Rice can easily be called a fairly popular product. Rice is eaten both on its own and as one of the ingredients. various dishes. Each dish requires a certain rice - somewhere crumbly, somewhere sticky. We will reveal the secrets of how to cook rice correctly.

This is not to say that there is one universal way to cook rice. If you are cooking for pilaf, then crumbly rice is needed. If your goal is sushi, then stick together. Soft rice is suitable for cereals, and dense rice will be appropriate for a side dish. Initially, it is necessary to choose the type of grain that is required for the manufacture of the dish, and then it must be cooked correctly.


Advice

For pilaf, long-grain rice is suitable. Also in the store you can find special rice for pilaf. This rice has dense grains and little stickiness.


What kind of rice is suitable for sushi?

For sushi, round rice is suitable, which is excellent in its qualities, because. it has high stickiness.


!!!Important!!!

The right rice for the dish is success.

Utensils for cooking rice

The choice of dishes is also important. Choose wide and low pans. A frying pan with a lid is perfect. Pilaf is best done in a cauldron.


How long to cook rice

There is no specific time, it all depends on the variety. If a time is specified in the recipe, then it refers to the variety used by the author of the recipe. In any case, it is necessary to taste the grain at the end of the boil. If the rice is crunchy on the teeth, it is not yet cooked.


Cooking fluffy rice

Every person already has their own production option. crumbly rice. Consider one option: Rinse the rice in cool water. You have to drain the water a couple of times. Then fill it with water in such a way that two fingers cover the rice. Let the rice brew for an hour, it should swell and absorb the liquid. After tincture, you can add a little water (if desired, you can add broth instead of water). The water should just cover the rice. The pot is placed on the stove. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce to a minimum. This recipe implies that the rice will be cooked for 10-25 minutes. After cooking, the pan must be tightly covered with a lid and let stand for 20 minutes. That's all.


Cooking glutinous rice

For glutinous rice, round grain rice is perfect. Rice must be washed and poured with water, wait half an hour until it swells. Then pour water over the rice so that it is tightly covered. Bring to a boil and reduce with water. Rice should be cooked for 15-20 minutes. Sticky rice can be stirred, it will not harm him. If you've added too much water, you can boil it until it evaporates without worrying about the grains.


Rice in a slow cooker/steamer

It is very easy to cook rice in a slow cooker. We take rice and water in a ratio of 1 to 1.5 or 1 to 2. Add oil and salt, as well as other spices to taste. We put the program pilaf or rice. Everything, in half an hour you will be able to taste the rice from the multicooker. In a double boiler, everything is also simple. Rinse the rice, bring the water to a boil and put the washed rice into it. In a double boiler, rice is cooked for 30-40 minutes.


Cooking brown rice does not differ from white, except for one thing - in time. Brown rice will take about 45 minutes to cook. You washed the rice, filled it with water. Next, cover it with a lid and bring to a boil. Then, the fire goes down. The lid cannot be removed. After the rice is cooked, the fire can be turned off, but do not rush to open the lid. The pan should stand covered for another 10 minutes. After that, it will be completely ready and it will be possible to eat it.


Wild rice

As for wild rice, the cooking process will be almost the same. It will also come out in time, but it is recommended to take more water than for other rice - three cups of water should be used for one cup of wild rice.


Conclusion:

To prepare tasty dish from rice, you need to know how to boil it properly. You also need to know which rice is suitable for certain dishes. Everything is quite simple, it is necessary to observe the proportion of water and rice 2: 1. Rice usually takes 20 minutes to cook, but there are varieties that need to be cooked longer. Try to cook different rice, do not be afraid to succeed.

Rice is one of the most popular cereal crops on our planet. It goes well with fish and meat, fruits and vegetables and has been known to mankind for more than six thousand years.

Rice is suitable for cooking pilaf, soups, it can be added to salads or cooked as an independent dish. However, not everyone knows how to cook rice, because it often sticks together during cooking and becomes not very appetizing.

How much to cook rice and in what proportions?

Each variety of rice has its own proportions and its own cooking time. For 200 g of long rice, you need to take 400-450 ml of water and cook for 18-20 minutes. For short rice you need water - 350-400 ml, cook the same amount. Brown and wild rice is boiled for 45-50 minutes, you need to take 450-575 ml of water. As a rule, the rice variety is indicated on its packaging.

How to cook rice at home?

