[Nursingnaturalmom]

I have some questions about Rice. Now, I know that Brown Rice is better for you. But could someone Please tell me about all the different kinds of White Rice.

For example:
There are the Uncle Bens instant rice
Minute Rice (which I am sure is processed to the gills)
Basamati (spelling?) Rice
Jasmine Rice (this is what we use with brown rice)

What is the difference with these Rices and their nutrition?

I tried to look but couldn't find anything

Thanks
Chandi

 

[1jooj]

I cannot tell you much, but here's a start. Minute Rice (the only kind I ever ate growing up) is precooked--yeah, processed as can be. UB's, I dunno.

Basmati is a long-grain rice. It is aged a certain way to give it a distinctive flavor. Preferred, I think, in most Indo-Pak cooking. Really good with curries and dal.

Jasmine is perfumed, also for a special flavor. Used a lot in Thai cooking?

From what I've read on labels, unless white rice is "enriched" (i.e. had the B-vitamins added back in), it's all pretty much just starch.

For this reason--added B-vites and of course fiber--I have switched to brown everything, except for when we have guests. Then it's usually basmati. It cooks fast and tastes good with the simplest dishes.

 

[Piglet68]

Minute Maid, Uncle Ben's, and all other "instant" rices are processed. I consider myself somewhat of a rice snob, and I wouldn't eat that stuff unless it was the last food in my pantry. Real rice is cheap and easy to cook and tastes sooooo much better, IMO.

"converted" rice, a la Uncle Ben's, is also sometimes called "parboiled" rice. You can tell this apart from "normal" rice because the grains don't stick together at all (makes eating with chopsticks a real b*tch). this is used alot in restaurants b/c it cooks faster than regular rice.

white rice has had the outer shell stripped from it, so in way it is also processed, but just not to the extent of the boxed stuff. there are many, many varieites of rice, you'd be amazed. Health stores often carry blends of different rices. brown, mahogany, black, wild, etc....they are very tasty and a nice change from the ordinary.