When you cook rice (not iquick/instant rice), do you follow the guideline about

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   xstaticposted 12 years ago

   When you cook rice (not iquick/instant rice), do you follow the guideline about rinsing it ?
   
   Rice instructions that I have read, whether for brown or white rice, say to rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Since I am doing more cooking these days, I wonder if people really do this. I know that if you do rinse it, the water is cloudy for a while, so it seems like a good idea to me. My wife thinks is it is okay, but not really necessary.  I use a rice cooker if that makes a difference.

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   lburmasterposted 12 years ago

   Yes. I'm kind of paranoid about cleaning. Especially when it comes to food and hygiene.

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   RTalloniposted 12 years ago

   I definitely follow the recommendations for rinsing rice.  You might be interested in the following discussion:
   
   http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/437827

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      xstaticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, I will check it out.

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   Handicapped Chefposted 12 years ago

   Me being a chef I rinse my rice a few times then I let it sit in clean water for 30 minutes then drain and let it dry completely then I cook it it turns out really good I hope this helps out.

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      xstaticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I never thought of letting it sit in clean water. Good idea.

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   Attikosposted 12 years ago

   Rinsing washes off any excess starch so the rice will cook up more grainily rather than as a sticky mass. You may want it that way one time, the other way another, so adjust your method to your madness of the moment.
   
   If the rice you have is raw, i.e. bagged and shipped without washing as the brand name, plastic bagged products usually are, then you need to rinse it to remove any contaminants that may remain. In fact, soaking and then rinsing that sort of rice is the thing to do. After all, you don't know where it's been.
   
   I ignore the package guidelines. If you know what you have there in the bag, and you know about good handling practices, you don't need them, and mass market guidelines are like federal regulatory mandates: it's never the case that one size fits all.

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      DzyMsLizzyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      If you make steamed rice, not boiled rice--it won't be a sticky mass.  The key is low heat, and do NOT remove the cover during cooking--that's what makes the difference between steamed & boiled.  To eat with chopsticks, though--you might want boi

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   Rosemay50posted 12 years ago

   I always rinse my my rice until the water runs clear, not only does it clean the rice but also removes all the starch which makes it gluggy and sticky. I also put a drop of oil into the boiling water too which is supposed to keep it seperate. 
   I have a rice cooker but don't use it, prefer the old fashioned way, I like to add the rice to already boiling water.

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      moonfrothposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Ordinary rice (basmati, long-grain, etc),  needs to be washed well..  I find, however, that Japanese "sticky" rice is the exception.  If one washes and drie it before cooking, it falls apart & loses flavour.  I buy good brands & don't wash it

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      xstaticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Rosmary! I had heard about the oil, but generally forget it. I'm afraid I will burn the rice the "old fashioned way."

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   SEXYLADYDEEposted 12 years ago

   My preferred rice is parboiled spanish, long grain. Uncle Bens and Carolina also make one. It doesn't need to be washed. It's steamed & some of the starch is removed. The cloudy water is from the starch coming off. If you use regular short or long grain rice  The amount of time and the high temperature of the boiling water is going to kill any bacteria. A visual inspection will enable you to remove any debris. Dee

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   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   xstatic I am red-faced here. I am 61 years old and have never rinsed my rice. I didn't even know one was supposed to rinse it!  Wow I learned something new. This is so strange, I seriously never knew that.

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      xstaticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      No embarassment necessary. It is not something everyone does I guess.

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   tussinposted 12 years ago

   I'm lazy and assume the heat will kill any germs, but maybe I should?

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      xstaticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      From what I read above, I guess we should.

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    cat on a soapboxposted 12 years ago

    Rarely. The only rice I consistently rinse is wild rice, and it's a grass. not rice. I don't rinse rice unless I buy it from bulk containers or it is imported and I'm concerned about impurities.

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       xstaticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Good idea.Wild rice is a grass? Did not know that!

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       cat on a soapboxposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I did a little research: all rices are the seeds from plants in the grass family. Now, I feel dumb! IIn fact wild rice is the state grain of Minnesota. It was the only rice my mom taught me to wash thoroughly because of small impurities.