Brown rice is considered the most useful variety, but for cooking, the basmati variety is best suited. Its grains are small, long and crumbly. Of course, it is more expensive than other varieties of rice, but it is more convenient and easier to cook.

Rice is best measured by volume rather than weight. Usually, 65 ml of rice is measured per person. For a family of 4 people it turns out - 260 ml. It is necessary to cook rice in the proportion: 1 to 2, that is, for 1 serving of rice - 2 servings of water. If you took 200 ml of basmati rice, then you need 400 ml of water.

How to cook friable rice?

Many do not know what is better to cook rice: in a saucepan, in a double boiler, in a microwave or in a frying pan? It is best to cook rice in a thick cast iron pan. A pan with thin walls warms up unevenly, so the cereal may remain raw on top and burn below. Pour the required amount of water into the pan and bring to a boil (1 part rice is 2 parts water).

Rinse the rice and pour it into the pan, pour it over necessary quantity water. Add salt to taste and 50g butter, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. To make the rice more fluffy, add 1 tbsp. spoon lemon juice or a few tablespoons of cold milk.

Close the pot tightly with a lid, cook over low heat until all the liquid has evaporated. In this way, rice is cooked for 15-20 minutes.

How to cook rice in a steamer?

It has long been known that steamed food is much healthier than fried or boiled food. It is less caloric, more easily absorbed by the body and practically retains the original taste of food. Rice cooked in a double boiler is very tender and crumbly.



Cooking rice in a steamer is easy. In a double boiler, there is a bowl or tray for cereals. Pour washed rice into this bowl, add salt to taste and spices. Pour in enough water so that the rice is completely hidden, and there is about another 5 mm of water above it. In a double boiler, use only one tier, insert a bowl into it. Cook rice for 40 minutes (or the time indicated in the instructions). Optionally you can add butter a few minutes before the end of cooking.

How to cook rice in the microwave?

AT microwave oven rice comes out especially tasty and crumbly. In addition, this is a convenient way of cooking, because it does not require careful attention, it is quite fast.



Take a glass of rice, rinse and pour into a microwave-safe bowl. Pour two glasses of water, cover and cook for 18 minutes. Rice is ready!

How to cook rice in a pan?

The ideal frying pan for cooking rice is deep with a lid. Pour some into the pan vegetable oil and fry rice grains on it. Stir until all the grains are in the oil - this will make the rice crumbly and not stick together when cooked. After the rice is fried, add water: 1 part rice to 2 parts water. As soon as the rice boils, once it is thoroughly mixed. Do not stir it constantly during cooking - you can break the grains. After the rice is mixed, reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid and do not open it again until the end of cooking.



How long does it take to cook rice in a pan? In this way, brown rice is cooked for 40 minutes, and white rice for 15 minutes. Rice is very easy to digest, so watch the time carefully. When the time is up, check for readiness of several grains. If water has accumulated around the edges of the pan, then the rice is not ready yet. After the rice has cooked, turn off the heat.

How to cook rice for sushi and rolls?

Rice is the basis of any roll, so it is important to learn how to cook it correctly. Rice should not crumble, otherwise it will be difficult to shape the rolls.

To cook rice you will need: 250 gr Japanese rice; 2.5 st. spoons of sugar; 2 teaspoons of salt; 3 art. spoons of rice vinegar.



Japanese rice is best suited for sushi and rolls - it has good stickiness. You can take round-grain, but you should not take steamed one - it will crumble. Rinse the rice thoroughly in cold water until it is completely clear. Throw the rice on a sieve and let it stand for an hour. Then transfer the cereal to a saucepan and add cold water: for 200 g of rice - 250 ml of water.

Cover the pot with a lid, place on medium fire and bring to a boil. After that, reduce the heat and cook the cereal for 10-15 minutes - it should absorb all the water. Remove rice from heat and leave covered for 15 minutes.

How to cook rice for sushi?

Dissolve in rice vinegar salt and sugar, put the rice in a shallow bowl. Pour the vinegar dressing over the cooked rice, stirring a little with a wooden spatula.

How to cook steamed rice?

Steamed rice becomes translucent and has an amber-yellow hue. In such rice, 80% of vitamins and minerals are preserved. However, the cooking time for parboiled rice is longer because after processing - rice grains become firmer and boil more slowly than ordinary rice.

How to cook brown rice?

If it takes 15-20 minutes to cook ordinary rice, then steamed rice takes 20-25 minutes. But after cooking, the grains do not stick together, the rice remains crumbly and tasty, even after reheating the dish. Otherwise, the cooking method is no different from cooking regular rice.

How to cook rice

I think I will not be mistaken if I call rice one of the most popular cereal crops, the fact that more than half of the population of our planet eats it is enough. Rice was known in ancient times, about six thousand years ago, which became known from ancient Chinese and ancient Indian manuscripts found.

To this day, rice remains an essential part of Asian culinary traditions. In Russia, rice appeared about two hundred or three hundred years ago, well-established varieties of round-grain rice began to be cultivated here, from which soups and cereals were already prepared at that time.

In modern cooking, the range of rice dishes has become simply huge, different varieties of rice have been used, which are most suitable for preparing certain dishes. However, all this diversity requires study and a special approach to use. Let's figure out which types of rice are better to choose for cooking certain dishes and how to cook rice so that its taste qualities are best revealed.

Composition and beneficial features rice

100 grams of rice contains:

  • 72.5 g carbohydrates
  • 6.4 g protein
  • 0.9 g fat
  • 30 mg calcium
  • 70 mg potassium
  • 104 mg phosphorus
  • 38 mg magnesium

Rice is very nutritious and, since it has a low calorie content (depending on the variety, it is 300 - 400 kilocalories per 100 grams), it is widely used in dietary, sports nutrition(many athletes keep fit on a diet of rice and white meat). Attention is drawn to the presence of substances necessary for the normal functioning of the human body, as well as low level fats. In addition, the rice shell contains B vitamins, PP, folic acid, fiber, amino acids and minerals - that is why unpolished rice is considered the most useful. It is worth knowing that for all its merits, rice is able to remove harmful substances from the body.

types of rice

There are more than a dozen varieties of rice, ranging from wild, brown unpolished rice to white parboiled. Almost all varieties differ in appearance, composition of vitamins and minerals, as well as taste. One or another variety is used in the cuisines of the world, depending on culinary preferences and traditions. For example, rice varieties rich in starch are chosen for sushi, thanks to which the rice will keep its shape and not crumble, and for a cook from Uzbekistan it will be a real insult if guests eat pilaf with a fork (only with a spoon, since a properly cooked dish should be crumbly).

Properly selected rice variety and its proper preparation is the key to obtaining the desired consistency, aesthetic appearance and excellent taste of dishes. Each variety has some features, given that each of your experiments with cooking rice dishes will be successful. Therefore, when faced with a variety of varieties of rice in the store, first of all pay attention to the length and shape of the grain.
long grain rice
It seems to be the most common variety. Its grains are thin and long. This makes an excellent crumbly side dish for fish and meat, since the grains do not stick together during cooking.

Round grain rice
It is very sticky during cooking due to its ability to absorb water well, therefore it is suitable for making desserts and casseroles, as well as puddings so beloved by the British. This rice is also used for making sushi.

medium grain rice
It has an oval shape of grains, the length of which is 3-5 mm. It has a lot of starch, it absorbs a lot of water, giving the dishes a viscous consistency. It is chosen for making paella, risotto and soups.

Of no small importance is the color of rice, which indicates its usefulness:

White rice
We use most often, unfortunately, not knowing that the snow-white color is the color of polished rice, which, after processing, has lost a huge part of its useful substances. You can also find slightly yellowish or pale steamed rice, which is steamed, as a result of which the beneficial components are preserved in it, it does not stick together during cooking, but is inferior in taste to other types.

Wild rice
Often found in packages with long-grain rice. It can be identified by its black color and elongated shape. It contains a huge amount of minerals, vitamins and fiber. Used as a side dish for fish dishes.

brown rice
Perhaps the most useful of all varieties of rice, since it retains the shells that are most useful for the body, especially the elderly and children.

How to rinse rice properly

The time and process of cooking rice depends on the variety you choose, but the basic principle is that rice must be washed before cooking. There are two reasons why it is necessary to wash rice. Firstly, some factories use talc in the production process (since we consume imported rice as a basis, in order to improve appearance, as well as for preservation during transportation, the rice is “glazed”. “Glazing” consists in coating the grains with a mixture of glucose and talc), secondly, in this way you will remove starch from the grains, which is the main culprit that sometimes instead of delicious porridge resulting in an unsightly sticky mass.

