I read a while back an article on the top 10 kitchen blunders (don't ask me where, who, when or why I came across this...) and the one blunder that caught my eye was titled: Gooey Rice. How many of you, like myself, cannot cook rice to save their life!? Mine ALWAYS turns out sticky and gooey and totally unappetizing....I've tried less water, less cooking time, less heat, different rice brands...but no matter what, it is always the same gunky mess!
According to this article, the secret to getting the perfect fluffy rice is actually something quite contrary to what conventional rice cooking methods would lead you to believe....you have to add MORE water!?! That's right! The article went on to explain that the reason rice turns gooey and mushy in the typical 1:2 rice to water cooking ratio is because there is not enough room for the rice to move while it is cooking. As the rice cooks, the grains rub up against eachother in the crowded pot, which causes them to release more and more starch....starch = mush. The solution: boil your rice as if you are making pasta! This gives the rice enough room to 'dance' without rubbing shoulders with other rice grains in the pot!
I gave it a whirl this weekend and my rice turned out fabulous!! Fluffy, plump and the perfect tenderness! Here's what I did:
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil
Add one cup of rice
KEEP BOILING -- DON"T REDUCE HEAT!
Stir often to make sure rice doesn't stick to the bottom
Boil for about 12 min or until desired tenderness (you'll have to test...like pasta!)
DRAIN water completely from rice using a fine mesh colander....or, like i do, just hold a pot lid over the pot as you drain
Viola! The prefect rice! I can't tell you how elated I am to have found this -- no more goo! If you try this, let me know how yours turns out!
According to this article, the secret to getting the perfect fluffy rice is actually something quite contrary to what conventional rice cooking methods would lead you to believe....you have to add MORE water!?! That's right! The article went on to explain that the reason rice turns gooey and mushy in the typical 1:2 rice to water cooking ratio is because there is not enough room for the rice to move while it is cooking. As the rice cooks, the grains rub up against eachother in the crowded pot, which causes them to release more and more starch....starch = mush. The solution: boil your rice as if you are making pasta! This gives the rice enough room to 'dance' without rubbing shoulders with other rice grains in the pot!
I gave it a whirl this weekend and my rice turned out fabulous!! Fluffy, plump and the perfect tenderness! Here's what I did:
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil
Add one cup of rice
KEEP BOILING -- DON"T REDUCE HEAT!
Stir often to make sure rice doesn't stick to the bottom
Boil for about 12 min or until desired tenderness (you'll have to test...like pasta!)
DRAIN water completely from rice using a fine mesh colander....or, like i do, just hold a pot lid over the pot as you drain
Viola! The prefect rice! I can't tell you how elated I am to have found this -- no more goo! If you try this, let me know how yours turns out!
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