# Why is my rice always mushy?



## scrambledeggs (Mar 30, 2007)

I am making "Texmati" texas grown longgrain basmati rice. I follow the instructions but whatever I do, the rice is edible but sort of "mushy" with the grains somewhat oily and clumped together.

Am I doing something wrong? Is the mushiness because I peeked under the lid during the cooking process? Or I didn't keep the water at a high enough temperature? Or I used too much water?


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## Mel! (Mar 30, 2007)

Hello Scrambledeggs 

U could try this. 
Cook the rice, with plenty of water, until the water turns cloudy. 
Pour off the water. Add new water, and pour this off. Do this, until water is clear. 
Then leave just enough water to finish cooking the rice. 
This washing the rice, takes out a lot of that starchy stuff, that makes the rice stick together.

Mel


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## VeraBlue (Mar 30, 2007)

My best guesses would be too much water or too low a temperature.


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## urmaniac13 (Mar 30, 2007)

I am not familiar with "texmati", but if it is similar to basmati all around, it should take less time to cook than other types of rice, about 12minutes max.  Boil them in plenty of water as you do with pasta, instead of just enough water and steam.  When it comes to 10-11minutes, test the texture by scooping up a morsel or two with your slotted spoon.  From there cook to your desired consistency, and drain.  Once you get the cooking time down, a rice cooking ball comes in very handy.

Rice cooking ball vvv


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## Half Baked (Mar 30, 2007)

I've never seen a rice cooking ball.  That's interesting, Ur!


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## boufa06 (Mar 30, 2007)

I agree with Vera that your problem could be too much water.  Normally the proportion is 1 cup basmati rice to 1-3/4 cups water (1-1/2 cups for firmer rice).  To cook rice, first wash it until the water is clear, drain well.  Add water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover tightly, and simmer until all water has been absorbed. Let stand, covered, for a few minutes before serving.


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## urmaniac13 (Mar 30, 2007)

Half Baked said:
			
		

> I've never seen a rice cooking ball. That's interesting, Ur!


 
Here is a bit more info on the rice cooking ball... scroll it down to near bottom and you will see it.  Though price is very exaggerated... we bought it for merely 10€!!


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## sarah (Mar 30, 2007)

i'll tell u two techniques to prevent rice from being sticky and clumped.

1--   if u r cooking one cup of rice,put 2 cups of water on heat.when it starts boiling add well washed rice,without the water that u soaked it in.and add juice of half a lemon.let it cook without too much stirring.when the water is reduced to just about half a cup in total,turn the flame to a very low one and cover and let the rice cook in steam.they should be ready in about 10 minutes after that.And remember,ALWAYS fluff rice when u open the lid.

2--   like pasta,fill the pan with plenty of water,when it comes to boil,put the rice in.let cook on high flame.they should be fully cooked in about 8 to 10 minutes,or u can check.If the grains r swollen and big in size and they can be crushed easily between fingers,they r ready.quickly strain the rice in a strainer and throw away the water that has starch in it now from rice.then put the rice back in the pan and cook for 5 minutes on a very low flame so the little remaining water evaporates.After 5 minutes,turn off the heat,open the lid and fluff the rice.


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## VegasDramaQueen (Mar 30, 2007)

urmaniac13 said:
			
		

> Here is a bit more info on the rice cooking ball... scroll it down to near bottom and you will see it. Though price is very exaggerated... we bought it for merely 10€!!


 
*Okay URMANIAC13, how much does 10 Euro dollars translate into American dollars? And where did you get that Euro Dollar sign? Cooool.*


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## Andy M. (Mar 30, 2007)

If the rice is mushy, it's because it's been cooked too long.  

If you're cooking until the water is gone, try using less water.  Also try higher heat.


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## Hopz (Mar 30, 2007)

No peeky either.


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## scrambledeggs (Mar 30, 2007)

Ill try these things. I wasn't washing the rice. It's long grain rice, so it takes 45 minutes to cook. The instructions say 2 1/4 cup water for each cup of rice.

