How to Cook All Kinds of Rice

If you are new to cooking rice, you know that it is not obvious how to do it.  You can use a rice steamer and follow the directions in the packaging, or you can just do what most people do—cook the rice in a pan on a stove-top burner.  Once you get it down, it’s the easiest thing in the world to cook.  Typically, you can prepare the entire rest of the meal while the rice is cooking, so put it on first.

There are at least four different kinds of rice when it comes to cooking times and techniques.

  1. White rices
  2. Brown Rices and Wild Rices
  3. Other Whole Grain Rices (Bhutanese Red Rice, black Forbidden Rice,brown Kalijira Rice,brown Jasmine Rice, etc.)
  4. Instant Rice

Sorry, but Instant Rice is just such worthless food that we are not going to deal with cooking it at all.  Empty calories are not worth putting in your mouth.  They just make you fat and raise your blood sugar.

Cooking All Rices

These are the cooking times for cooking rices at or not far from sea level. Remember that if you are high in the mountains, you will have to adjust your cooking times; that is, cook things longer.
For all rices, you can stir in herbs, spices, butter, etc., before the cooking starts, but once you put the rice in the water and bring it back to a boil, you should leave the lid on and try not to peek at it until the end to check for doneness.

The one exception is Arborio Rice, an Italian white rice, that is starchier than regular white rice.  One typically follows a Risotto recipe, cooking it uncovered on the stove top, continually adding tomato sauce, chicken stock or water as the existing water evaporates, and vegetables.

White Rices

Both short grain and long grain white rices are rices that have been milled to remove the husk, bran, and germ.  Remember that those are elements of nutrition (B vitamins, minerals like magnesium, iron, oil from the bran, etc.) and fiber, so white rice is not the most nutritious rice.  These parts of the rice were removed so the rice would store longer; that is, not spoil so soon.  Rice is then enriched to restore some of the B vitamins and iron, but you can’t be sure of what you’re getting in the finished product. 

Why not just buy and cook a whole grain rice?

How to Cook White Rices (includes Carnaroli Rice)

In general white rices cook like this:

1 cup white rice
1 cup water
Pinch of Salt

Bring the water to a boil, add the salt. Add the rice, cover the pan, and bring the water back to a boil.  When boiling again, turn it down to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes.  Let it sit for a few minutes before serving, then fluff with a fork.

Thicker rices, like short-grain white rice, may cook a little longer.  Taste a few grains of the rice on top, and if not soft, add a 5 minutes to the cooking time.

How to Cook Brown Rice and Wild Rice

Brown rice is rice whose husk has been removed, but all the bran and rice germ (different kind of germ, don’t worry) are still there. Brown rice is similar to wild rice in the density of the grain, so the cooking times for both brown rice and wild rice are similar.  We are now doubling the amount of water that we use and really extending the cooking time.

Wild rice is the grain harvested from one of four different kinds of grasses. It is nutritious, chewier, and has a wonderful, nutty flavor.

1 cup Brown or Wild Rice
2 cups Water
Pinch of Salt

Bring the water to a boil, add the salt. Add the rice, cover, and bring back to a boil.  When boiling again, turn it down to a low simmer and cook for 45 minutes.  Taste the top few grains.  If not soft, add 5 minutes with the pan covered.

How to Cook Other Whole Grain Rices

Other whole grain rices include, among others, black Forbidden Rice, Bhutanese Red Rice, green Jade Pearl rice, brown Kalijira Rice, brown Jasmine Rice, and Madagascar Pink Rice. There are many other whole grain rices in the world, but these are kinds are more likely to be available at organic markets and online on the Internet.

They are deliciously flavorful, nutty tasting, aromatic rices that actually taste like something, have plenty of fiber, and are nutritious.

1 cup Whole Grain Rice (of the kinds listed above)
1 3/4 cup Water
Pinch of Salt

Bring water to a boil. Add salt, if desired. Add rice. Cover and bring back to a boil. Cook on low simmer for 30 minutes. Taste the top few grains. If soft, you’re done. If not, add 5 minutes to cooking time.

How to Cook Brown Basmati Rice and Wild Rice Blends

If you get brown basmati rice in bulk, sometimes you don’t know if it differs from any other kind of rice cooking times.  Here’s what the manufacturer of one brown basmati rice provides for cooking insttructions.

Organic Brown Basmati Rice Recipe

1 cup rice

2 cups water or broth

1 Tbsp. butter, oil, or margarine (optional)

Salt to taste

Combine rice, water, and butter (optional) in a pan with a tight-fitting lid.

Bring to a boil. Stir once. Cover with lid. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 50 minutes.

Remove from heat, let stand in covered pan for 10 minutes.

Fluff with fork, salt to taste (optional).

To prepare in rice cooker, use same water-rice ratio.

4-6 servings.

Wild Rice Blend Recipe: Cooking Instructions

1 cup rice

2 cupes water or broth

1 Tbsp butter, oil, or margarine (optional)

Salt to taste.

Combine rice, water, and butter (optional) in a pan with a tight-fitting lid.

Bring to a boil. Stir once. Cover with lid. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 50 minutes.

Remove from heat, let stand in covered pan for 10 minutes.

Fluff with fork, salt to taste (optional).

To prepare in rice cooker, use same water-rice ratio.

4-6 servings.

Sources of Wonderful Whole Grain Rices

www.lotusfoods.com/
www.worldpantry.com/ (temporarily down for a website upgrade;  please be patient)

Rices are sold in two-cup packets that are convenient, delicious, fragrant, and flavorful.

Instant Rice

This rice is just for the convenience of having a starch with the meal that can be placed in front of a person at the table in record time—5 or 10 minutes from start to finish. It has almost no nutritional value, so we don’t eat it at all.  It seems like empty calories with a high glycemic index.

If you have instant rice, you probably bought it in a box.  Follow the directions on the box and eat lots of vegetables, fiber, and protein with it, because it has little or none of its own.


3 Responses to How to Cook All Kinds of Rice

  1. Timothy Ursiak says:

    Arborio rice is an Italian short-grain rice. It is named after the town of Arborio, in the Po Valley, where it is grown. When cooked, the rounded grains are firm, creamy, and chewy, due to its higher amylopectin starch content;[1] thus, it has a starchy taste but blends well with other flavours. It is used to make risotto, although Carnaroli, Maratelli and Vialone Nano are sometimes used to prepare the dish. Arborio rice is also used for rice pudding.”

  2. Early says:

    That’s not even 10 minutes well spent!

  3. Pam Hannes says:

    You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be actually something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!

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