Cooking brown rice like pasta?

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taxlady

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I think I read about it here on DC. Someone said that it was quicker to cook brown rice in lots of water and then drain it when it's done. Does anyone have experience doing this?

I couldn't find anything here, so I did a 'net search. Most of the directions have you boil the rinsed rice in lots of water for 30-35 minutes and check to see if it's tender enough. Then, the majority tell you to drain the rice and put it back in the pot with the lid on and no heat under the pot for 10 minutes. Does it really take that long? I can cook brown basmati rice in less time than that without having to keep checking if it's done.

If you have tried this, please tell me about your experience doing it.
 
I do this. I use an organic brown basmati rice. I bring the water to a boil, then add the rice, then set the timer for 23 minutes, then drain.


This is important especially if you are using a rice that is grown in past cotton fields where arsenic was used on the cotton for pest control. This method reduces arsenic levels. Here is an article on it: https://nutritionfacts.org/2020/12/22/how-to-cook-rice-to-lower-arsenic-levels/
 
Sara Moulton mentions this method each time she cooks rice in an episode. I've tried it a couple of times, but I prefer the old method of the proper rice to water ratio. Some days my hands just don't want to have to pour boiling water out of a pot.
 
I'm not crazy about cooking rice in large amounts of water, and especially brown rice, for so long. Seems too much of a p.i.t.a., considering how simple it can be other ways. And in the summer, I don't want to be putting that much heat into my kitchen!

Sometimes, if you think about it in advance, you can soak it - of course, the longer, the less cooking time needed. I remember Ming on his show, saying how he mixed white and brown was to soak the brown for 30 minutes, then drain, and mix the two in the rice cooker, and they cook in the same time. So 30 min. does quite a bit.

I often cook it in the IP, on low pressure for 20 min, releasing pressure naturally, if I'm not cooking something else in it. I've seen instructions for cooking it 20-23 minutes on high, but it sort of "explodes" the grain - same with most other grains, other than barley.
 
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I do this. I use an organic brown basmati rice. I bring the water to a boil, then add the rice, then set the timer for 23 minutes, then drain.


This is important especially if you are using a rice that is grown in past cotton fields where arsenic was used on the cotton for pest control. This method reduces arsenic levels. Here is an article on it: https://nutritionfacts.org/2020/12/22/how-to-cook-rice-to-lower-arsenic-levels/

How does it turn out? Is it as good as cooked conventionally?

I'm not too worried about arsenic in my rice, because we eat almost exclusively brown basmati from India and Pakistan. We do that because we have found that the basmati flavour is very faint or missing from basmati rice from elsewhere.

But, it is definitely useful info for those times I want short grain brown rice, for something like rice pudding.
 
Sara Moulton mentions this method each time she cooks rice in an episode. I've tried it a couple of times, but I prefer the old method of the proper rice to water ratio. Some days my hands just don't want to have to pour boiling water out of a pot.

How do you like the way it turns out? With most of the methods described, it sounded like more effort with no or next to no time saving.
 
Taxlady, this is the only way I make it. I can't compare since I don't bother with the conventional method. I use it for Tom Yum rice, rice pudding, rice under a stir fry with or without a sauce, and if we have sick people, rice with soy milk (or oat milk) and cinnamon and honey if nothing else sounds good.
 
How does it turn out? Is it as good as cooked conventionally?

I'm not too worried about arsenic in my rice, because we eat almost exclusively brown basmati from India and Pakistan. We do that because we have found that the basmati flavour is very faint or missing from basmati rice from elsewhere.

But, it is definitely useful info for those times I want short grain brown rice, for something like rice pudding.
I also eat mostly the brown rice from India - don't remember the brand that I liked the best, but I know it when I see it! It's only the rice from this country that has the arsenic, it seems.

If you're looking for pudding rice, have you tried brown jasmine? That is really good. Also, the black sticky rice is a favorite of mine for rice pudding.
 
I'm not crazy about cooking rice in large amounts of water, and especially brown rice, for so long. Seems too much of a p.i.t.a., considering how simple it can be other ways. And in the summer, I don't want to be putting that much heat into my kitchen!

Sometimes, if you think about it in advance, you can soak it - of course, the longer, the less cooking time needed. I remember Ming on his show, saying how he mixed white and brown was to soak the brown for 30 minutes, then drain, and mix the two in the rice cooker, and they cook in the same time. So 30 min. does quite a bit.

I often cook it in the IP, on low pressure for 20 min, releasing pressure naturally, if I'm not cooking something else in it. I've seen instructions for cooking it 20-23 minutes on high, but it sort of "explodes" the grain - same with most other grains, other than barley.

It's mostly to have a method to cook the rice quickly, when I haven't thought about it in time. I don't have room in my kitchen for an Instant Pot or a rice cooker. I usually cook a large pot of rice and freeze the extra portions. That's a real time saver. Rice in single portions nukes to ready from frozen very quickly.

How would you compare the result of cooking rice in a lot of water to other methods?
 
In always make rice the same way; as if I were cooking pasta.
It will take 30 - 40 minutes , but I like the result.
I don´t believe there´s a "traditional" way to make it, because the way I do it was taught to me by a Sikh lady, 50 years ago.
Is there a notable difference in flavour? I couldn`t really say
 
How do you like the way it turns out? With most of the methods described, it sounded like more effort with no or next to no time saving.
I think the texture and flavor are pretty much the same. It takes about the same amount of cooking time, too, but longer to bring more water up to a boil before adding rice.

My issue is with pouring the water off rather than spilling it all over. There are days when a touch of arthritis in my thumb joint makes moving heavy things around a bit difficult - and rotating a pot of water is just asking for trouble. I don't mind a little mischief, but I avoid trouble when I can. ;)
 
How would you compare the result of cooking rice in a lot of water to other methods?

I have never cooked brown rice this way, but one thing I did try this with, to see if I could get a less sticky rice, was with white jasmine rice. I figured that maybe a lot of the starch would go into the water, and get washed off, but it didn't really work. However, some of the flavor went down the drain with the water, though it still had a lot of flavor (which is why I wouldn't worry about the flavor loss with brown). And was still sticky!
 

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