Idiot's guide to rice

cheerios

Tue, Jan 09 2007, 12:27 pm

I was in the grocery buying my usual long grain brown rice, but I see an entire aisle of rice, all these other kinds like basmati, etc. I know nothing about these, can someon please inform me? Are they healthy like brown rice, or are they flavored white rice? What's the difference between all or some of the kinds?

chocolate moose

Tue, Jan 09 2007, 1:43 pm

Persian rice is very nice but expensive ...I've had it but wouldn't go ga-ga over it.

I jsut stick to the plain general-purpose rice, though, for boiled rice, rice pudding, and rice kugel!

greenfire

Tue, Jan 09 2007, 1:46 pm

I honestly think they're just different brands like same taste - except you're brown/white/wholegrain

cindy324

Tue, Jan 09 2007, 1:47 pm

No, they're not brown or flavored unless the container indicates. They're just different types of rice, some are smaller grains, some are longer, skinnier, fatter, etc.

Basmati is actually an aromatic rice. It becomes very fragrant when cooked. I believe it originates in India, and it's a long grain rice.

There are medium grain rice like arborio, it has a very high starch content, and it cooks up moist and creamy. Also sushi or Japanese rice , it's starchiness is what makes it stick together like it does.

Short grain rice, called sticky rice, also called sweet or glutionous rice, has a slightly sweet taste and a soft sticky texture. Used a lot in chinese cooking for desserts.

cindy324

Tue, Jan 09 2007, 1:49 pm

If you ever make chicken and rice, cooked together in the same pot, arborio rice is excelletn to use. It soaks up the cooking liquid and gets a really creamy texture. It's really yummy with the chicken.

brooklyn

Tue, Jan 09 2007, 1:58 pm

Rice: Types, Varieties and Forms of Rice
Worldwide there are more than 40,000 different varieties of rice, though only a small number offer the quality acceptable to be grown commercially in the U.S. In the United States, these varieties can be divided into long, medium, and short grain. Limited waxy rice and arborio is produced, as well as some aromatic and specialty varieties.

The primary differences in these rices is their cooking characteristics and, in some cases, a subtle flavor difference. From a nutritional standpoint they are equal and indeed can often (with the exception of waxy rice or arborio) be interchanged in recipes.

UNITED STATES RICE TYPES
LONG GRAIN RICE
Long grain rice has a long, slender kernel, four to five times longer than its width. Cooked grains are separate, light and fluffy.

MEDIUM GRAIN RICE
Medium grain rice has a shorter, wider kernel (two to three times longer than its width) than long grain rice. Cooked grains are more moist and tender, and have a greater tendency to cling together than long grain.

SHORT GRAIN RICE
Short grain rice has a short, plump, almost round kernel. Cooked grains are soft and cling together.

SWEET OR WAXY RICE
U.S. sweet rice is short and plump with a chalky white, opaque kernel. When cooked, sweet rice loses its shape and is very glutinous. Sweet is more often used in commercial product formulations. The starch and flour from sweet rice is used in frozen products as a binder for gravies, sauces, and fillings because it is resistant to breakdown during freezing and thawing, unlike some corn or wheat starches.

AROMATIC RICE
Aromatic rices have a flavor and aroma similar to that of roasted nuts or popcorn. The natural compound that gives aromatic rice the characteristic aroma and flavor is present in all rice, but in the aromatic varieties it is present in much higher concentrations. The most popular domestically grown aromatic rices include: della which cooks dry, separate and fluffy; jasmine which cooks more moist and tends to cling together; and basmati which cooks into very long, slender grains which are dry, separate and fluffy.

U.S. aromatic red rice has a deep, honey-red bran. Like brown rice, it is minimally processed to retain its bran layers and takes 45 to 50 minutes to prepare. Cooked grains have a savory, nutty flavor and are slightly chewy.

U.S. basmati rice is an aromatic long grain rice that has a distinctive aroma and flavor similar to that of popcorn or roasted nuts. When cooked, it swells only lengthwise, resulting in long slender grains that are dry, separate and fluffy.

Della, Delrose, and Delmont varieties combine the qualities of regular long grain rice and basmati rice. They have an aroma similar to basmati. However, cooked grains swell in both length and width, like regular long grain rice.

U.S. black japonica is an aromatic rice with a dark black bran. Like brown rice, it is minimally processed to retain its bran layers and takes 45 to 50 minutes to prepare. Cooked grains are slightly chewy with a subtle sweet spiciness.

