Do you wash your rice?

[funnybone]

I read somewhere that Asians tend to wash the rice prior to cooking - it helps keep the rice from sticking. I was wondering if anyone did this, and if it worked. I have no problem cooking white rice, but my brown rice ALWAYS sticks.

[kwormann]

We always rinse our rice....I prefer rice that is separate, not sticky, and this seems to help. Another tip, we "fry" it first, also. We spray a touch of olive oil in a pan and fry the rice...it adds a great nutty flavor! It would also be good with sesame oil!

Kim

[mlou]

Oh Kim! I do that too...the saute part. I think washing is really for the sake of what might be on the rice or to find things that may not be rice at all http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Just another tip: my son the aspiring chef has told me that most people's rice sticks because they stir it at some point and you are not supposed to stir ever until it is done and then you only fluff it with a fork.

[kwormann]

I also learned that tip----on GoodEats - ALton Brown - on FoodTV. It is soooooo hard, though not to peek and make sure there is enough water and it isnt burning to the bottom!

Kim

[Vanessa]

We eat rice at our home frequently. I use Canilla-Goya which is extra long white rice. I don't rinse it. When I make this rice for every cup of rice you need 2 cups of water. I first place water salt and a bit of olive oil let it boil add the rice lower to med high until you see vents on your rice (holes) and its drying. I move the rice once (the top to bottom) then lower to low and cover til its done.

[luv2cook]

i use a rice cooker and avoid the problem entirely...

[KimKelly]

I was actually just wondering about this tonight. After reading the brown rice thread I decided that we should have some tonight. The package actually said to "rinse the rice several times" before cooking. I have to admit, that I measured it and only gave it a quick rinse. The rice did not stick at all. I was wondering if the rinsing had to do with sticking or if it washed off undesirable "stuff"!

Kim

[BosunsWife]

I eat a lot of brown rice and don't rinse it and have never had a problem with sticking.

I also eat white rice quite frequently and don't rinse it either. I like sticky rice. I don't know that Asians rinse their rice, they seem to like it sticky - it sticks to the chopsticks better that way. I don't mean that in a derogatory way, just what I've noticed from living in Hawaii.

My DD won't eat potatoes, just rice - white or brown. Bet the inlaws (native New Englanders) will be upset about that - they are potato eaters only!

[kwormann]

We also discovered on Good Eats that the package recipes call for too much water...the water should be scaled down by 1/4 cup...it turns out perfectly every time!

Kim

[Zinnia]

We don't eat brown rice, and to be honest I never have made it-(I know I should try it but, it reminds me of 'Rice-A-Roni'-yuk!).
I buy only 'Niko Niko Calrose Rice', I have a rice cooker and it turns out perfect everytime. I do rinse it once, (& since it 'holds' water) the recipe calls for 3 c. rice to 4 c. water, I use 3 & 1/2 c. water because I 'rinsed' it.
We love sticky steamed white rice & eat fried rice only when we go out to a restaurant or when I make it at home. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Zinnia

[woodsl]

I really didn't like rice much until I quit eating white rice and switched to brown rice. I too saute mine in a little olive oil (with chopped onions and minced garlic) before adding the liquid. I then cook it in 2 parts fat free chicken broth and 1 part water. When done, I sprinkle it with toasted sesame seeds and fluff with a fork. (I think I got this idea fron CL)

kwormann, thanks for the sesame oil idea. I have some toasted sesame oil that I use for seasoning in wok cooking, and I bet that would be good too.

[Meg O'C]

It's funny this topic came up. I just made a Nutted Wild Rice recipe for a bridal shower I gave yesterday (it's great because you can make ahead and serve it cold or room temp on a buffet). It was my second time making this dish. The recipe says to wash the rice. The first time I made it, I washed it very thoroughly. Yesterday I did not wash it as thoroughly. The rice definitely seemed stickier the second time around. It still turned out ok but as I was mixing in the other ingredients I was not happy with the consistency.

[Curleytop]

I rinse basmati rice 3 times. All other rice, American grown rice, I DO NOT RINSE!
Read the directions on the packages. You loose all sorts of nutrients by washing rice grown in the USA. Asian rices have talc on them and HAVE to be washed.

[adb]

My Indian MIL taught me to soak and rinse basmati or jasmine rice until the water runs mostly clear and not cloudy. I never knew it was talc on the rice though - interesting.

[Ohioan]

The rinsing actually depends on the rice. Many imported and unprocessed domestic rices aren't cleaned after harvesting, or contain (believe it or not!) a preservative or insect-repellant coating for shipping. These rices definitely need to be rinsed!

However, "converted" or parboiled rice, such as Uncle Ben's or the Indian Harvest blends, have been well cleaned before the processing and will actually lose nutrients if you rinse them, because of the way the nutrients have been "steam-inserted" into the grains.

The best bet is to follow the package directions if there are any, and if there aren't any directions, chances are the rice is imported and does need rinsing.

Cheers,
Phoebe
(Taking a vacation from being the Bean Queen and substituting as the Rice Princess http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif)