Cooking with Rice 101

Rice is one of the most versatile foods on the planet. Not only is rice nutritionally sound, it is affordable and relatively easy to prepare. Rice can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It makes delightful desserts and produces a tasty milk product that can be used for cereal, whipped into a fruit smoothie, or added to coffee and tea.

I was introduced to 'real' rice about fifteen years ago while working as a vegetarian chef for a health food store. Prior to that, my rice experience consisted of instant rice from a box and sticky rice from my favorite Chinese restaurant.

My love for rice began with Basmati. Every day, we prepared five pounds of the fragrant rice and used it in many entrees and soups. We served a nut burger made from ground almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds and held together with brown rice. It was the most delicious vegetarian burger ever created and we sold them by the boatload.

I later went to work as a Sous Chef at a Country Club. One of my primary duties was making Risotto. Our menu consisted of a dozen types of Risotto including sundried tomato, pineapple walnut, pesto, asparagus, and mushroom.

Today, I'd like to share a brief overview of popular types of rice, along with cooking methods and serving suggestions. Most people find using a rice cooker is easier than cooking in a standard pot. For those who do not have a rice cooker, a 4-quart pan with a lid will work just fine.

Popular Types of Rice

Arborio Rice is a high-starch, short grain rice originally cultivated in Italy. Today, it is also produced in California and Texas. Arborio rice should be cooked al dente (soft to the tooth). The grain becomes soft and plump with a tiny bit of crunch in the center. Arborio rice is commonly used to create risotto; a creamy Italian rice dish, and rice puddings.

Most people are used to boiling water and adding rice, then simmering until rice is cooked. Arborio is cooked in three stages; adding small amounts of liquid and constantly stirring to release the starch and achieve the creamy texture. A good resource for learning how to cook Arborio rice and obtaining a nice selection of risotto recipes is FineCooking.com.

Basmati Rice is fragrant, long grain rice cultivated primarily in Pakistan and India. Basmati is known for its nutty flavor and buttery mouth-feel. It is available as brown or white rice. Basmati is often used in Indian cooking and common in vegetarian dishes.

Basmati rice has a high level of starch and should be thoroughly washed prior to cooking. This can be accomplished by soaking rice for thirty minutes, draining and rinsing or by holding grains in hand over a colander and rinsing with cold water for five minutes. Once cooked, basmati rice grains stretch out instead of plumping up. Experience the true flavor of basmati rice by trying authentic Indian rice recipes at IndianFoodsCo.com.

Black Japonica® can be described as a short-medium rice with an earthy, sweet and spicy flavor profile. Developed by California-based company, Lundberg Family Farms, Black Japonica is a "combination of Asia black short-grain rice and medium-grain mahogany rice grown together in the same field."[1]

Black Japonica is very versatile and marries well with other types of rice; making it an excellent choice for rice pilaf. Its earthy flavor pairs well with sweet and sour soup, mushroom soup, stir fry dishes and stuffing. Recipes for salads, side dishes and entrees can be found at Lundberg.com.

Brown Rice refers to a variety of rice types that are unmilled or partially-milled with only the outer-most husk removed. Brown rice can be short, medium or long grain and is used in many culinary dishes. It contains more nutritional value than milled white rice and offers a nutty flavor that marries well with beef, chicken, pork, seafood, soups and salads.

Because brown rice is not processed, it can turn rancid more quickly than white rice. It is a good idea to store brown rice in an amber color glass jar. Place a piece of tape on the jar and jot down the expiration date. If no expiration date is printed on the bag, record six months from the date the bag of rice is opened. Learn how to cook brown rice at StartCooking.com.

Instant Rice is dehydrated precooked rice. According to WiseGeek.com, "The precooking and dehydration process creates tiny fissures and cracks in the instant rice grains, which makes it easier for boiling water to reach the center. Instant rice also cooks much faster than traditional rice because the added water reconstitutes the dehydrated grains."

