Author Topic: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?  (Read 3838 times)

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« on: 09 August, 2019, 08:08:08 pm »
We are cooking curry but because our kitchen is being refurbished and we are without a proper cooker, I am cooking the curry in a large cauldron on a single-"burner" induction hob and I have a basin in the microwave with basmati rice and water. I was wondering how long it was likely to take and how successful I am going to be.
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JennyB

  • Old enough to know better
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #1 on: 09 August, 2019, 08:25:00 pm »
Never tried boiling it in the microwave,  but my usual method is just to put it in twice the volume of cold water, bring it to the boil, then take it off the heat and let it stand. Ten minutes does basmati, twenty does brown.
Jennifer - Walker of hills

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #2 on: 09 August, 2019, 08:32:20 pm »
I've not done microwave rice and timings vary with the power of your machine and the size of its load.

Bring basin to boil with oven on FULL, watching like a hawk.

Switch to medium-low for 15 min.

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #3 on: 09 August, 2019, 08:33:32 pm »
Rip the packet top halfway across, then pop in microwave for however long it says for your MW power.
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #4 on: 09 August, 2019, 08:42:18 pm »
Basmati cooks quickly, 6 minutes in boiling water. Ham’s method sounds right.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #5 on: 09 August, 2019, 09:15:58 pm »
We are cooking curry but because our kitchen is being refurbished and we are without a proper cooker, I am cooking the curry in a large cauldron on a single-"burner" induction hob and I have a basin in the microwave with basmati rice and water. I was wondering how long it was likely to take and how successful I am going to be.
Being able to eat edible food whilst having a kitchen refurb is a considerable success in itself. BTDT.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

fuaran

  • rothair gasta
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #6 on: 09 August, 2019, 09:19:48 pm »
Good excuse to buy a rice cooker.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #7 on: 09 August, 2019, 09:24:28 pm »
At atmospheric pressure water boils at 100C, regardless of how it's being heated.  Cooking rice in a microwave is close enough to a pan on the hob as makes no difference, though it may take slightly longer to come to a boil.  IME main problem with this approach is that it ties up the microwave.


(When I was a PSO, I had a flatmate who lived on microwaved rice and sweetcorn.  Approximately once a week he'd burn a fish-finger or two under the grill to go with it.  I've not been able to abide the smell of sweetcorn since.)

Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #8 on: 09 August, 2019, 09:32:51 pm »
TBH nowadays for convenience we use Basmati microwavable rice fairly often and at 2 mins a portion it is very convenient and a  lot less faff. Catering for a group of peeps silmultaneously is a lot more problematic of course.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #9 on: 09 August, 2019, 09:35:36 pm »
PSO?
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #10 on: 09 August, 2019, 09:37:22 pm »
TBH nowadays for convenience we use Basmati microwavable rice fairly often and at 2 mins a portion it is very convenient and a  lot less faff.

I prefer rice cooked properly, but those are extremely convenient, and we tend to keep a few in the cupboard for emergencies and attacks of CBAness.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #11 on: 09 August, 2019, 09:37:40 pm »

Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #12 on: 09 August, 2019, 09:49:10 pm »
I would describe you as many things, but Oaf would not be one of them.  :-D
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #13 on: 09 August, 2019, 11:39:16 pm »
It worked surprisingly well, but as Kim said it took a long time to come to the boil. Had I boiled the water in the kettle first it would have been fine.

The curry was generally well received and the quantities were sufficiently industrial that there is plenty for the freezer.

In a week's time we will have our spanking new AEG cooker with induction loveliness.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #14 on: 09 August, 2019, 11:45:28 pm »
I always cook rice like this. It's usually Aldi's basmati. Put rice in covered pot with double quantity of water. Bung in microwave. Rice for 2 takes 15 min in our ancient micro.
There's no vibrations, but wait.

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #15 on: 10 August, 2019, 12:02:31 am »
My uncle does rice beautifully in a microwave. Another guy in my club is from Singapore and microwaves his too, his hot tip is to really really thoroughly wash the rice, as in 5-6 times.
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T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #16 on: 10 August, 2019, 08:22:21 am »
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #17 on: 10 August, 2019, 08:25:51 am »
Indeed it must be possible. I've never done it but once a teenage son of one of our friends came round and for whatever reason it came up we didn't have a microwave. His question was how do you cook rice? We now have a microwave but I've yet to cook rice in it.

Mrs Pingu

  • Who ate all the pies? Me
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Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #18 on: 10 August, 2019, 10:12:37 am »
I think I would done it the other way round and cooked the curry in the micro and the rice on the hob. Or cook the curry on hob and then keep warm in the micro while the rice cooks on the hob.
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

rr

Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #19 on: 10 August, 2019, 11:26:17 am »
Cooking rice is more about mass transfer (getting water into the grain) than heat transfer, heating it accelerates the process. Any method that gets basmati rice in contact with twice its volume of around boiling water for around 10 minutes will do.
I'm told that soaking it in cold water overnight will also work, but I am wary of this due to the ability of rice to grow some very nasty toxins.

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caerau

  • SR x 3 - PBP fail but 1090 km - hey - not too bad
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #20 on: 10 August, 2019, 12:07:44 pm »
Why not just chuck the rice in the curry?  Home made biriani, lovely.
It's a reverse Elvis thing.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #21 on: 10 August, 2019, 12:26:30 pm »
I think I'd have boiled it for a couple of minutes then left it to soak in the boiled water with the lid on for another 10 or so, freeing up the hob for the curry.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #22 on: 10 August, 2019, 01:16:41 pm »
I think I would done it the other way round and cooked the curry in the micro and the rice on the hob. Or cook the curry on hob and then keep warm in the micro while the rice cooks on the hob.

Yep, curry on the hob, then set aside for the 5 or 6 minutes the rice takes would have been my method.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Vernon

  • zzzZZZzzz
Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #23 on: 10 August, 2019, 10:58:01 pm »
I use the (hob) method given by Madhur Jaffrey: bring the rice to the boil in twice its weight of water (125g rice, 250g water for two) in a saucepan with a close fitting lid. When boiling, stir once, put the lid back on and take it off the heat. It will be ready to eat in 25 minutes, fluff with a fork before serving. You can probably do the same with the rice in a bowl in the microwave.

ian

Re: Has anyone tried boiling rice in a microwave?
« Reply #24 on: 12 August, 2019, 10:12:31 am »
I just add the rice to well-salted boiling water and let it boil for a minute and then take off the hob and let stand for the required amount of cooking time. Before serving, I rinse it through with boiling water from the kettle. Job done.