My boiling rice

[simpo two]

Seems I can never get the hang of rice. Turn the gas up a bit and it boils over, turn it down even a tad and it just sulks.

What's the secret? Can I get a special saucepan with anti-boil slots or something?

[gtr-gaz]

Get a rice cooker. I have one and it's dead easy.

Nigella swears by them!

[406]

Get a Rice Cooker

www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008WFD9/positiontechn-21/ref%3Dnosim/202-1016741-6216654

www.qvcuk.com/ukgasp/frameset.asp?nest=%2Fukgasp%2FIsItemNumberRedirect.asp&country=uk&txtDesc=rice+cooker

Lots of different ones on the web

HTH

Dave

406

>> Edited by 406 on Monday 22 August 20:44

[plivesey]

An automatic rice cooker/steamer is always useful. About £25 or so.

[Mrs Fish]

There you go

[Balmoral Green]

simpo two said:

Seems I can never get the hang of rice. Turn the gas up a bit and it boils over, turn it down even a tad and it just sulks.

Try the Japchat forum, they are probably very knowledgable about tempramental modified stuff.

[andy mac]

I'm gonna go against the grain (no pun intended), and suggest a rice boiler...

[speedychrissie]

this may seem like a bit of a wide of the mark idea but how about:

"getting yourslef a bit of cooking skill?!?!"

if you cant cook rice then please never ever ever invite me over for a meal!

rice is like pasta:
get a volume of water that is larger than the rice/pasta you wish to cook.
heat the water up (preferably using a fire of some kind) until it seems to dance around a bit (the technical term is boiling!)
put the rice/pasta into the water
take it out a short while later.
eat it!

if anyone feels obliged to pay me for this potentially life changing bit of cullinery advie then just email me and i will send you my billing address.

chris

>> Edited by speedychrissie on Monday 22 August 20:57

[plug]

Add to above, rinse the rice under the hot tap or pour boiling water over to wash it before eating.

[chris watton]

Cant be as bad as what my mom did once, asked me if I wanted a Vesta boil in the bag curry, but my mom, bless her, being a bit of a, ermm,,, bumkin, boiled the water and then cut bags open, pouring the boil in the bag curry contents into the boiling water!! Mmmmmmmmmmm, what a feast I had that night!

[2 Smokin Barrels]

Stab it with a fork, 2 minutes nuke it!

[Iria]

Put a spoonful of olive oil in pan, add garlic chopped in small pieces, heat it up - don't let garlic burn! - throw in rice (a cupfull). Heat quickly in rice until it acquires a transparent-ish tint. Throw in three cups of water. Lower fire and let boil with a lid on for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it: when water has disappeared almost completely turn the fire off, put lid on pan and leave to rest for 5 minutes so that the rice soaks in the rest of the water.

If you cannot do this... rice cookers are ace, but you cannot give them the slightly garlicky flavour that makes the rice even better. Rice matters...

[theexcession]

Only way I cook rice is 2 parts water to 1 part rice (always measure it by voulme) and never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever stir it.

Quite often I'll sitck in a Knor stock cube (instead of salt) but never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever stir the rice once it is cooking.

I never bother to to rinse the rice before or after cooking but one last point told to my by a 'native' Indian is never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever stir the rice once it is cooking.

That's about it really

[Iria]

theexcession said:

and never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever stir it.

yupp, forgot that... and that is essential, if not you'll end up with a mash of white water with rice.

[simpo two]

Iria said:

Put a spoonful of olive oil in pan, add garlic chopped in small pieces

I'm a bachelor for heaven's sake! I don't have poncy TV-chef stuff like olive oil and garlic! My wine rack is full, my fridge is empty.

How abut brown sauce? In fact I have Worcester sauce too, that's quite arty...

theexcession said:

and never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever stir it.

Oh yes, I did that once for the ex g/f and she suddenly got all cross. So much for helping in the kitchen eh?

theexcession said:

Quite often I'll sitck in a Knor stock cube

Oh come on! I have a pack of chicken stock cubes with one missing and it's dated 1993. I tried making beef carbonara for some friends that year (you can tell how much entertaining I do) and where I probably went wrong, in hindsight, was microwaving the beef...

>> Edited by simpo two on Monday 22 August 21:39

[speedychrissie]

i just remembered quite possibly hte most important point about rice if you dont call yourself a good cook:

get rice that is "easy cook rice"!

this is very simple. really you can do almost anything to it YOU CAN EVEN STIR IT! and it still works.

chris

[JonRB]

I don't understand what the problem is.

I do the following:

1) Fill large saucepan about 75% full of water
2) Add salt and bring to the boil.
3) Chuck in required amount of rice from packet
4) Simmer for the amount of time it says on the packet, which is usually anything from 8 mins to 15 mins depending on make etc.
5) If the foam is getting a bit high in the pan then throttle back the gas slightly (did you see what I did there?) or if it isn't foaming up then increase the temperature a little.
6) When the time is up, drain and serve.

Where's the rocket science in that?

Edit: BTW, Basmati rice is way nicer than common or garden American Long Grain rice.

>> Edited by JonRB on Monday 22 August 21:46

[simpo two]

JonRB said:

4) Simmer for the amount of time it says on the packet, which is usually anything from 8 mins to 15 mins depending on make etc. 5) If the foam is getting a bit high in the pan then throttle back the gas slightly (did you see what I did there?) or if it isn't foaming up then increase the temperature a little.

I can't get 'simmer', even on a gas hob and even if I turn the dial by 1mm. It's like tightrope walking. Maybe it's the starch?

Yep, it's Basmati - thpough it does tend to make the house smell a bit of old socks.

Potatoes!

[mxdi]

You cannot go wrong with 'Easy Cook'
I'm a cook and I cant figure out non easy cook, they shouldnt sell that crap in the shops, tastes of poo and looks like ambrosia most of the time.

[Pies]

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