Rice Cooker Woes

escritora · Dec 18, 2011

I have the Wolfgang Puck rice cooker. I lost the measuring cup that comes with the device. I've tried every which way to make rice. 1:2 ratio, 1:1 ratio and on and on. Online I read the ratio for this rice cooker is 1/4:1. That seems off the mark.

Then I found out there's a difference btwn a rice cup and a regular cup. The rice I use is Goya white medium grain. Once I get this rice down, I'm open to healthier types.

Someone please help me. I'm Puerto Rican and need rice to live a happy life!

jennontheisland · Dec 18, 2011

I've never in my life used a rice cooker.

I also don't measure rice, at least not by any conventional method.

Put a bunch of rice in the bottom of a pot. Rinse it with cold water three times. Put enough water in the pot so that you have twice as much height of water as you do rice. Height. The way I do it: I put the tip of my finger on the bottom of the pot. If the rice comes to the first joint, I use water to the second.

If you get distracted or if you're of the sort who likes to soak rice, you can leave it like this for up to an hour.

Put the pot over high heat and bring it to a rolling boil, stir it if you want to. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until most of the water has evaporated. You'll have little chimneys in the rice with bubbles coming up out of them. When all you have are bubbles and you can't see actual water, turn the burner off, put the lid on and leave it.

The longer you leave it, the better it will be. Give it about 20 minutes, up to 40 if you can wait.

I've left it over an hour like this with the lid on, and it's been just fine.

I've done this with long grain white, brown, and wild rices.

roseangel · Dec 18, 2011

I have a rice cooker, I go with a 2 to 1 measuring option, 2 parts water to 1 part rice, add half a measure of water for brown.
After I rinse it I let it soak in the water for 30 or so.

Alessandra Kelley · Dec 18, 2011

I don't rinse the rice 'cause they add artificial vitamin fortification which goes away with the rinse water. But I suppose I'm playing along with the pretense that vitamin fortification matters in rice.

Anyhow, I've generally gone with a 1 part rice to 2 parts water ratio, give or take a little (mostly give, as I prefer to err on the side of a smidgen more water). I don't know what the difference is between a rice cup and a regular cup. All I know is, whatever measure you are using, 1:2 works, and you need at least a half cup of rice or it doesn't work right.

edit: Oh yes, I agree with roseangel, when making brown rice add a little more water, maybe a ratio of 1 cup of rice to 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups of water.

escritora · Dec 18, 2011

What rice cooker do you two use? The 2 to 1 ratio leaves the rice mushy in mine.

I'm giving jennontheisland's method a try. I'll report back in forty minutes.

Alessandra Kelley · Dec 18, 2011

Mine's a National Rice-O-Mat.

I should say, I almost always just cook rice in a pot on the stovetop. We use the rice cooker maybe once a year when we make Christmas dinner for family & friends & need every pot & pan we have. So I'm usually making a big batch of rice when I do use it. Then the 1:2 ratio works fine.

If that ratio makes rice too mushy, cut back a tablespoon or two of the water.

escritora · Dec 18, 2011

I failed once again. The rice came out wet (not mushy) and a bit raw. Despite the outcome, the stovetop method has potential. I shall try again tomorrow.

Leah J. Utas · Dec 18, 2011

May I suggest the pasta method?
Boil water in a pot.
Add rice.
Stir a wee bit just for the sheer glorious hell of it.
Return to a boil.
Turn down to medium heat so it simmers gently.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Drain. Fluff. Serve.
Adding salt to the pot or a bit of oil is the cook's call. I don't.
I use about a cup of rice to maybe four cups of water. I'm really not in to measuring and this method has been very forgiving.

escritora · Dec 18, 2011

Suirattigas said:
May I suggest the pasta method?
Boil water in a pot.
Add rice.
Stir a wee bit just for the sheer glorious hell of it.
Return to a boil.
Turn down to medium heat so it simmers gently.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Drain. Fluff. Serve.
Adding salt to the pot or a bit of oil is the cook's call. I don't.
I use about a cup of rice to maybe four cups of water. I'm really not in to measuring and this method has been very forgiving.

I'll give it a try. One point for clarification: I'm not supposed to wait for the water to completely evaporate?

jennontheisland · Dec 18, 2011

escritora said:
I failed once again. The rice came out wet (not mushy) and a bit raw. Despite the outcome, the stovetop method has potential. I shall try again tomorrow.

Boil at a lower temp for a bit longer, then leave it sitting for a little longer. Almost there.

Alessandra Kelley · Dec 18, 2011

Here's how I cook rice:

Put 1 part rice and 2 parts water into a pot. Add salt to taste and a knob of unsalted butter.

Cover pot tightly and turn heat on high. When water reaches full boil, turn heat to as low as possible. Keep covered and don't peek.

After 15 minutes (longer for large amounts of rice), peek:

* If rice looks soggy, keep heat (and lid) on.

* If rice looks cooked, stir with fork to make sure it's not soggy at the bottom. If soggy, see above.

* If rice is not soggy, turn off heat but leave lid on.

* If rice is gently sizzling at edges of pot, definitely turn off heat, and still leave lid on.

* If rice is sizzling and getting toasted at edges, you've gone too far but all is not lost. Add a tablespoon or two more water and leave heat on for another minute or so with lid on. Then turn off heat.