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    DzyMsLizzyposted 12 years ago

    Never.  In fact, I've never seen such an instruction.  (Maybe that's because I open the wrapper when I get home & dump the contents into my Tupperware storage container--LOL.)
    However, my mother never rinsed rice, nor do I.  I comes to a boil, then steams for 20 minutes.  That should kill off any impurities!

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       xstaticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       You'd think so... I know.

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    Thelma Albertsposted 12 years ago

    Yes, I do rinse my rice before cooking. Only twice as what I have learned from my grandmother when I was 9 years old. That was the time I first cooked rice in an open fire.

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    aviannoviceposted 12 years ago

    I have never rinsed rice.  To me, it is a waste of water, but it sometimes contains little pieces of hulls, which will float to the top of the water for wasy removal.

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       xstaticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I did not rinse it for a long time, but seeing the water run so cloudy makes me cautious.

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       DzyMsLizzyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       The cloudiness of the rinse water is not dirt; it is the starches in the rice.  You are rinsing away part of the rice itself.

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    jaydawg808posted 12 years ago

    Yes, I definitely rinse my rice before cooking. I rinse until the water is almost clear. I also do this with brown rice.

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    elderadvisorposted 12 years ago

    I did not rinse my rice for the longest time, but there was a report a few months ago on how the FDA was concerned about the levels of arsenic in rice.   The recommendation was to rinse the rice until the water ran clear.   Not matter if the rice is steamed slowly in a cooker or boiled, the out of the bag properties are still present unless it's washed.

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       xstaticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, that arsenic thing has concerned me a lot. We eat quite a bit of brown rice.

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    Moms-Secretposted 12 years ago

    I don't rinse.  I see why people do it but I don't see the real logic behind it.  I think we rinse foods for cleanliness which is good but the things that would really harm us don't come off with water.  They only become wet germs.  I think of it the same way I think of washing hands.  If you were just going to run water on them you would just have wet, germy hands as opposed to dry ones.  The soap is what is doing the trick.  Sure, the mud and the loose dirt comes off.  The hands appear clean and I guess that is what matters.
    
    I would rinse rice that I bought from a place where it was not already pre-packaged, just to appease myself I guess.  I know that I loved putting my hands in the barrels as a kid.
    
    Extreme temperatures kill germs.

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    CJ Sledgehammerposted 12 years ago

    Jim:
    
    I only eat brown rice and I eat allot of it. Because I am somewhat of a germophobe and clean freak, I rinse it out 5-10 times if it needs it or not regardless of what the directions say.
    
    Off subject a bit, but does Eugene still have a Mr. Steak restaurant?

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       xstaticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Hi CJ, no more Mr.Steak in the area now, still a Sizzler around I think. Thanks for answering.

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       CJ Sledgehammerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Jim: Eugene used to have the Mr. Steak College there as well...is that gone too?

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       xstaticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       CJ, I believe it is, i have never heard of it.

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    Mrs Jil Manningposted 12 years ago

    I'm not much of a rinser, I have to say.  I used to boil the rice, then rinse it in cold water before serving.  Nowadays, I put one third rice, two thirds water into a saucepan and seal the top with foil and then the lid.  I bring it to the boil then turn it right down to steam and it works a treat.  My son, who is a chef, loves his rice cooker.  Maybe I'll ask for one for my birthday!

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       xstaticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I like mine pretty well, though it is several years old now.

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       Attikosposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I prefer rice cooked in an open pot, as you'd do risotto. That way, you not only can have sauteed onion and garlic in it, you get to do it to whatever degree of doneness you like. Al dente is good.

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    corenlookposted 12 years ago

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    JimTxMillerposted 12 years ago

    Yeah, Jim, I'm a rinser, too. I use regular long grain. I don't rinse until the water runs clear mainly because I'm lazy, but I do rinse-and-repeat a couple of times. I do not boil my rice. Just bring it to a boil then simmer with a lid on. My rice comes off not so sticky with this method.

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       xstaticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Sounds like a good way Jim. Do you use brown rice or just white?

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