Yet Another Cycling Forum
Off Topic => The Pub => Food & Drink => Topic started by: Polar Bear on 24 February, 2023, 07:58:58 pm
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I can follow the instructions on the packaging or from the millions of "recipes" for simple boiled basmati rice but it never ever ever turns out right. Too soggy, undercooked or both. How the f*ck do I manage it?
Rice, pan with transparent lid, water, heat source and instructions. Never works.
Help. 🙁
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Rice cooker.
Never fails.
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This.
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Rinse the rice at least 3 times in a saucepan. Drain. Add cold water 1cm above the level of the rice. Put pan on cooker on lowest possible heat for c.30 minutes with lid on tight. Simples.
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Use a cup of appropriate size to measure out 1 cup rice to 2 cups water. Add salt. Bring to boil. Stir once. Put lid on. Turn heat to minimum. When no water showing on top of rice, turn off heat. Leave alone for 10-15 minutes.
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Put required number of cups of rice into rice cooker. Fill water to line with number that matches the cups of rice you put in. Close lid. Press button. Thats it. No need to tine it or watch it or check it.
Rice will beep when ready but is kept warm until you need it.
https://groceries.asda.com/product/cookers-grills-steamers/george-home-rice-cooker/1000364145646
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Take a small saucepan.
Add a container full of rice.
Using the same container, fill it with water and tip it into the saucepan (my preference is for a quarter-pint tankard passed down from my grandmother on my mother's side).
Repeat the last instruction.
Boil gently until the water has almost all gone.
Turn off heat. Stand for 10 minutes
Serve.
No need for any extraneous parafernalia
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Wash rice until water is clear. Drain. Level it out in the saucepan. Add water to about 1cm above rice. Stir it once. Put it on the hob. Wrap a tea towel around the lid of the pan, or even a suitably sized plate, to create a reasonably good seal. If using a plate, stick a weight on top e.g. a tin of toms or similar. Heat. When it starts boiling and steam starts to emerge, switch off the heat. Leave it alone for at least 10 mins.
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Hmmm. Basmati. Measure quantity. Pour into ample boiling water. Boil for 6-8 minutes. Drain. Works every time.
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Draining rice? What kind of madness are we practising here?
Rice in pan, water to about first knuckle of finger number 1 (with the finger touching the bottom of the pan). Salt generously. Bring to boil with lid on, take the lid off, cook for the requisite amount of time (choose the minimum)*, put lid back and leave to stand for a few minutes. Better to underestimate, if it's starting to dry out, add a splash from the kettle.
*you can turn the heat off here, leave the lid on and let it all stand for about 10 minutes longer than the specified cooking time.
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Salt generously
Pasta.
Pour into ample boiling water. Boil for 6-8 minutes. Drain. Works every time.
Pasta.
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Walk to Chinese take away. (Next to the pub), order n portions of #32.
Pop into pub for a pint.
Leave pub. Collect rice.
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Thanks Basil. For some stupid reason I've never considered this. 👍
As for the rest of you: you are just confirming my incompetence. 🙁
🤣🤣🤣
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Aldi. Microwave rice. Remove plastic film, MW for two mins et voila.
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For Basmati rice.
Rinse well in cold water in a rice strainer
Boil some water in a kettle
Add 10ml olive oil to pan.
Add the rice to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon to coat the rice with the oil (stops it sticking too much).
Add the just boiled water to the rice.
Measurements are important - its 2.2 times the weight of water to the weight of rice - i.e 180g rice = 400ml water.
Cook on a low heat until the rice has absorbed the water.
Important that you use basmati rice and not some horror like quick cook or easy cook rice, which has been adulterated to (allegedly) make it easier to cook.
Arborio / risotto / paella rice are beautiful but that's a whole different ball game.
Rice cookers are great, especially when you are feeding 100s of cyclists in a short space of time (e.g. LEL)
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Aldi. Microwave rice. Remove plastic film, MW for two mins et voila.
We are a rice cooker and microwave free zone.
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Well Mike suggest getting a MW they are invaluable for lots of things and do not have to be expensive or particularly large. With Electrickery at 52p Kw/h its a no brainer really.
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Rice cookers are great, especially when you are feeding 100s of cyclists in a short space of time (e.g. LEL)
I've done large number cooking of rice (admittedly not 100s) in the past using big catering trays in an oven. Same technique, water plus rice, heat and time. Plus a close fitting lid.
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I get Mrs Jaded to do it whilst I do something else.
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Draining rice? What kind of madness are we practising here?
Traditional BRITISH cooking, as my mum taught me. It's clearly heretical, but it does appear to work.
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Aldi 20€ rice cooker plus MrsT.
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Cook summat nice to go with basmati rice and invite me round to demonstrate my foolproof technique. Sorted.
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The Green Roasting Tin book has a great method:
Microwave it in cold water for 13 mins with the lid ajar. Stir in salt, oil and/or herbs. Put the lid fully on and stand for another 10 mins.
