Rice is an inexpensive, commonly-found and delicious source of carbs. (And you can keep your Atkins because I freaking love carbs. Deal with it.) It does come in several varieties, however, making it a bit more daunting than your average box of pasta.
Hopefully, this post will demystify it a bit and you’ll be cooking delicious rice in no time.
So, with rice there are two major characteristics to learn about: color and grain-size.
Uncooked brown rice.
With regards to color, you’ve got your brown rice and you’ve got your white rice. Brown rice is rice that has not had the outer hull removed. It’s the rice equivalent of whole wheat. Because this outer hull is still present, it is higher in fiber (making it a more complex carbohydrate) and also takes longer to cook. It’s got a bit more of a nutty, earthy taste and a firmer texture even when fully-cooked. Average cooking time for brown rice is about 40 minutes, so don’t embark on that unless you’ve got some time.
White rice is rice that has had its outer hull removed, leaving it lower in fiber, while also allowing it to cook faster (about 20 minutes). White rice has a softer texture and less assertive flavor. It is also delicious.
The lovechild of white and brown rice is something called Converted Rice (if you’re in the US and perhaps other locales, the most famous brand of converted rice is Uncle Ben’s). Converted rice goes through a special process that takes brown rice and then does a bunch of stuff to it to produce a rice that looks kind of beige and behaves a bit like white rice, but has some of the nutrients of brown rice left over. It has a distinctive taste and texture and one that I, frankly, am not real fond of.
Instant rice (Minute Rice, etc…) is white rice that has been cooked and then dehydrated. When you cook it, really all you’re doing is rehydrating it.
So, to recap: Brown rice is a whole grain and takes a long time to cook, white rice is a simple carb and takes a short time to cook, converted rice is a special white/brown hybrid, and instant rice is like astronaut ice cream. But rice.
Now, on to grain size.
You may have seen packages of rice that say things like “long grain” or “short grain” and wondered what that means, aside from the obvious (the length of each grain of rice).
The general rule to remember is that the shorter the grain, the more starch. I am sure there are exceptions, but all of the types of rice that you’ll commonly find at the grocery store adhere to this principle.
Why does starch content matter? Because starch is what makes rice sticky. If you’ve ever eaten sushi and wondered how all the rice sticks together, it’s because sushi rice is a very short-grained variety and all that starch makes each individual grain extremely sticky. Longer grained rice is fluffier when cooked, with each grain standing apart from its neighbors.
From left to right, that's short, long, and medium-grained rice (uncooked).
If you like your rice to be sticky and glutinous, go for a short-grained variety (these are usually Chinese and Japanese varieties or the Italian risotto rice Arborio). If you like light, fluffy rice where all the grains are separate, get a long-grained variety such as Basmati or Jasmine. Or, for the best of both worlds, try a medium-grained variety like Calrose. Even generic “BAG O’ RICE” rice will be labeled with grain-size, so you can just go by that.
When it comes to cooking rice, it’s all about the rice-to-water ratio. I’ve always had good luck sticking to a 1 part rice : 2 parts water ratio, though I know other people have other formulas. A Korean housemate of mine used a method whereby he’d put the rice in to the pot, then place his hand palm-down on the surface of the rice and fill the pot with water until the water just barely covered his knuckles. (I’ve also used this method and it does indeed work, if you’re feeling adventurous.)
This video shows me preparing a short-grained Japanese variety of rice. You’ll note that even when it’s done cooking, it’s still shiny and wet-appearing. That’s the starch (and as far as I’m concerned starch=delicious and more starch= more delicious). An optional step when cooking a starchy, short-grained rice is to rinse it under cold water to wash off some of the excess starch. This will make the finished product less sticky and glutinous.
My cooking method is to measure out my desired number of servings of rice (when I’m not making an instructional video, I usually use an espresso cup to equal 1 serving of dry rice), then twice that amount of water, bring it to a simmer, stir, then turn the heat down low low LOW—as low as it will go and still technically be “on”—and cover the pot with tinfoil and then a tight-fitting lid.
Rice likes to steam, not boil. It wants a warm, moist environment. For this reason, peek-a-boo cooking is not allowed with rice. Once you put that lid on, it stays on. No looking. Every time you open the lid, you release some of the steam that the rice needs to cook.
I keep the rice on the low burner for 15 or so minutes, then turn the burner off and let it sit, unmolested, for another 10-15 minutes. This allows the steaming process to finish completely.
Troubleshooting rice mistakes:
Too much peeking: this lets steam out, as I say, and inhibits the cooking of the rice. You may wind up with slightly crunchy, toothy rice. After the fact, there’s not that much that can be done about that. Live and learn.
Too little water: this creates a situation where all the water has been absorbed by the rice, but the rice isn’t done yet. Add more water, but be prepared for mushy rice at the end of it all.
Stuck to the bottom of the pot: As long as its not burned, but rather just a bit stuck, take it off the heat, add a small amount of water and put the lid back on for 5 additional minutes, allowing the water to penetrate to the bottom of the pot and steam the stuck rice off a bit.
Too much water: this will lead to mushy rice. However, too much water also leads to the Chinese rice porridge known as congee if you do it on purpose.
Pot boils over: If you’ve already turned the heat down and the water is taking an extra minute or two to stop boiling so hard, it might boil over when you put the lid on. Just leave it be. It will stop boiling soon enough and if you go taking the lid off, you may wind up with Rice Problem #1 due to releasing too much steam. Just clean your stove top up later. If this is a persistent problem that doesn’t go away, turn your burner down, it is on too high still.