It's this brand they have it all over the place:
Amazon.com: RiceSelect Long Grain Texmati Brown Rice, 36-Ounce Jars (Pack of 4): Grocery


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## urmaniac13 (Mar 30, 2007)

Drama Queen said:
			
		

> *Okay URMANIAC13, how much does 10 Euro dollars translate into American dollars? And where did you get that Euro Dollar sign? Cooool.*


 
Right now 10€ should be about 13 USD. 
We have the "€" sign on the E key, you can get that by pressing "Alt Gr" key at the same time. But set up of a keyboard can vary depending on where you are in the world. We do also have "£" signs and "$" signs though, so it is probably somewhere on your keyboard too, if it is not in the same location as ours...!


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## kitchenelf (Mar 30, 2007)

My suggestion is - once you bring the water to a boil and reduce it, cover your pot - make sure your water is at a simmer (bubbly but not a rolling boil).  If it's not bubbling a bit then you are not evaporating the water quickly enough and this is getting your rice mushy.  If at the end of the cooking process you take a few grains off the top and they are done but you still hear water boiling in there - remove the lid and turn the heat up a BIT.  Stand there and when you don't hear the water boiling anymore then it has evaporated.  I actually put my hear down to the pot and listen.  With the lid off you are just letting the steam escape versus steaming your rice more, making it even more mushy.  I truly think you just aren't bringing it to a high enough simmer.  

Also, Texmati is a brown rice, which has to be cooked longer than even a long-grain white rice.  The only time I would peak is after you put the lid on and the heat has been reduced.  Wait a couple minutes to make sure your water is at a simmer (you want to see it bubbling).


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## urmaniac13 (Mar 30, 2007)

Ah, I didn't know texmati was brown.. then it can take considerably longer than white rice to cook.  My whole grain rice takes over an hour to be cooked, but by soaking it in water with a pinch of baking soda shorten the procedure well.
In order to test the cooking time, I suggest the second option Sarah gave to cook the rice, this way it is much easier to check the consistency.  If you are steaming, you shouldn't raise the cover too often, or not at all if possible to cook it properly.


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## kitchenelf (Mar 30, 2007)

urm - I am of the opinion, just like you - DO NOT OPEN THAT LID!  LOL

I think, however, that the OP isn't doing an actual simmer thus her water is not cooking off.  Anymore than that one peek to see if it's simmering and the rice police will get her!


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## StirBlue (Mar 30, 2007)

kitchenelf said:
			
		

> urm - I am of the opinion, just like you - DO NOT OPEN THAT LID! LOL
> 
> I think, however, that the OP isn't doing an actual simmer thus her water is not cooking off. Anymore than that one peek to see if it's simmering and the rice police will get her!


 
I too am a little impatient with the cooking of rice.  Sometimes I have the heat too low because I have too much going on with the other ingredients and I don't want the mess of it overflowing when it boils up.  I always think that I can turn the heat up when I am ready for it to be done but that does not work and the rice is mushy and sticky.  I just need to cook the rice and then start the preparations for the other stuff.  I also had the habit of making too much rice.  I would start with the right pot size and then add an extra serving of water & rice.  There was not enough room in the pot and I got grainy, mushy, straight up mess.  I got a rice cooker a couple of months ago.  After checking it out and showing it off, the cooker went into the cabinet and the instructions are somewhere else....will I ever connect the two?  I know that the manual had some do's & don'ts that I want to see before I use it.  As for peeking under the lid, it would be a good idea to get some pots & skillets that have glass lids.  You could probably buy one for cooking rice without having to purchase a whole set.


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## Aria (Mar 31, 2007)

I use short grain brown rice
one cup of rice in pan
add 2 cups liquid ...I use chicken broth

heat medium and bring to a boil

after it comes to a boil lower heat
to low or simmer and let it cook until liquid is absorbed.

listen to hear the boil.  DO NOT REMOVE LID....at least 30 to 45 minutes

you can take a look after 30 minutes...don't want it to burn

If you want  rice to cook quicker...soak your rice overnight.  Drain the water
place in a pan and then add your liquid    1 cup rice    2 cups liquid


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## amber (Mar 31, 2007)

I cant offer any clever suggestions since rice has always been problematic for me as well.  I switched to boil-in-a-bag rice and it comes out perfect everytime.  I dont have the patience for long cooking rice.


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