Everyone knows how to make rice right? Not really. You will be surprised that you have been making rice the wrong way your whole life. Rice is, without a doubt, the most delicious type of grass to grow in a swamp and is one of the quickest and easier meals to have.
While there are different types of rice, ranging from the familiar, highly processed white rice to whole-grain brown, to the more uncommon black wild rices grown in Asia, they have different modes of cooking.
With an increase in convenience culture and lesser free time for people to try out recipes and cooking techniques, we make more and more cooking mistakes. Here are some mistakes to avoid when cooking everyone’s favourite meal.
Choosing The Wrong Cooking Tools
The fact is the tools and techniques you decide to use mostly depend on what you’re cooking, but the most important thing when it comes to cooking rice is your choice of pot.
Pots that have thick bottoms are much better as they retain and distribute heat evenly. Thick bottoms are important if you choose to boil it through the absorption method, where the formation of steam pockets play a key role in cooking.
Failing To Wash Your Rice
It is important you wash your rice because industrial byproducts of the milling process such as talc remain on the finished product. Pre-washing helps remove excess starch and any undesirable leftovers. A lot of rice produced domestically are however free from talc.
Flavored and enriched rice however need pre-washing, but ensure you wash all with a rinse or two of cold water to help yield fluffier and more distinct grains. A good way to know you’ve washed it well if pour th rice through a mesh strainer. When the water draining from the grains is clear, you’re good to go. This however doesn’t apply to risotto or sushi rice, where you crave the starchy goodness.
Improper Heating
The surface of electric burners tends to hold a great amount of heat, and this tends to increase the length of time a pot remains boiling after the burner temperature is reduced. To avoid this, it is best to heat another burner to a low simmer as the pot begins to boil on the first.
You however don’t need to worry about this if you have a propane burner, as it has a whip-fast response time.
Failing To Pre-soak Aromatic Rices
Aromatic rices such as basmati and almond rice, should be pre-soaked in order to preserve the oils responsible for their signature aromas. Cooking straight destroys these oils. To minimise cooking time, pre-soak the grains in more water than you’ll cook them in. This helps to speed up cooking time by an average of 20 percent.
Opening The Lid While It Cooks
If you’re boiling, it is best to leave the lid of the pot closed. Lifting the lid increases the cooking time as it releases pressure and steam. It also seriously messes up with the finished product.
When you open the lid, the carefully calculated rice-water ratio is lost, and this will result in dry and under-cooked rice. Only open it to add seasoning or check the amount of water left, asides that, leave it to cook.
Cooking Too Hot
Cooking very fast tends to cause the grains to burst open like a butterflied steak, which not only releases starch, but also ruins the texture of your meal. No matter what you intend to cook, it is best to avoid ruptures grains.
Automatic rice boilers are good tools in avoiding this as they are designed to only just reach boiling temperature and never go bet information that.
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