How do i cook rice?

[Silent1]

I've got an aga and plenty of pans all I want to do is cook some white rice for a curry later, my mum adds water and then boils until it's gone but I'm not convinced that's best.
So PH foodies I need help, what is the best way to do it?

[Pferdestarke]

half a cup of basmati rice per person. Wash it. Place in a pan with cold water 1 cm above the level of the rice. Place on the heat and seal the pan with cling film. Allow to boil for six mins, remove from the heat but for god's sake don't be tempted to peek and remove the cling film or you will RUIN your efforts and I will have wasted my time typing this out for you.

Leave it for at least ten minutes, remove cling film being careful not to steam your knuckles, fluff with a fork and serve.

[Shaw Tarse]

Pferdestarke said:

half a cup of basmati rice per person. Wash it. Place in a pan with cold water 1 cm above the level of the rice. Place on the heat and seal the pan with cling film. Allow to boil for six mins, remove from the heat but for god's sake don't be tempted to peek and remove the cling film or you will RUIN your efforts and I will have wasted my time typing this out for you.

Leave it for at least ten minutes, remove cling film being careful not to steam your knuckles, fluff with a fork and serve.

Not having an aga I haven't tried that method.
I'd wash, possibly soak the rice first in cold water to get rid of starch.

[Mobile Chicane]

Pferdestarke said:

half a cup of basmati rice per person. Wash it. Place in a pan with cold water 1 cm above the level of the rice. Place on the heat and seal the pan with cling film. Allow to boil for six mins, remove from the heat but for god's sake don't be tempted to peek and remove the cling film or you will RUIN your efforts and I will have wasted my time typing this out for you.

Leave it for at least ten minutes, remove cling film being careful not to steam your knuckles, fluff with a fork and serve.

Interesting. I shall try that.

I've historically used a similar approach, but twice the amount of water to rice, brought to the boil, stirred once and then tightly lidded on a low heat until the water is evaporated (which can take a while).

[miniman]

I do roughly 2x water to 1x rice, bring it up to the boil with a lid on, then simmer it with the lid partly on until the water is absorbed. Then the rice will stay hot in the pan for an hour or so with the lid on.

[Lost soul]

measure out the rice

put in a pan , what ever measure you use for the rice add 3 times water

bring to boil , let it boil for 4-5 minutes then turn off the heat and let it sit for a few mins

bingo

[grumbledoak]

Check the packet; not all rice is the same. Some varieties take a lot longer to cook than others.

That said, most 'exact' recipes take some practise, and you won't kill yourself if you use too much water and strain it when it is done. Just throw it back into the hot pan and let the steam come off, then fluff it up a bit. It's just rice, not a good steak...

Edited by grumbledoak on Friday 23 July 19:40

[siscar]

I really don't understand all this fussing about with rice.

Get big pan, fill with a lot of boiling water. Put rice in pan and boil for eleven minutes, drain and serve. It really is that easy, if you don't believe me just try it.

[Glassman]

siscar said:

I really don't understand all this fussing about with rice.

Get big pan, fill with a lot of boiling water. Put rice in pan and boil for eleven minutes, drain and serve. It really is that easy, if you don't believe me just try it.

Depends how you like your rice and what you're serving it with.

[Shaw Tarse]

Glassman said:

siscar said:

I really don't understand all this fussing about with rice.

Get big pan, fill with a lot of boiling water. Put rice in pan and boil for eleven minutes, drain and serve. It really is that easy, if you don't believe me just try it.

Depends how you like your rice and what you're serving it with.

This ^^ one may need to add flavourings, salt, stock, Garlick etc

[markreilly]

Get a Rice Cooker....quite a few Chinese can't be wrong !

[OnTheOverrun]

My way - half a cup of rice per person. Tip into a big bowl and add lots of cold water. Rub grains vigourously between fingers in water for a minute. Drain off water and repeat until water runs absolutely clesr. That's the hard bit done. Now tip the washed rice into a pan with a tight-fitting lid. Add a knob of butter and a good dose of salt. Bring to a rapid boil then stick the lid on and reduce heat to minimum. Leave 10 minutes and never lift the lid. Turn out heat and leave for another ten minutes then remove lid and fluff up grains with a fork.

[markreilly]

The Turkish way of cooking rice is devine,boiled with added butter...

[arfur daley]

Get somebody else to cook it, for example uncle Ben.

[Silver993tt]

Pferdestarke said:

half a cup of basmati rice per person. Wash it. Place in a pan with cold water 1 cm above the level of the rice. Place on the heat and seal the pan with cling film. Allow to boil for six mins, remove from the heat but for god's sake don't be tempted to peek and remove the cling film or you will RUIN your efforts and I will have wasted my time typing this out for you.

Leave it for at least ten minutes, remove cling film being careful not to steam your knuckles, fluff with a fork and serve.

You shouldn't be using any kind of cling-film when cooking. It's highly toxic when it comes into contact with the food that's being cooked (unless it's high fat which rice isn't). That also means the steam/watervapour that comes into contact with it and then drips back into the food item being cooked. Better to cover with a ceramic plate or brown paper:

"Do not use cling films where they may melt into the food, such as in conventional ovens or with pots and pans on cooker hobs"

http://www.food.gov.uk/foodlabelling/packagingbran...

[Simpo Two]

Silver993tt said:

"Do not use cling films where they may melt into the food, such as in conventional ovens or with pots and pans on cooker hobs"

Where water is boiling nothing can get hotter than 100 deg C, so you're fine. Roasting in an oven is another matter of course.

[grumbledoak]

That doesn't sound right. Cling-film is stable up to higher temperatures than your oven will reach, as far as I am aware.

ETA- quick google is inconclusive. Best so far is http://www.foodplast.com/index.asp?page=31

Edited by grumbledoak on Friday 23 July 20:14

[Silver993tt]

Simpo Two said:

Silver993tt said:

"Do not use cling films where they may melt into the food, such as ....... or with pots and pans on cooker hobs"

Where water is boiling nothing can get hotter than 100 deg C, so you're fine. Roasting in an oven is another matter of course.

[Silent1]

Pferdestarke said:

half a cup of basmati rice per person. Wash it. Place in a pan with cold water 1 cm above the level of the rice. Place on the heat and seal the pan with cling film. Allow to boil for six mins, remove from the heat but for god's sake don't be tempted to peek and remove the cling film or you will RUIN your efforts and I will have wasted my time typing this out for you.

Leave it for at least ten minutes, remove cling film being careful not to steam your knuckles, fluff with a fork and serve.

Err the clingfilm looks like it's going to burst

[Shaw Tarse]

Silent1 said:

Pferdestarke said:

half a cup of basmati rice per person. Wash it. Place in a pan with cold water 1 cm above the level of the rice. Place on the heat and seal the pan with cling film. Allow to boil for six mins, remove from the heat but for god's sake don't be tempted to peek and remove the cling film or you will RUIN your efforts and I will have wasted my time typing this out for you.

Leave it for at least ten minutes, remove cling film being careful not to steam your knuckles, fluff with a fork and serve.

Err the clingfilm looks like it's going to burst

Run away!
Run away quicker!