i can't freaking cook rice

[mamaduck]

Mostly what I cook comes out good. If I follow directions.

But every freaking time I make slow cooking rice it comes out NASTY! Rice, of all things. Supposed to be easy, right? NO. Mine comes out either crunchy and raw, or mushy and blah.

I give up. I'll just have to do instant forever.

[Arduinna]

How are you cooking it?? I use my steamer. I rinse the rice, add water to cover and then steam for 45 minutes. Comes out perfect everytime. I usually use jasmine rice, but I've used others.

[mamaduck]

Boil water. Add rice. bring to boil. reduce to simmer. Cover. Cook 30 min. until water is absorbed.

And that is exactly what I do.

Steamer? Like, for rice specifically? I have a vegetable steamer but that wouldn't work. The holes are too big.

[EnviroBecca]

Do you stir it? I usually stir rice every 3 minutes or so.

Also, experiment w/ratio of water to rice. The instructions on the package may be wrong. I usually use 3 cups of water for every cup of white basmati rice; we like it softish. Test rice when water has been absorbed, and if it's crunchy stir in more water and keep simmering.

[Arduinna]

steamer: I use my electric steamer it came with a pan to rest inside for rice. But any pan that would fit would do.

I've never used the boil water, add the rice and cook method. Sorry I can't help with suggestions for the stop top cooking method. :-)

[AmyB]

For an electric stove and white rice: Get a pot with a tight fitting lid

1 part rice
2 & 1/4 parts water

Put the lid on and don't take it off until the rice is done. turn burner to High until steam comes out, then turn it to Low. Cook until no more steam escapes and it smells ricey.

Rice is fluffy, not sticky.

--AmyB

[Marlena]

For generic bulk long grain rice: rinse one cup rice and put in pot. Add about 1 3/4 cup water to rice. Stir. Do not stir it again (unless you're making risotto, which is an entirely different matter). Bring to boil. As soon as it boils, turn it down to low (so it's just barely simmerring). Cook until water is absorbed. If it's still a little crunchy, add a couple teaspoonsful of water and cook a little longer (again on low heat). If you have the patience, turn off the heat and let the rice sit with the lid on to absorb the last bits of water for another 5 minutes or so.

For brown rice, do the same, but increase the water:rice ratio to 2:1. Brown rice particularly benefits from sitting a bit after cooking. It'll take about 20 minutes for regular long grain rice (and jasmine, and basmati, and black) and about 45 for short grain brown rice. Wild rice and red rice also tend to take longer.

[mamaduck]

ah. a tight fitting lid might help. I don't think I have one though.

[Clarity]

use a larger pan and place it over the cooking pan. Or a cookie sheet. Or a sturdy plate. I am the queen of improvised lids.

I also own a rice cooker. It is the one appliance we could not live wihtout. The rival one works well and is cheap, plus can also steam veggies. I have a high tech asian one...makes like 12 cups and holds infinitely. Bottom crusts if the batch is too small. I like the crusty part though.

[journeymom]

Some of you rinse the rice. Why is that? I've never done that. Maybe I'm missing something!

My method is closest to Marlena's. This is what our Korean exchange student taught me. Heavy pot, heavy lid. A ratio of 1 : 2, rice to water. Doesn't matter if it's cups or pounds (example, 1 cup rice to 2 cups water). Salt it if you want to, put the lid on and turn it on high. After this point, Do not stir! It messes up the steam vents that are created as the water boils down. Those steam vents turn your regular pot into a rice steamer. When the water boils, turn it all the way down, simmer for 20 minutes. If it's not fluffy or sticky enough, or is too hard, add a bit more water and go another 5 minutes.

Brown rice, same thing, 50-60 minutes. (That's per the instructions on my Lundberg's brown rice package)

[Shirada]

I have a perect way of cooking white rice. Two parts of boiling water to one part rice. Simmer covered for 15 minute and you will ALWAYS have fluffy separate rice. For brown rice simmer for 40 minutes.

[TexasSuz]

I am the worst rice cooker - mine used to come out horrible every time. Then I gave up and started using the microwave - i know, I know....but the rice comes out perfect every time and people rave over it!

Here is what I do...
1 cup regualr (not quick cooking) rice - any kind will do
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 cups water
sea salt

micorwave, covered, on high for 12 minutes - sorry don't know the watts on my microwave.

I think I will get one of those rice cooker/steamer things when we move to our new house, but until then I will just keep microwaving it.

Susan

[mamaduck]

I have 2 questions:

Sue -- I have a microwave cooker with a vented lid. Will that work? Or does the lid need to fit snuggly even in the microwave?

2nd -- with these rice steamer/cooker thingies -- can you add beans or veggies into the rice, in the cooker? How about seasonings or sauces? 'Cause I usually want to use broth of some sort instead of plain water. If I could do that, I might consider getting one.

[TexasSuz]

A vented lid is fine. I use a glass dish with a very loose fitting microwave lid with holes in it. I also use broth sometimes - it takes a little more broth than water for me - like 1.75 cups and skip the salt if the broth is salty.

I'd like to know more about the rice cookers also - what brand is best if I want to use it for rice and veges? Anyone??????

Happy cooking!

[StarMama]

Mamaduck I SO endorse a steamer or rice cooker!! I can't cook rice on the stove either, but in a steamer is comes out perfect everytime! I have a steamer now, that you can cook different things in (but all I use it for is rice) and that one I'm not sure if I could use something besides water (cuz you put water in the bottom too and then in the dish with the rice to steam it) I bet you could, but it might stain the bottom (who really cares?), but my rice cooker I could have (I gave it away when we got the fancy one). And a rice cooker is like 30$ or less if you don't need a fancy steamer...

[Clarity]

and old review said the rival combo was best and cheapcheapcheap...and it does both steaming and rice. We put stuff in our rice (butter, spices, etc.) but we use water...I can't see why "stuff" wouldn't be ok, esp in the Rival. I have a Sanyo and have given a Zojirushi as a gift...but these are the fancy rice ones...maybe this owuld be more ocmplex than you need. (though the "fuzzy logic" zojirushi is cool.)

[tessamami]

The secret is. . .

use a HEAVY bottom pot. It took ME forever to realize this. Get one, NOW.

[Drewsmom]

I lived in the Philippines for 1 1/2 yrs. and they taught me how to make perfect rice. In fact I dare say I made it better than some of the locals ha ha! My rice always turns out wonderful unless I forget it's cooking of course. Here's the trick: (this is for slow cooking rice, particularly good for white rice but works with brown too)

Put the rice in first (you don't need to measure it), make sure it's even.
Then add the water.
You know when you have enough water when you insert your middle finger and the water is almost to your first line (on your finger, sorry I don't know the exact name for it?). For the filipinos it was at the first notch but since we tend to be bigger people I measure just below.
Let it come to a boil with the lid on then slightly remove the lid and boil off some of the liquid. When it's reduced by about 1/2 turn down the heat to low and put the lid back on and let it cook until you can take a wooden spoon and tap down the top without it sticking.

And hey if you slightly burned the bottom they even have a name for that and consider it good to eat! Not everyone's a perfect rice maker, even people who make it 3 times a day .

[rainsmom]

I use brown basmati and it comes out perfect everytime. I follow AmyBs directions.

For a really great taste, replace one cup or all of the water with vegetable broth, (the good organic kind in a box). WOW, so good!

[HeatherSanders]

Microwave

Large bowl
Plate big enough to cover large bowl
(1) cup rice
(2) cups water
Put plate on top of bowl and put in microwave.
Microwave on high 5 minutes.
Microwave at 50% for 15 minutes.
Perfect rice.