U.S. jasmine rice is an aromatic long grain rice that has a distinctive aroma and flavor similar to that of popcorn or roasted nuts. Cooked grains are soft, moist and cling together.

U.S. ARBORIO RICE
U.S. arborio rice is a large, bold rice with a characteristic white dot at the center of the grain. By the way of length/width ratio and starch characteristics, it is classified as a medium grain rice. Primarily used in risotto, this rice develops a creamy texture around a chewy center and has exceptional ability to absorb flavors.

RICE FORMS

Rough (Paddy) Rice
Kernels still within the hull. Before the rice can be packaged or cooked, the outer hull or husk must be removed.

Brown Rice
Kernels of rice from which only the hull has been removed. Brown rice may be eaten as is or milled into white rice. Cooked brown rice has a slightly chewy texture and a nut-like flavor. The light brown color of brown rice is caused by the presence of bran layers which are rich in minerals and vitamins, especially the B-complex group.

Regular Milled White Rice
Regular-milled white rice, often referred to as “white” or “polished” rice is the most common form of rice. The outer husk is removed, and the layers of bran are milled until the grain is white.

Parboiled Rice
Rough rice that has gone through a steam-pressure process before milling. This procedure gelatinizes the starch in the grain, and ensures a firmer, more separate grain. Parboiled rice is favored by consumers and chefs who desire an extra fluffy and separate cooked rice.

Precooked Rice
White or brown rice that has been completely cooked and dehydrated after milling. This process reduces time required for cooking.

chocolate moose

Tue, Jan 09 2007, 2:31 pm

any rice is good with chicken!

greenfire

Tue, Jan 09 2007, 2:31 pm

Are we going to be tested on this?!?!

mimsy7420

Tue, Jan 09 2007, 2:34 pm

lol

brown rice is healthier because it hasn't been processed. Any of those other exotic type rices are all "white" because they have been processed, stripping the kernels of a lot of their nutrients.

brooklyn

Tue, Jan 09 2007, 3:24 pm

greenfire wrote:

Are we going to be tested on this?!?!

By the end of the week you have to make one from each category.
LOL

greenfire

Tue, Jan 09 2007, 6:29 pm

and whose coming to dinner?

shanie5

Tue, Jan 09 2007, 6:59 pm

I will, I will!!!!!!!!!!!!

what day?

where?

when?

greenfire

Tue, Jan 09 2007, 7:22 pm

I think Brooklyn's gotta call the shots

cheerios

Wed, Jan 10 2007, 12:03 am

Quote:

Any of those other exotic type rices are all "white" because they have been processed, stripping the kernels of a lot of their nutrients.

Quote:

U.S. black japonica is an aromatic rice with a dark black bran. Like brown rice, it is minimally processed to retain its bran layers

So which are and which aren't "brown"?

brooklyn

Wed, Jan 10 2007, 7:17 am

Here is the definition of brown rice

Brown rice
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Brown rice (or otherwise called "hulled rice") is unmilled or partly milled rice, a kind of whole grain. It has a mild nutty flavor, is chewier than white rice, becomes rancid more quickly, but is far more nutritious. Any rice, including sticky rice, long-grain rice, or short-grain rice, may be eaten as brown rice.

In much of Asia, brown rice is associated with poverty and wartime shortages, and in the past was rarely eaten except by the sick, the elderly and as a cure for constipation. This traditionally looked-down-upon kind of rice is now more expensive than common white rice, partly due to its low consumption, difficulty of storage and transport, and higher nutritional value.

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Brown rice and white rice
Brown rice and white rice have similar amounts of calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein. The difference between the two lies in processing and nutritional content. If the outermost layer of a grain of rice (the husk) is removed, the result is brown rice. If the husk and the bran layer underneath are removed, the result is white rice. Several vitamins and dietary minerals are lost in this removal and the subsequent polishing process. A part of these missing nutrients, such as B1, B3, and iron are sometimes added back into the white rice making it "enriched", as food suppliers in the US are required to do by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One mineral that is not added back into white rice is magnesium; one cup of cooked long grain brown rice contains 84 mg of magnesium while one cup of white rice contains 19 mg.

When the bran layer is removed to make white rice, the oil in the bran is also removed. A recent study has shown that rice bran oil may help lower LDL cholesterol.

greenfire

Wed, Jan 10 2007, 8:33 am

Uh-oh - do we have to make more rice then? LOL