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In answer to your question, no idea.
What we do...
x grams basmati rice in a saucepan rinse a couple of times 2x grams water and a pinch of salt.
Put lid on
Bring to boil
Stir
Put lid back on
Remove from heat
Wait 25 minutes
Stir
Serve
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The only real mistake you can make with rice is boiling it for too long that it becomes mush.
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Don't bother. Rice is filthy foreign muck and you should be eating barley.
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Barley is needed for BEER. Stick to gruts and you'll be fine.
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OK, so here is the test today.
Water:rice ratio 2.5:1
Pinch of salt in water and bring to boil.
Add rice which ahs been well rinsed.
Simmer rice until the water has visibly disappeared which took 12 minutes.
Leave off heat but in pan for 15 minutes.
Result pending ...
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Rice was excellent. What I have learned is that I need to pay more attention to what I am doing.
Thanks folks. 👍
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And they say that you can't teach an old
dog bear new tricks :D
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Does anybody pre-soak their rice? I've tried a couple of times, speeds up the cooking a bit.
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Yes. Rinse, soak, rinse again, cook. But only if I've been organized.
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Our daughter in law doesn't get how anyone can screw rice up. Mind you that might have something to do with her being from Hong Kong. Also when her and Pcolbeck junior moved in together one of the first things she bought was a rice cooker.
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Just bring plenty of water to the boil, bung in your rice & stir. Add salt if desired (I don't). Fill kettle & boil. Cook rice for as long as the packet says on a not too vigorous boil adding more water from a kettle if it starts to run out. Test, cook another minute, test, repeat until correct. Bung into a colander & run under a cold tap, this stops it cooking any further and rinses it. You can do this part any quiet time before or during the cooking of the main course.
When ready to serve top up kettle & re-boil then pour over over the rice to reheat.
No faffing about with relative volumes. No having to time it right. Just perfect fluffy basmati every time.
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The entire population of Asia recoils in shock and bewilderment.
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;D My Indian step father taught me that method. I confess ICBA with the type of cooking pot he used for both cooking and rinsing. I'd always scald my hands and (not or) loose half a portion down the sink.
(https://img.bidorbuy.co.za/image/upload/user_images/703/1800703_120215134906_RES06080.JPG)
I have a rice cooker but find this less faff. I just don't dig stodgy basmati (or long grain). Stodgy is correct for paella or risotto rice.
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I think there's 2 basic methods; boil and drain, absorption.
The difference is that you end up with separate grains with boil and drain, whereas with absorption you get rice that clumps together.
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I have a rice cooker but find this less faff.
With a rice cooker, you add rice, add water, swish it around for 2 seconds, pour off the water, add water, press a button, that's it (takes about 30 seconds).
If doing it manually in a pan, watch for when all the water is absorbed when no more steam is coming out of the pan.
No relative volumes, no instructions, no measuring, no timing, no kettle, no testing, no draining, no colander, no reheating.
;D
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You missed out a few steps:
Get the rice cook....- Clear all the tqt in front of the rice cooker out of the way
- Get the rice cooker out of the cupboard.
- Return tqt to cupboard
- Clear space on worktop sufficiently close to a socket
- Search kitchen for the book of notes containing the water ratio for various rice types.
- Guess water ratio
- <steps as noted>
- Clean rice cooker by hand (vs bunging pan & colander in wishdosher)
- Remove tqt from cupboard.
- Store rice cooker
- Return tqt to cupboard
- Bung cable you forgot to put in the bowl on top of tqt because you can't be arsed to take it all out again and the lid won't lift in the cupboard.
- <until next use>
- Open cupboard
- Pick up tqt from floor and return to cupboard minus item of tqt required today.
- Balance cable on top of tqt again
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Bonus points if your kitchen only has one socket[1], because landlords. Half of which is permanently occupied by the kettle, because tea.
[1] Not counting the ones behind the fridge and washing machine.
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You missed out a few steps:
Get the rice cook....- Clear all the tqt in front of the rice cooker out of the way
- Get the rice cooker out of the cupboard.
- Return tqt to cupboard
- Clear space on worktop sufficiently close to a socket
- Search kitchen for the book of notes containing the water ratio for various rice types.
- Guess water ratio
- <steps as noted>
- Clean rice cooker by hand (vs bunging pan & colander in wishdosher)
- Remove tqt from cupboard.
- Store rice cooker
- Return tqt to cupboard
- Bung cable you forgot to put in the bowl on top of tqt because you can't be arsed to take it all out again and the lid won't lift in the cupboard.
- <until next use>
- Open cupboard
- Pick up tqt from floor and return to cupboard minus item of tqt required today.
- Balance cable on top of tqt again
• Have the phone number of the nearest Chinese/Indian takeaway to hand.
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You missed out a few steps:
Get the rice cook....- Clear all the tqt in front of the rice cooker out of the way
- Get the rice cooker out of the cupboard.
