COOKING TIPS AND HINTS SECTION

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See also: Rice: Rinse or Soak?;   Rice Trivia & Facts;
Rice Nutrition; also Articles, Rice Types & Forms;
You Want Rice With That?;   Wild Rice;   Rice Recipes

RICE

Storing Rice - Milled Rice (white, parboiled ('converted') or precooked): Once opened, the rice should be stored in a tightly closed container to keep out moisture, dust, etc.  With proper storage this type of rice will keep almost indefinitely.

Whole Grain Rice (brown, red or black): Because of the oil in the bran layer of whole grain rice it has a shelf life of about 6 months. Refrigerate or freeze to extend shelf life.
: If not eaten immediately cooked rice should be cooled quickly. Store in a tightly covered, shallow container and refrigerate for up to 5 days or frozen up to 6 months.

Add a tablespoon of oil to the water when cooking rice so the grains stay separate and don't stick together.

To keep rice (especially brown rice) fresh longer, store it in the refrigerator. Brown rice should be stored at 55 degrees F. or lower.

Never stir rice while it cooks because it will crush the rice grains, releasing starch, and make the rice gummy.

Most foods take 3-4 hours to digest, white rice has such a low fiber content it only takes 1 hour to digest.

Microwavable rice costs almost $6.00 per pound. Bulk rice costs less than $0.50 per pound.

• 1 cup dry rice = approx. 7 oz. (wt.)
• 1 lb. dry rice = approx. 2 1/4 c. (vol.)
• 1 cup cooked rice = approx. 8 oz. (wt.)
• 1 lb. cooked rice = approx. 1 pt. (2 cups)
• 1 lb. dry rice yields about 6-7 cups cooked rice
 

How to Prepare Rice
American-grown rice is a clean product that does not need washing or rinsing before or after cooking. Most U.S. rice is enriched with iron, niacin, thiamin, and folic acid. Rinsing rice, or cooking rice in excess water and draining, results in loss of enrichment and other water-soluble vitamins and minerals.

For best results, always follow package directions. When directions are not available, use this easy chart:

Proportion & Yield

Rice	Parts liquid to 1 part rice (by volume)	Cooking time (minutes)
U.S. arborio	4½	20 - 30
U.S. basmati	1¾	20 - 25
U.S. jasmine	1¾	20 - 25
Brown, long grain	2¼	40 - 45
Parboiled	2	25 - 30
White, long grain	1¾	18 - 20
White, medium grain	1½	20 - 30
White, short grain	1½	20 - 30

Top of the Range:

Combine 1 cup rice, liquid (see chart), 1 teaspoon salt (optional), and 1 tablespoon. butter or margarine (optional) in 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling; stir once or twice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer. Cook according to time specified on chart. If rice is not quite tender or liquid is not absorbed, replace lid and cook 2 to 4 minutes longer. Fluff with fork.

Other Cooking Methods
In addition to cooking rice on top of the range, you can prepare it in a conventional oven, microwave oven, or rice cooker.

Conventional Oven:

Cooking rice in the oven is an efficient use of energy when other foods are baking. Boiling liquid must be used to start the cooking process.

Combine 1 cup rice, liquid (see chart), 1 teaspoon salt (optional), and 1 tablespoon butter or margarine (optional) in a baking dish or pan; stir. Cover tightly and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes (30 to 40 minutes for parboiled; 1 hour for whole grain rice). Fluff with fork.

Microwave Oven:

Rice cooks easily in the microwave oven and saves energy and clean-up time.

Combine 1 cup rice, liquid (see chart), 1 teaspoon salt (optional), and 1 tablespoon butter or margarine (optional) in 2- to 3-quart deep microwave baking dish. Cover and cook on HIGH 5 minutes or until boiling. Reduce setting to MEDIUM (50% power) and cook 15 minutes (20 minutes for parboiled rice and 30 minutes for whole-grain rice). Fluff with fork.

Rice Cookers:

Rice cookers are easy to use and keep rice warm until you are ready to eat. There are several reliable brands available, both automatic and non-automatic. Care should be taken to follow individual manufacturers’ directions

In general, all ingredients are combined using 1/4 to 1/2 cup less liquid than for the top-of-the-range method. Turn the rice cooker on. The rice cooker stops cooking automatically by sensing a rise in temperature that occurs when rice has absorbed all the liquid.