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I recently bought a rice cooker hoping it would magically improve my rice making efforts. It didn't, and according to some folks who own the same model, it won't. I'm looking for some tips for making perfect rice; where the individual grains are separate (like the rice you find in middle eastern or Greek restaurants). I don't really care if it's a rice cooker or a pan method. Does anyone have some tips for me?

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Add more butter/oil. Tends to help a lot.

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Ed Fisher
my chicago food photos

RIP LTH.

I think many Greek restaurants (can't really speak to Middle Eastern, where I've seen all different kinds of rice) use a converted rice like Uncle Ben's (or look for the word "converted" or "parboiled" on the package.) Converted rice usually doesn't have a split down the middle of the grain and when cooked has the texture you describe. It's all we ever ate growing up - my Mother also preferred the very separate rice grains. Method for cooking is identical to normal rice, and it will probably work just fine in your rice cooker.

Converted rice is really a kind of rice-based orzo - here's a description of the process: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-converted-rice.htm

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I'm trying an absorption method tonight with regular long grain rice. I'm sure that will work better than the rice cooker. That's a very interesting article. I never really know what converted rice is. I always just assumed it was something that was processed and adulterated in some way. According to that article, it actually has the nutrients of brown rice with the fluffiness of white rice. Who knew it was actually good for you? I'll give converted rice a try if this method doesn't work out.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

You could try cooking rice the Indian way:
1. Rinse rice and then soak in water for about ten minutes
2. Boil the rice in a pot of boiling salted water ( just like pasta)
3. When rice grains are tender, drain water. Return rice to pot. Cover and steam for a few minutes.

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Jyoti
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Ruhlman

I have variable results with rice depending upon the type of rice, and how attentive I want to be with it. (Some nights, I just don't give a crap if it's not perfect.) If I'm making basmati or jasmine rice, I always rinse it before cooking to take off any loose starch that lends to gumminess. If it's long or medium grain, one of the most successful methods I've tried is to steam the rice in a steamer. It takes away the pot of water/too much water/not enough time/too much time problem.

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Local Beet

Steve,

I'm a fan of CI's recipe. I've had great results with it. I don't like rice as cereal and also prefer separate grains.

You can get the recipe online. If you don't have a membership you can register, and view recipes, for free for 14 days.

It may also be in CI's New Best Recipe book but I can't remember.

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Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

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Steve,

There are so many variables in rice cooking. To rinse or not? Soaking? Boiling in large quantity of water or not? Ratio of liquid to rice? Type of pan? Length of cooking time? Type of rice?

I recently had the "Spanish rice" at Bandera which was like cream of wheat. Totally wet, gummy, broken grains...a disaster with my $20 very dry half chicken. I should send my pot washer over there to teach them how to cook rice! Too much liquid and cooked too long.

Try starting your pilaf on the stove top. The heavier your pan the better. After adding your liquid and bringing up to a simmer, then cover the pan tightly and finish in a moderate oven for 30 or so minutes (or longer) rather than on the stove top works like a charm for me. I was taught this by an old navy aircraft carrier cook.

I think 1.75 to 1.5 parts liquid to 1 part rice works just about perfectly, or as he showed me: 1" of liquid or 1 finger digit of liquid above the level of the rice.

Evil

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"Playing the trumpet with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is the most fun that you can have with your clothes on." Adolph "Bud" Herseth

Only thing this old war horse would add is that I'd saute the rice in scant oil prior to adding the liquid, which I'd use stock (chix or veg depending) and a bay leaf. Be careful. When you add the liquid, it will boil back up @ you.

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from Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata

2 cups Uncle Ben's, 3 1/3 cups water, 1 tsp salt, 1tbl butter, in covered casserole, heat to boiling in microwave (about 12 minutes) then stir, cover, cook at 30% (defrost) for 20 minutes. Perfect, every time.

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"Good stuff, Maynard." Dobie Gillis

As already Posted, there are so many types of rice and individual brands within the type that one method and device will/may not suffice for all.
What specific type and brand are you cooking?
We usually use a Kitchenaid microwave that has a 'Rice Setting' and works extremely well with a number of varieties. The amount of water is the biggest variable and depends on the type of rice, brand, and usage. Each is slightly different.
Risotto's and arborio's are never cooked in the microwave but by other methods.
I haven't used nor do i own a Rice Cooker but I would think that the specific brand would be geared toward the country of origin. i.e Japan, short grained rice. But even within this category, there is short grained prepared for eating and short grained for Sushi and they are slightly different in results. We make the rice for sushi slightly stickier to absorb the seasoning and to be a little more firmer.-Dick

I made rice tonight and it was a disaster.
For the first time I can remember I made long grain rice. We always eat short grain rice and just use our Zojirushi fuzzy logic cooker - perfect every time.
But tonight I was grilling chicken marinaded in Goya Mojo Criollo and thought fluffy yellow rice would be nice. I followed the instructions on the package of Riceland long grain enriched rice but substituted chicken stock with a few saffron threads for water. It was a gummy mess on the outside, crunchy and undercooked on the inside. About as bad as could be. What did I do wrong?

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The cake is a lie

Well, first of all - what were the instructions?

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No guts, no glory.
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I've been making a jambalaya recipe from the Times Picayune Cookbook for over 25 years. The recipe calls for converted rice. I've always used it and had very good results but in the back of mind, I sort of felt like using converted rice was cheating. So, a few months ago I made it and decided that this time, I'd use regular, long grain rice. It was a disaster and it ended up with a consistency like porridge. I didn't do anything else differently but the result was completely different. Huge party, embarrassingly crappy jambaylaya, lesson learned.

