My rice always seems to come out sticky, almost like a glob. It doesn't matter what kind of rice I use, white or brown. Any suggestions? Thanks.
By sandie
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Add a tiny amount of salt, and a few tablespoons of butter when cooking it. You may also be over cooking it slightly.
I'm half-Japanese, and we eat some rice! But I seemed to lack the rice-cooking gene. :-) My rice was always too wet, or burnt to the bottom of the pan. So I got a rice cooker, and now I'm a rice cooking diva! My first one was a cheap thing from Target -- maybe 20 dollars. It was small, but it lasted several years. Now I have one like this:
You measure the rice with the provided measuring cup, add water to the correct line, put on the lid, turn on the machine, and voila! Perfect rice! It's still not as good as the big Japanese rice cooker my mom has, but it's plenty good for me. I usually cook short or medium (sticky) grain sushi rice, or sometimes brown rice.
So if other hints don't work for you, try a rice cooker. It made all the difference for me!
I was told by Hsin Hsin in San Rafael how to cook rice; that Americans use too much water. Wash rice, add just enough water to cover, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Do not open the lid. Wait 20 minutes, remove from heat, and should be ready. Fluff with a fork.
Rice should be sticky, with a slight nut flavor. In the Orient they eat with 2 sticks (chop sticks). The rice is served in a bowl not on a flat plate. The bowl is held near the mouth and the sticks are used to move clumps of rice into their mouth. If the rice was "light & fluffy" like we have been mistakenly trained to think, they would not be able to pick it up & would starve to death.
I second (or third) the rice cooker. It is so easy and I never ruin rice anymore. They are usually really cheap and I bet you could pick one up in an after Christmas sale (or put it on your list quickly). One piece of advice. Always start your rice first, whether in a cooker or on the stove. It nearly always takes the longest to cook, usually 20 - 30 minutes. I get the rice on and then start chopping veggies, etc.
Actually, for sticky rice do not wash. For fluffy rice rinse it well through a wire strainer. In parts of India they like rice that has been rinsed well. It becomes fluffy.
I should have said rinse well before cooking.
The first rice cooker I had was horrid. The rice stuck so bad that I finally threw it away. I thought I would never have another one. A friend had one and she said she never had that problem.
Don't stir the rice or open during cooking either!
This is a method I use to cook white long-grain rice.
In a 2 -3 quart casserole dish with a lid, spray with food cooking spray or butter dish.
Add one cup of long grain rice. Stir.
Microwave on high with lid on for 5-6 minutes. Microwave again at 50% power for 15-16 minutes. Let stand 5 - 10 minutes. Carefully remove from microwave. Fluff with a fork.
At times, I will raid my fridge for any leftover vegetables and heat them a bit and mix into the hot rice. I like to add Parmesan and/or Romano cheese. There are so many different ways to flavor rice. If have you not tried, use olive oil while cooking. It really gives it a good flavor.
You can also substitute the water using broth. Or if you just want plain white rice, use just water, salt and butter/olive oil.
I have read in the past and this is also on the bag of rice that you do not have to rinse the rice before using. If you have any leftover cooked rice, it can be frozen.
Keep in mind that there are different wattage of microwaves. Our microwave is 1100 watts. If your microwave has a smaller wattage, increase your cooking times by a few minutes. If for some reason, the rice is still not cooked the way you would like it, stir in a bit more water if dry and microwave for a few minutes more. Once you figure out exactly what works for your microwave, it makes easier for the next time you cook rice.
This method may not be faster than other methods, but I like the fact that my stove/oven is free to cook other foods as the rice cooks in the microwave.
My secret is to good rice is to rinse well in cold water, then let sit in water for 15-20 minutes. Rinse again till water is clear, 1 cup of rice to 1 1/2 cups of cold water, 1 tbsp of olive oil or butter, 1 tsp of salt, bring to a boil, stir lightly, lower temp to low simmer and cover.
Do not open for 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit without opening for 5 minutes. Open, then fluff, rice is PERFECT! I use Basmati Rice and this works on it just right. If I do a brown rice, I use the same recipe but simmer about 30-40 minutes as it does take longer.
For sticky rice, follow directions on bag, and no rinsing at all! The rice needs all that for the sticky rice to be sticky! My rice is never gooey, tastes awesome and doesn't clump, at least until its cooled.
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