For this:

- we measure the volume of rice necessary for cooking;
- we fall asleep rice in a convenient, deep container (I take a large salad bowl for this purpose);
- Pour rice with plenty of cold water, mix gently rice and decant the water.
We repeat everything several times, until the water becomes clear (some cooks wash the cereal 7 times).
After washing, discard the rice in a colander, leave for a while so that the rice dries well.

Some cooks practice soaking rice (the time is chosen differently, mostly 30-60 minutes), which reduces the time it takes to cook.
Basmati rice is traditionally soaked to maximize its length.

Soak or not - it's up to you, but be careful. If you decide to soak the rice, you need to reduce the amount of water, because the rice absorbs water during soaking and you may end up with a viscous porridge instead of fragrant crumbly pilaf. Usually observed in a ratio of 1:1 + 1/4 (1 cup of rice - 1 + 1/4 cup of water)

Cold or boiling water?
Depends on the method you will use to cook the rice. Rice is usually boiled in cold water with the lid closed. When the water boils, the fire is reduced and the rice is continued to be cooked with the lid closed on a very slow fire until the water is completely absorbed. Rice is cooked in boiling water open lid until the water boils away, then the fire is reduced, the rice is covered with a lid and it is steamed over a very slow fire. The method chosen depends largely on the variety of rice and the dish being prepared.

Proportions of water and rice
The proportion of 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water is far from universal (although I use it exactly). It all depends on how much water evaporates during the cooking process and the cooking time itself. Water loss depends on two components: the tightness of the lid and the width of the pan. If you cook rice in a deep and narrow pot, you will need less water, and vice versa.

Since it is impossible to predict all these components, it is not possible to give universal instructions. However, let me say that the more rice you cook, the less water you will need. For example, I found information on cook sites that for making crumbly long grain rice(without pre-soaking) the following golden rule applies:

1 cup rice - 1 ½ cups water
2 cups rice - 2 ¾ cups water
3 cups rice - 3 ½ cups water.

In the kitchen, rice dishes very often present unpleasant surprises - the rice in them can stick together into one lump, boil, turn into a slurry, burn from the bottom, not boil to the end, be too watery, etc. It is clear that experienced housewives any recipe can work, but novice cooks will need a few tips.

So, first of all, you need to know that there are several varieties of rice, and each of them is cooked according to its own rules. However, regardless of the variety, color and size of the rice, the first thing to do with it is to rinse it under cold water. Only when the water stops becoming cloudy during washing, you can start cooking the cereal.

Long-grain polished rice contains very little starch, so when cooked, the grains do not stick together, and the porridge turns out to be friable. Measure the water for cooking in a ratio of 1: 2 (two parts of water to one part of rice). While you rinse the rice, put the water on the fire.

Important! Do not throw rice into cold water! So it absorbs a lot of excess moisture and when cooking, the grains will boil soft, lose their integrity. As a result, the porridge will turn out to be a single white viscous lump.

After waiting for the water to boil, salt it and put the washed rice in it without reducing the fire. During the cooking process, seasonings and oil should not be thrown into the pot with rice. Be sure to cover the pan with a lid and try not to lift it until the end of cooking. So boil the grits for 7 minutes, then reduce the heat to a minimum and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.

Important! It is impossible to interfere with cereals during the cooking process! Stirring porridge, you will never achieve the effect of "rice to rice" - on the contrary, the cereal will stick together.

After you turn off the rice, leave it for a while just to stand in the pan under the lid - it will absorb the remaining water and reach. After 7-10 minutes, you can open the lid and fill the rice with oil.

Round-grain rice contains a lot of starch, it is ideal for making puddings, sweet cereals and casseroles, rolls and sushi. It must be washed very carefully, water should be taken in a ratio of 1: 3 (three times more water than rice). You need to cook until all the water is absorbed.

Steamed rice has a beautiful transparent yellowish hue of grains. This happens due to the fact that the cereals are cleaned not mechanically, but with steam (this, by the way, allows you to save more vitamins in rice). Such rice requires longer cooking than previous varieties. After boiling, cook it for 20-25 minutes.

Unpolished (brown) rice needs an even longer cooking time. This is rice in a natural shell, it is a real storehouse of minerals and vitamins, as well as a true friend of losing weight people. It will take 40 minutes to cook such cereals. And before cooking, in addition to washing it, it does not hurt to pour cold salted water for 15 minutes.