But for cooking rice by itself, I've found that so much of the result depends on the type of rice you use. I own a rice cooker and it actually does a really great job but even then, there are very noticeable variations in my results depending on what I put in it. Jasmine, brown jasmine, basmati, texmati, sushi...they all turn out differently and pre-rinsing also has a significant effect on the final result. I'm definitely going to try some of the suggestions posted above (I'm fascinated by the par-boil method) but I do love my rice cooker. The results are always very good and it's supremely easy to use. It's the one element in the kitchen where 'set it and forget it' is ok with me.

=R=

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Most likely one or both of the following: not a tight enough lid, too high heat leading to rapid boil instead of low simmer. It sounds like too much of your liquid evaporated before the rice could cook.

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1.
Combine in a 2 quare saucepan:
1 cup rice
2 cups water
1 tsp salt, optional
1 Tbsp oil or margarine, optional

2.
Stir lightly; bring to a rolling boil and reduce heat to simmer (low boil).
Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 15 minutes.

3.
Remove from heat and allow to stand uncovered for 5 minutes.

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The cake is a lie

I think your on to something - maybe a tighter lid and off the heat for the last 5-10 will work better.

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The cake is a lie

I think that might be your problem. Next time, let it sit off heat covered for 15 minutes or so. The Cook's illustrated method that I settled on has you put a kitchen towel between the lid and the pan for this 15 minute cool down period. I'm not sure if that's completely necessary, but I've been doing it and my rice has been turning out perfectly. I made a huge batch on Easter and it worked like a chap. My Aroma rice cooker, as convenient as it is, has been benched.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

I'll third...the proportions seem right to me but it sounds like too little water; so evaporation is probably your culprit. I sometimes start with even less water (a 1.5 to 1 ratio) and it turns out OK. If you are suspicious of your lid, just cover your pot with tightly crimped aluminum foil instead. The other issue might be the "simmer" - if water is evaporating, the heat is too high. Too much movement in the pot (from boiling) can lead to the rice becoming gummy as well.

One of my methods for cooking rice (which I use for sushi rice) isn't that dissimilar to cooking hardboiled eggs: bring to a boil, cover tightly, remove from heat and wait 20 minutes. (Of course, the whole rice-washing thing makes a difference, too)

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No guts, no glory.
http://www.chicagonow.com/quips-travails-braised-oxtails
http://quipstravailsandbraisedoxtails.blogspot.com/

My 2 cents.

While converted will usually give excellent texture, it has very little flavor, in my opinion. I almost always use long grain Basmati or Jasmine.

Choose a pot of a size that the amount of rice you want to use will cover the bottom and come up the sides several grains thickness ( about 1/8" deep ). The key to my mind is the rinse. You need to rinse it gently so that in the process of rinsing you don't break the grains. The purpose of the rinse is to remove the surface starch. Breaking the grains simply exposes more starch. Cover the rice with water and very gently swirl. Then drain most of that water. Repeat this 8-10 times until the water you are draining is pretty clear. Again, you need to gently swirl to avoid breaking the grains.

THen fill the pot with water until the water above the rice in an even layer reaches the first knuckle of your index finger. Under medium heat bring to a boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer for 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and without lifting the lid, let steam for 15 minutes. It is then ready, but can sit like this for another hour. When ready to serve, take off the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.

Is there a trick to cooking forbidden rice? I bought it from the bulk section of Whole Foods, so there were no instructions, and the web has been very vague. Do I soak it? Cook it like brown rice, with 2:1 water? I'm just making it plain, because I'm making duck marinated in a hoisin-pomegranate glaze, so I figured the glaze would also flavor the rice.

Thanks!

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I chucked it in the rice cooker with 2:1 water, only because I didn't know what else to do with it - it came out perfectly fine. So I think your "cook it like brown rice" instinct is right on.

We only make short grain brown rice typically.

I like to cook the dry grains (1&1/2 cups) on high heat for about 5 minutes until you hear them start to crackle and smell a bit nutty.

At the same time I boil just over 2 cups of water. Once I smell that nutty smell coming off of the rice for a minute of so I turn it down to a simmer, pour the water in, cover it and let it simmer for 40 minutes. Then I let it sit with the lid on for at least 10 minutes. It always seems to come out pretty good this way but I haven't tried this with white rice.

i've found that if you toast your rice in some fat on the stove, add liquid, bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and add to a 350 oven to finish, the rice comes out real nicer.....also, like a piece of meat let it rest about 10 minutes and fluff with a fork.......

this chinese dude i used to work with swore by cooking rice in the pressure cooker. its more of a sticky rice though. put the rice and water (1:1 or 1:1.5 rice to water) in there clamp it down and put on the heat (without the weight) until it starts to make noise (steam shooting out of the hole) and then turn off the heat. in 15-20 minutes you're ready to go.

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That same method works in a regular covered pot, though I keep the fire on low instead of turning it off.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Long ago there was a tremendous thread on this very issue with a ton of good advice. To my mind, if you want to understand good rice with very seperate grains, you should be talking to Cubans, Indians, and Filipinos. Zim had some good things to say. The type of rice is obviously very important, but in terms of basic technique Jazzfood (no surprise) is right. My Cuban inlaws are rice masters as some here can attest. There's an alarming amount of lard (and/or olive oil) at the beginning of the process, however. You really need to coat and slightly toast the rice before adding just enough water and covering very tightly for a long, slow simmer. I believe Filipino technique is similar or the same.

oh..........don't forget to add hot stock/water to rice..seriously makes a difference imo