- Return tqt to cupboard
- Clear space on worktop sufficiently close to a socket
- Search kitchen for the book of notes containing the water ratio for various rice types.
- Guess water ratio
- <steps as noted>
- Clean rice cooker by hand (vs bunging pan & colander in wishdosher)
- Remove tqt from cupboard.
- Store rice cooker
- Return tqt to cupboard
- Bung cable you forgot to put in the bowl on top of tqt because you can't be arsed to take it all out again and the lid won't lift in the cupboard.
- <until next use>
- Open cupboard
- Pick up tqt from floor and return to cupboard minus item of tqt required today.
- Balance cable on top of tqt again
Luckily, I don't need to do any of that.
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I used to have a bread maker, which sat permanently on the kitchen worktop despite not being used every day. I reckon if I had a rice cooker, it would do the same.
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Obviously what's needed is a combination breadmaker / rice cooker.
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I used to have a bread maker, which sat permanently on the kitchen worktop despite not being used every day. I reckon if I had a rice cooker, it would do the same.
I use mine every time I eat rice, which varies from 1-4 times a week
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Obviously what's needed is a combination breadmaker / rice cooker/coffee machine
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Flat-top wholemeal with rice milk, please, barista.
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Last night, I cooked rice in the Instant Pot, using the auto rice setting. I've done this before and have had good results when using brown rice. But last night I used white rice and it came out as a mushy overcooked lump of stodge. My wife says it's because I used too much water, but I'm sceptical. I think I should have reduced the cooking time by about half.
In future, I shall stick to my usual hob method. I can't see any real benefit to using the Instant Pot - it's no quicker. In fact, when you factor in how long it takes to get up to pressure, it's actually slower than doing it on the (induction) hob. I haven't measured the relative energy consumption but I doubt there's a significant saving in using the Instant Pot.
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Our daughter in law doesn't get how anyone can screw rice up. Mind you that might have something to do with her being from Hong Kong. Also when her and Pcolbeck junior moved in together one of the first things she bought was a rice cooker.
When Miss W was a PSO we bought her a fairly expensive Zojirushi rice cooker. It's an essential piece of kitchen apparatus as far as we're concerned.
Apart from the exact water quantity slow simmer method, I think my best results have been to boil until nearly cooked, rinse, and then steam to finish off.
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Aaarrggh! How dare you boil and drain it?! Heresy! Cultural vandalism! Etc.
However. Here on planet Earth, if you want something that cooks in water but isn't served in water, then page 1, line 1 is "cook it in water then remove it from water". If you want something starchy to not be stuck together with starch, then it's pretty elementary to rinse the starch off it. And - here's the kicker - doing that does work.
If you develop a snazzy little bit of technique that rinses it first then evaporates the right amount of water at the right rate, then great, but it isn't necessarily...well, necessary.
However. A pilau-ish technique is pretty good too, and the oil helps reduce the clumping even more. Rinse your rice - I steep for a while then sluice through - when the water's not too cloudy, you're fine. Fry it in a little oil, until start to go slightly translucent and maybe colouring ever so slightly. Then add boiling water at a ratio of 1 pint/half a pound of rice (doesn't have to be tupenny). So weigh your rice before starting. Obviously.
Up to a boil, down to a simmer. Lid on. About 15 minutes. Check after 10-ish. Leaving it to sit for a wee bit after cooking can result in crunchy little browned bits, if that's your thing - some people love it. You can season and add various spices during the frying stage, add cardamom pods and bayleaves and whatnot to the boiling water while you fry the grains, bung extra bits in while you fry...go full on curry-house and streak the top of the finished rice with dilute food colouring then stir it all through.
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Enter time-machine.
go back 24 hours
Return to kitchen
put rice in saucepan with exactly 15mm of water
Enter time machine
return to present
Enter kitchen, simmer rice until steaming, serve hot without draining
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Recently I've been making risotto using this recipe https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/apr/26/no-stir-risotto-recipe-felicity-cloake-masterclass but finding it a bit mushy at the end because I have to stir it to keep it from sticking.
So tonight I made a bastardised version of that and the advice in this thread which I record here for posterity:
1 softened shallot in butter
200g carnaroli rice (not rinsed), heated on the shallot
A splash of vermouth. When that's gone:
400ml of stock (mine was made with 2 TSP of veg bouillon
Stir once. When boiling I turned it off (it's in a cast iron pan)
Once most of the liquid was absorbed I added another 100ml of stock and turned the hob on again briefly while I cooked my fish.
Butter and parmesan stirred in at the end.
Much better.
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Obviously what's needed is a combination breadmaker / rice cooker.
Pretty sure my rice cooker has a bread option.
It definitely has a cake option.
Not that I've used it for anything except rice.
Sam
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Cross-referencing other threads...
Can you make risotto in it?
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Cross-referencing other threads...
Can you make risotto in it?
It depends on whether you are working for BIG KITCHEN or making paella, I suppose.
Sam
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Making risotto in your own kitchen