Wild rice has a characteristic black color, and the output is a specific, not like the usual rice taste. It is poured with water in a ratio of 1:5 and boiled for 40 minutes. This rice is the perfect side dish for fish dishes.

There is flip way, in which you simply boil as much salted water as possible in a large saucepan so that the rice does not stick together during cooking, and then discard the cooked rice on a sieve, let the water drain and fill the rice with oil.

This method is good for folding pilafs- for them, according to the recipe, rice is usually not boiled so that it comes in a cauldron with other ingredients.

My favorite way is different. If you strictly adhere to the rules, you will succeed easily. And there are few rules, there are only two main ones:

  • rice to water ratio
  • cooking time.

Rule #1: Proportions

Take any container that can measure both rice and water: a glass, a mug, a ladle, a bowl. Measure out 1 such container (it is usually called a “piece”) of rice and pour 1.5 containers (parts) of boiling water. If you have, say, 2 cups of rice, then you need 3 cups of boiling water, and so on. To be even more confident in the coming friability, fry the rice in ghee (possibly with spices) before pouring boiling water over it.

Take a large pot so that the rice does not “run away”. Even if you cook only 2 cups, a three-liter saucepan will be just right.

Rule #2: Time

The cooking formula is as follows: after boiling, cook rice without opening the lid - not once - exactly 12 minutes. The first 3 minutes on high heat; 7 minutes on medium and 2 minutes on low. Immediately remove from heat and - without opening - wrap in a blanket or thick towel for another 12 minutes. All is ready.

How to cook round rice

Round rice is tender, starchy, absorbing a lot of liquid. It should not be crumbly, it is not for nothing that porridge is cooked from it and puddings are made. This rice does not need to be washed. It is usually poured with water at a ratio of 2 parts rice to 1 part water and boiled until all the water is absorbed, and then milk or cream is added, or coconut milk, as well as sugar, spices and other additives - as required by the recipe. Usually the amount of liquid is about 2 parts more.

How to cook brown rice

Brown (brown, unrefined) can be any variety of rice. And depending on the variety, you must choose the method of preparation. But there will always be two important differences: the amount of water and the cooking time. Unpeeled thin shell (bran) rice, of course, takes longer to cook and requires more moisture. Both that, and another - about a third more. Be sure to read the instructions on the packaging - only the manufacturer knows exactly how this particular rice is processed and how best to cook it.

How to cook wild rice

Wild rice is actually not rice at all, but water grass, the grains of which are very similar in shape to rice. These grains are quite dense, so for a mixture with regular rice- and most often for solo packages - they are pre-steamed.

Usually such rice is cooked in the ratio of 1 part of rice to 3.5 parts of boiling water. Wild rice is usually cooked for at least 35 minutes. It seems to me that the folding method for wild rice is quite convenient, so you can’t go wrong. See the packaging for the cooking time just in case.

How to cook rice for pilaf

The perfect rice for our most popular Uzbek pilaf grows in the same place where it is prepared, that is, in Central Asia. And sold in the markets, by weight. Different varieties will do: alanga, sanam, chungara, lazar, and, of course, devzira. Any kind of rice must be washed very thoroughly - so that the flowing water is completely clear - and then soaked for 2-3 hours in lightly salted warm water. The water must cover the rice completely, otherwise it will break in the pilaf. Further cooking instructions are usually detailed in the recipe for the pilaf itself.

You can cook pilaf from other varieties of rice, both long-grain (basmati) and medium-grain (Kuban). But the conditions for preparing rice for pilaf remain the same.

How to cook rice for sushi

Only special rice is suitable for sushi, it is most often written on it - “rice for sushi”. What we call "Japanese" is also suitable.
First, rinse the rice in 5-6 waters until the water is completely clear. Pour cold (!) Water in a ratio of 1:1 plus another 10% of water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a minimum, close the lid and cook for 13-14 minutes without lifting the lid. Then wrap the pan in a blanket or thick towel for 30-40 minutes.

Transfer the rice to a large unvarnished wooden bowl (do not use the sushi crust formed at the bottom of the pan). Put the warm rice in the center, pour in all the dressing prepared according to the recipe, scatter the rice with a spatula, then collect it together with the dressing back into the center - and so 4 times.

Leave on for 10-15 minutes. When you make rolls, the temperature of the rice should be 32-34°C, not colder.

Warning: If you are not using wooden utensils, reduce the amount of dressing by a third compared to what is indicated in the recipe.