The KInd Life Community Forum

Hi everyone. So the truth is, I'm not bad at cooking, but for some reason, I just can't cook rice properly!!!! I'm starting to get a little annoyed. I mean, i'll cook this wonderful tasting dish, but then when I make the rice to compliment it, it just dooesn't come out right!It always comes out really chewy in texture (which i personally really like, but the people i serve it to want it more soft and fluffy)....and i know that it's possible to get it soft because i've eaten it that way at restaurants. So i add more water when i see that it's still too chewy or hard...but what ends up happening is that i get this consistently kind of like oatmeal, and the rice is kind of stuck together...i don't understand, what am I doing wrong??? lol help!!

I had that problem too before I got an inexpensive little rice maker ($25)...now I just throw in the rice and water and walk away. It's great for quinoa and couscous, too!

If you are able or so inclined to use a little oil in your cooking, here's how I make all long grain rice (I am still using up a big old sack o' white rice, alternating with brown until it's done). It is basically cooking the rice pilaf style. Most brown rice isn't really a problem for me, so sometimes, it's just in the pot with the water and forget about it. But if I try a new type or brand, I do it this way because I am so familiar with it:

Get a 1.5 or 2 quart nonstick sauce pan with lid, preferably a lid with a small vent hole in it. I get mine from Meijer, which is pretty much the best reason for living in the Midwest, lol.

Put a small bit of your preferred cooking oil in the bottom. I use about 2 Tblsp because I make a lot of rice at once. Heat the oil over high heat but do not ignore it! When it's hot but not smoking, add your rice. Stir the rice to coat it with the oil and cook, stirring, until a noticeable amount of the rice has become white. Some pilafs make you cook until it's all white and no longer translucent, but I don't do that anymore bec. it takes too long.

Meanwhile, heat up your water or broth. I have a pretty hot tap and a filter, so I use that. For white rice, use 1.5 c water to 1 c rice, and for brown, 2c water to 1 c rice the first time you cook that brand, or if you buy in bulk like I do, the first time you cook from that batch. Give it a good stir, too. If you're adding veggies or TVP or something, do it now.

Then, heat the liquid until it's boiling like mad, and immediately lower the heat to the lowest you can. If you have an electric stove, use two burners and heat up the second burner while you're doing the other cooking. Cover and cook for 20 mins. for white, or however long it says on the package for brown. Some brown rice will say cook for 20, sit for 10 and this seems to work best for me.

It sounds a little labor intensive, but you get the hang of it after a while. HTH!