Tips for Cooking Rice

One cup of uncooked rice equals 3 cups of cooked rice, or four servings. To cook any amount of rice, use twice as much water as rice. To make sticky rice, use rice that is not long grain.

Combine:
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt (optional)

Stir rice into boiling, salted water and bring to boil again. Cover with a tight fitting lid and lower the heat to simmer. Cook about 15 minutes without removing the lid or stirring until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

USING RICE

Cook rice in beef or chicken broth instead of water for a delicious, nutritious, and delightful change. Mix cooked rice with a variety of things like sliced mushrooms, sauteed onion, crumbled pieces of bacon, slivered almonds or grated cheese.

Try sour cream and chives mixed into cooked rice.

Substitute 1/2 cup fruit juice (orange, apple, cherry) for 1/2 cup water when cooking rice. Vegetable juice cocktail or tomato juice may also be exchanged for 1 cup of the water used in cooking.

Add one of the following herbs to the cooking water when preparing rice:

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, basil or savory
1 teaspoon celery seeds or dried dill
seasoned salt instead of salt
3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 small bay leaf

(Source: "Basic Food Storage Cookbook", South Jordan Utah River Stake, 2003, pg. 89)

About Rice

1 cup uncooked rice = 3 cups cooked

Rice is of such antiquity that the precise time and place of its first development will perhaps never be known. The cultivation of rice began as early as 6,000 B.C. making rice one of the oldest grains grown for food. It is a dietary staple for almost half the world's population. Rice has fed more people over a longer period of time than has any other crop. In several Asian languages the words for rice and food are identical. Rice has been produced in the U.S. since the late 1600’s.

Rice is gluten-free and non-allergenic. Most people with food allergies are not allergic to rice. Rice cereal is usually the first solid food given to babies.

There are many ways to cook rice. To retain vitamins, do not rinse enriched rice before or drain after cooking. Rice can be cooked in water, juice, milk or bouillon. It can be steamed or boiled, cooked then fried or added to puddings. A bit of oil will help keep the grains from sticking together; a little salt adds flavor. As soon as the cooked grains are tender all the way through but still firm, the rice is done.

The easiest way to test for tenderness is to taste it. The grains should have no hardness in the center. A combination of rice with other grains or legumes will increase nutrition and add variety to meals.

How rice cooks changes from variety to variety, even from batch to batch: brown rice cooks longer than white; old rice absorbs more water than new. All cook by the same principles: Add rice to boiling water; stir, cover, reduce heat; cook. Water will be absorbed into rice or evaporate during cooking. Let rice sit off the heat, undisturbed with lid on, at least 5 minutes or as long as 30. This results in a uniform texture, with the bottom layer as fluffy as the top. Cooked rice stores tightly covered in refrigerator up to one week or in freezer 6 months.

(Source: "Food Storage Recipes - Using only the ingredients contained in the One-Month Basic Food Storage Kit", pg. 16)

Use It or Lose It...Rice

"Rice is a versatile, economical food for family meals. It is a good source of energy, and can supply vitamins and minerals to the diet.

It is generally classified as a grain, but in family meals it can be used as:
1. A cereal

2. A vegetable
A. As a substitute for potatoes
B. As a base for meat
C. In soups

3. A dessert
D. Puddings
E. Custards

Rice has been commonly known and used since ancient times. It has been and still is a medium of exchange in some countries. The custom of throwing rice at weddings is a survival of the ancient Chinese religious belief that rice is the symbol of fertility. It is easy to store, takes little storage space, and has no waste since it is completely edible. Rice has been grown in America since 1668, and technological developments have kept pace to provide the kind of rice needed for any purpose.

Even though there are 7,000 varieties of rice produced in the world, the consumer needs to be aware that generally there are only three different lengths of rice grain and five different kinds.

LENGTHS

Long grain rice is distinguished because its length is four to five times its width. The grains are clear and translucent. The grains remain distinct and separate after cooking.

Medium grain rice is about three times as long as its width. This type is less expensive than long grain rice. This is because it requires a shorter growing season and produces a higher yield per acre. It is also easier to mill than the long grained variety.

