soaking rice

[PeachBaby]

I've been learning on these forums about the importance of soaking grains. When making (white, Asian-type) rice, how long should I soak it for and do I throw away the water and put fresh clean water to cook it with? Or do I cook the rice in the water it was soaked in.

Thanks!

[snowbunny]

Don't worry about it. There's no reason to soak white rice. White rice is not a whole grain - the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors are located in the bran, and that is removed during the polishing process. Incidentally, that process also removes b-vitamins, soluble fiber and other nutrients as well. When preparing brown rice, soak it for a couple of hours or overnight.

[WC_hapamama]

Originally Posted by snowbunny

Don't worry about it. There's no reason to soak white rice. White rice is not a whole grain - the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors are located in the bran, and that is removed during the polishing process. Incidentally, that process also removes b-vitamins, soluble fiber and other nutrients as well. When preparing brown rice, soak it for a couple of hours or overnight.

Actually there is a good reason to soak white rice (at least the Asian stuff)... it cooks more evenly that way. 30 minutes soak in cold water is sufficient. Just soak, rinse, add fresh water and cook.

I've not been able to make the switch to brown rice for most Asian dishes. Yuck, tastes like rice that's been cooked in liquefied cardboard.

[snowbunny]

Originally Posted by WC_hapamama

Actually there is a good reason to soak white rice (at least the Asian stuff)... it cooks more evenly that way. 30 minutes soak in cold water is sufficient. Just soak, rinse, add fresh water and cook.

I've not been able to make the switch to brown rice for most Asian dishes. Yuck, tastes like rice that's been cooked in liquefied cardboard.

That hasn't been my experience. Just a good rinsing on white rice is usually sufficient to rid it of bitter saponins and help it to cook evenly.

How do you cook your brown rice? Brown sweet rice is quite mild, and when it's been soaked and well-rinsed it presents a beautiful, mild and nutty flavor and while each variety of rice usually offers a subtly different nuances of flavor and texture, I've never had a batch come out tasting of cardboard.

[PeachBaby]

Thank you all for your input. With the brown rice, does the soaked water have any nutrition in it? Can we use the water the rice soaked in when we cook the rice or should we rinse it out once more and put fresh water in?