first stab at brown rice

[aggie94]

I was surprised at how much I liked it! I picked up a small bag of Lundberg Farms organic short-grain brown rice, and threw it into my rice cooker last night to go with the red-curried tofu I was making. Unfortunately, I thought the red-curried tofu was pretty disappointing, but the brown rice was good. Question, though: what is the texture of it supposed to be like? I thought mine might have been a little undercooked, because it was kinda chewy. But I followed all the instructions on the bag for cooking it in a rice cooker (2 cups rice, 4 cups water, one chicken bouillon cube), and I think it took about 45 minutes before the cooker flipped to "warm." I even added more water and flipped it back to "cook" to make sure it was done, but the texture was still the same. Don't get me wrong -- I liked it fine, but the description on the bag said it was "creamy." I would definitely not call what I had last night "creamy"!

I'm not sure that I'm ready to completely give up my sticky white rice just yet, but I'll definitely be eating brown rice more often. Can't wait to try the garlicky brown rice -- mmmmmm!

[greysangel]

I eat brown rice a lot and I would definitely say it's more chewy than creamy though lord knows I could be doing it wrong too http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

I love it because it keeps me satisfied much longer than it's white counterpart.

JeAnne

[Curleytop]

I make my brown rice in the rice cooker as well. I use double the amount of water to the amount of rice (1c rice 2c water);I add a dab of butter (margarine) but not buillion. Yes, the brown rice takes longer and it is chewy. We like it!

[This message has been edited by Curleytop (edited 04-10-2001).]

[emilycat]

The creaminess factor may have a bit to do with how you prepare it. My short-grain brown rice turns out creamy, but so does my barley, and it may be because I cook it as I would arborio rice, with a 1:4 ratio to water, adding it bit by bit and stirring after it's been absorbed. Maybe that would work?

[aggie94]

Unfortunately, I probably don't have the patience to try that. It's so much easier to just throw it in a rice cooker and let it do everything on its own! I am curious to see how it "should" taste, though, so I might try the slow-cook method on the stovetop next week, on my "spring break." So you use 1 cup rice to 4 cups water? And do you boil the water first, then add the rice slowly to that? And once all the rice is added, reduce heat, cover & simmer? You don't stir after the cover is on, do you? Sorry for all the questions - just want to make sure I get it right!

[This message has been edited by aggie94 (edited 04-10-2001).]

[emilycat]

Typically, I'll saute some shallots in the tiniest bit of olive oil, then add the rice to coat. I may add a couple tablespoons or two of sherry or wine, as well, to add a nice flavor. (This is only for 1/4 cup of rice, though, 'cause I'm usually only making a serving.) After that evaporates/is absorbed, I add the water or broth (vegetable), 1/4 cup at a time, until it's absorbed, simmering over a low-medium heat. Seriously, I find that you really don't have to stir that much -- just each time you add more liquid. I end up using about 1 cup, and it takes about 45 minutes, maybe a bit longer if I've had the heat up too high and more liquid evaporated instead of being absorbed by the rice.

If you don't want to do the shallots and wine thing, just bring some of the water to a boil and add the rice, reduce to a simmer, and continue the same way. Oh, and I do all of this uncovered.

Does this all make sense? Good luck with your next rice-making endeavor! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Emily

[Jewel]

I have a standard rice cooker, but wasn't sure if the cooker would automatically cook brown rice longer? I thought it had a set time. Mine's just a 3-cup Salton brand, one switch you flip to cook, and it flips back up when done. I haven't tried brown rice in it because I wasn't sure it would get done enough! Anyone else have a one-switch rice cooker? Made a difference with brown rice??

[lorilei]

emilycat -

Really? A 1:4 ratio? That seems like an awful lot of water for the rice to absorb. Even with brown rice, I usually find that a 1:2 ratio is really all I need.

[emilycat]

lorilei,

This is only with short-grained brown rice -- I only use about 2/3 cup for long-grain. I use the same water-rice ratio that I use for Arborio rice and barley; I'm thinking the reason it works is due in part to the fact that short-grained rices release more starches and tend to plump up more than long-grained ones, and also because I cook it uncovered -- so it's probably not absorbing all of that water; rather, some of it's evaporating.


[This message has been edited by emilycat (edited 04-10-2001).]

[lorilei]

Ah, yes. Long vs short http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif The continuing saga... Thanks, emilycat, for clearing that up!

[aggie94]

Jewel - All true rice cookers only have one switch. And it should automatically cook brown rice, because it senses when the rice is done based on humidity & moisture, not based on time. That's why rice comes out perfect every time.

emilycat - Thanks for the tips. I'll try that out next time I make brown rice and see how I like that texture. Really, though, I thought the chewy stuff was pretty good!

[This message has been edited by aggie94 (edited 04-10-2001).]