In the culinary world, instant rice is frowned upon. You certainly won't find Chef Gordon Ramsey using it. However, instant rice can be a lifesaver when you're short on time. Precooked rice has an extremely mild flavor on its own. Many people add butter and salt to spruce it up enough to serve as a stand-alone side dish. Instant rice can be added to soups during the final minutes of cooking and pairs well with Chinese food.

Jasmine Rice is one of my personal favorites. This nutty-flavored long grain rice is originally from Thailand and often referred to as 'Thai fragrant rice.' Jasmine rice can be somewhat expensive in grocery stores with prices hovering around $5 per pound. It can often be purchased in bulk at Asian food markets for about $2 per pound. One disadvantage is cooking directions are not printed on bulk rice packages.

Many types of rice use the 2 to 1 ratio; meaning two cups water for every one cup of rice. In order to achieve proper consistency, Jasmine rice requires more water than other types of white rice. I use about 1/4-cup extra water per rice measurement. For example, 1-1/4 cup water to 1 cup uncooked rice. A favorite Jasmine rice recipe source is GroupRecipes.com.

Saffron Rice isn't actually a type of rice. Instead, it is a rice dish usually made from Jasmine or Basmati rice and seasoned with saffron spice. Saffron is the world's most expensive spice, but fortunately a little goes a long way. It is derived from the dried stigmas of the Saffron Crocus. When cooked, the bright orange-red threads provide foods with a golden yellow color and honey flavor.

Mahatma, a division of America's leading rice company, Riviana Foods, provides affordable packages of Saffron rice and is sold in nationwide grocery stores. Homemade saffron rice is oftentimes made with chicken stock or beef broth and requires 30 to 60 minutes of cooking time. Homemade saffron rice is not difficult to make. Get started with saffron rice recipes from Epicurean.com.

Sticky Rice is a sweet, short-grain Asian rice that sticks together when cooked. A more appropriate name for sticky rice is 'glutinous rice'. It is cultivated China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and other Asian regions. Sticky rice is most often used in stir fry, fried rice dishes, soups and casseroles.

Most of the chefs I have worked with prepare sticky rice by soaking it overnight and steaming it in a rice cooker the following day. At minimum, sticky rice should be soaked in warm water for two hours, than rinsed. The longer sticky rice soaks the more tender and flavorful it becomes. A good resource for learning how to make homemade sticky rice is About.com Thai Food.

White Rice is actually brown rice in which the husk, bran and germ have been removed. The seed is polished and certain B vitamins and iron are added in to enrich the grain. White rice has about two-thirds less fiber than brown rice. It requires less time to cook and yields fluffy rice with minimal flavor.

Cooking white rice requires little work. The ratio is 2 cups of water per 1 cup of uncooked rice. A pinch of salt and tablespoon of olive oil or butter can be added to water before it is boiled. Once water comes to a boil, the white rice is added and gently stirred. Heat is reduced to simmer and the rice covered for about twenty minutes. White rice should not be stirred during the cooking process. Learn 'How to Cook White Rice' at StartCooking.com.

Wild Rice is packed with nutrients including protein, fiber, potassium and niacin. Wild rice grows in the shallow water of lakes and rivers and is cultivated in Asia, Canada and the United States. Its musky flavor pairs well with beef, bison, chicken, seafood, soups, and soufflés.

One notable company that utilizes wild rice is Rice-A-Roni (the San Francisco treat!). Their website at Ricearoni.com offers dozens of recipes, timesaving kitchen tips, nutrition facts, and a handy Dinner Wizard tool that allows visitors to make quick and tasty meals from products they have on hand in the pantry and refrigerator.

These are just a few of the delightful types of rice. According to The Nibble, gourmet and specialty foods magazine, more than 40,000 varieties of rice are grown around the globe. In other words, you could eat a different type of rice every day for the rest of your life!

[1] Lundberg Family Farms ~ http://www.Lundberg.com