: The grains seem smaller

and 'harder' and to take longer to cook than what I've been

used to. So, I increase the time to 25 to 30 minutes.

Much of the reason this process works so well is some

'self-regulation' from the physics of boiling water: When we

put the lid on, the water in the mixture is boiling. With the

lid on, we need only a little heat to keep the temperature at

or near boiling; thus, when we turn the heat to low, it is

difficult to get the heat too low. If we have a little too

much heat, then we will just boil away a little of the water.

The heat required to convert liquid water at boiling to steam

is so large that having the heat a little too high boils away

comparatively little water.

I remember the one "I simmered it and stirred it and STILL it

turned out sticky". Of COURSE it turned out "sticky"!

Stirring rice while it is cooking is a good way to make

starchy wallpaper paste!

[FistFullaRoux]

The standard (at least in my family circle) rice cooker in south Louisiana - and we do love our rice - is a Hitachi. It's a "set it and forget it" kind of thing, but once you know the volumes, it's easy as can be. Makes a good product and frees up a burner on the stove. It is mandatory if you are cooking for more than 5 or 6 people.

I still do mine on the stovetop sometimes, however. Long grain enriched white rice (Mahatma, if you must know), rinsed well 2 or 3 times with any stray black or discolored grains discarded. Add salt and a teaspoon of plain old white vinegar to add up to the amounts in the directions. The acidity of the vinegar seems to make the cooked rice a little firmer, and the rinsing keeps it from clumping. Cook until it is somewhere between al dente and paste. Everyone has their own taste. As long as it is still capable of absorbing another liquid and is not crunchy, it's fine with me.

Japanese chefs will add vinegar to rice as well, but after cooking. I put it in the cooking water. It does make a difference. Try two pots side by side, one with and one without. That is the best cooking trick I have ever used.

edit for additional info

Maybe the "palm flat on the surface of the rice" thing is to ensure that you use a big enough pot. A small narrow pot may not do the best job on rice. If you have enough room in the pot to lay your hand flat, you have a big enough pot. Makes sense to me, at least.

And my grandmother uses the vertical knuckle technique, and I'd love to know how many pots of rice she's cooked. I measure with a wooden spoon that I carved notches in - only because it's easier, and I have verification. If you want to see what the knuckle technique is like, measure everything out according to the package directions, then stick your hand in there while it is still cold.

Edited November 6, 2003 by FistFullaRoux (log)