Short grain rice is only one and a half to two times as long as it is wide. It is generally the least expensive of the three lengths.

KINDS

With five different kinds of rice to select from, it is important to be able to distinguish between the different varieties available.

Brown rice is the whole, unpolished grain of rice with only the outer fibrous, inedible hull removed. Brown rice requires more water and longer cooking time than white rice. It has a delightful, chewy texture, with a distinctive nut-like flavor. Brown rice shelf life is very short. It is not a good item for long term storage.

Regular milled white rice is rice from which hulls, germ, outer bran layers and most of the inner bran are removed in the milling process. The grains are bland in flavor and are fluffy and distinct when cooking directions are followed.

Parboiled rice—sometimes called processed or converted rice—has been treated to keep some of the natural vitamins and minerals the whole grain contains. It has been cooked before milling by a special steam pressure process. It requires longer cooking time than regular milled white rice, but after cooking the grains are fluffy, separate and plump.

Pre-cooked or instant rice—quick type—is completely cooked. It needs only to stand in boiling water to be ready for serving. Cooking this product will result in a gummy, distinguishable mass.

Fortified or Enriched rice—This product is a combination of highly fortified rice with ordinary milled rice. A coating of vitamins and minerals—thiamine, niacin, iron, and sometimes riboflavin—is used to fortify rice. This coating adheres to the rice and does not dissolve with ordinary washing or cooking.

Wild rice—Wild rice is not rice at all, but the seed of a wild water grass found around the Great Lakes region. It is much more expensive than the types of rice described above. Many Americans have discovered this rice and developed a taste for it. The demand for it is almost greater than the supply.

PREPARATION

Some rules are a must in preparing rice. Due to the fact that the B vitamins are added to rice in the form of powder, much of the valuable nutrients are lost if the product is not handled properly.

A. Do not wash rice before cooking or rinse it after cooking. Rice is one of the most sanitary foods. Rice grown and milled in the U.S. is clean. Nutrients on the surface of the rice are washed away if it is washed or rinsed before cooking.

B. Do not use too much water when cooking rice. Any water drained off means wasted food value. Too much water makes soggy rice. Too little water results in a dry product.

C. Do not stir rice after it comes to a boil. This breaks up the grains and makes the rice gummy.

D. Do not leave rice in a pan in which it is cooked for more than 5-10 minutes or the cooked rice will pack."

(Source: Utah State University Food Storage Cooking School—Low and Hendricks, USU Extension, Salt Lake County, 1/1999, pgs. 108, 109. Copies may be made for individual and non-profit use as long as Utah State University Extension credit appears on each page.)

Complementing Proteins

Protein is required for growth, body repair, and maintenance. Serious injuries or illness require extra protein. If we do not get enough protein, our bodies will steal it from our muscles.

Our bodies use 22 amino acids to make 50,000 (that's what it said) different proteins we must have to be healthy. Our bodies can make all but eight. These eight are called "essential amino acids" as we must get them from foods we eat. The only foods which contain all eight of these building blocks are meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and milk products. Soy protein is equivalent to animal protein and has all eight (plus one extra) of the essential amino acids needed to make protein in the body.

Planning meals around these complementary food combinations will provide the complete proteins needed by the body. In many cases it will be better than a meat protein. Complementing proteins should be eaten within the same day.

Wheat + Beans
Wheat + Milk
Beans + Milk
Cereal + Milk
Rice + Legumes
Rice + Milk
Rice + Wheat
Cereal + Legumes

(Source: "Food Storage Recipes - Using only the ingredients contained in the One-Month Basic Food Storage Kit", pg. 34)

Rice Bag Warmers

Rice bag warmers make great Christmas gifts and help you rotate your food storage. Listed below are some great links to check out.

Rice Bag Links:
Rice Bag Warmers (http://www.sewing.org/html/ricebags.html)
Rice Heat Therapy Bag Tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew! (http://sewmamasew.com)
How to Make Rice Bag Heating Pads (http://www.quilt.com)