Leave lid on tightly for another 5-15 minutes with heat off. Resist temptation to peek.

Fluff rice with fork and serve.

Leaving the lid on without the heat keeps rice from sticking to the pot.

Leah J. Utas · Dec 18, 2011

escritora, no. Simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes uncovered and drain it as you would pasta.
I was severely rice-challenged until I tried this method.

blacbird · Dec 20, 2011

escritora said:
What rice cooker do you two use? The 2 to 1 ratio leaves the rice mushy in mine.

This may depend more on the kind of rice you're using than the cooking method. There are big differences in the way certain varieties of rice behave when cooked. Typical glutinous rice, the kind most often used in Chinese cooking, lives up to its name, and is sticky. Basmati rice, the kind used in Indian food, is much less so.

caw

jennontheisland · Dec 20, 2011

Basmati is the best rice.

escritora · Dec 20, 2011

For the last two days I've been eating chocolate chip cookies. I'm on a sweet tooth binge. No real food. Unhealthy, I know. I expect to return to real food tomorrow. I'll give rice another whirl.

blacbird · Dec 20, 2011

I also commonly chop up some onion or scallions to cook in the rice, sometimes a bit of celery or bell pepper as well. And a chicken bouillon cube or two improves the rice a lot.

caw

escritora · Dec 20, 2011

I'm making white rice as an accompaniment to pollo guisado. So I want it kind of plain tasting. Suirattigas pasta method will do. But I have to learn jennontheisland's method because I love arroz on gandules.

escritora · Dec 20, 2011

I only have basmati rice when I go to Indian Restaurants. When you make it at home, what do you eat with it?

jennontheisland · Dec 20, 2011

It's my general all-purpose rice. I buy it by the 10lb bag and make it whenever I need rice.

Actually, since it's a longer grain, thinner rice, it makes sense that my method would need adjustment for your medium grian rice. So, if you'd been using basmati, it probably would have come out perfectly!

escritora · Dec 20, 2011

jennontheisland said:
It's my general all-purpose rice. I buy it by the 10lb bag and make it whenever I need rice.

Actually, since it's a longer grain, thinner rice, it makes sense that my method would need adjustment for your medium grian rice. So, if you'd been using basmati, it probably would have come out perfectly!

Sabotage! I knew it.

blacbird · Dec 21, 2011

escritora said:
I only have basmati rice when I go to Indian Restaurants. When you make it at home, what do you eat with it?

It works fine with anything, in my experience. I prefer it to the more standard glutinous rice, as does Jenn. You can generally buy it in bulk at any major grocery store. I make a lot of rice pilaf sorts of things as side dishes, and it goes well as a substrate for stir-fries or Filipino-style adobo cooking (which is relatively simple and fabulous, if you've never tried it).

caw

kikazaru · Dec 21, 2011

I love basmati as well, but generally I use an all purpose quality long grain white rice. I find that Uncle Ben's is no fail for me.

I have a very heavy bottomed pan pot with a tight fitting lid that I use for rice - this I think is important for cooking rice that is not mushy, watery, underdone or burnt on the bottom .

Next I use the 2 to 1 water to rice ratio - and I don't salt it.

Put rice in pot, add water, bring to a boil, put tight fitting lid on and turn burner down to low. I allow it to cook like this without lifting the lid for 15 minutes. I take it off the burner and still without peeking, and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.

This always works for me.

If I want to get fancy I will make lemon rice. Finely chop a small onion, 3 or 4 minced garlic cloves, put a good glug of oil in the bottom of the pot. Add rice and stir til the rice is coated in oil, cooking on medium hi til the rice starts to turn golden. Add onions cook a moment, til soft looking then add garlic and stir a few times taking care not to burn the onions, or garlic. Add chicken stock (the amount of stock for the rice) and the juice of 1 lemon with half of the lemon's finely grated rind. Cook as above for about 10 minutes then add finely diced carrot and about 1/2 cup of parsley). Continue cooking as above. Before serving add more lemon juice and more parsley if desired.

jennontheisland · Dec 21, 2011

kikazaru said:
If I want to get fancy I will make lemon rice. Finely chop a small onion, 3 or 4 minced garlic cloves, put a good glug of oil in the bottom of the pot. Add rice and stir til the rice is coated in oil, cooking on medium hi til the rice starts to turn golden. Add onions cook a moment, til soft looking then add garlic and stir a few times taking care not to burn the onions, or garlic. Add chicken stock (the amount of stock for the rice) and the juice of 1 lemon with half of the lemon's finely grated rind. Cook as above for about 10 minutes then add finely diced carrot and about 1/2 cup of parsley). Continue cooking as above. Before serving add more lemon juice and more parsley if desired.

Add mint and you have a perfect side for Greek dishes.

kikazaru · Dec 21, 2011

jennontheisland said:
Add mint and you have a perfect side for Greek dishes.

That's a great idea. The lemon rice is my version of what a local Greek restaurant serves here, they use parsley but I think mint would be terrific.

escritora · Dec 21, 2011

Success!

The method I used.

1 cup rice, 2 cups water
Brought the water, salt, and oil to a boil
Put in rice, allowed the rice to boil, and I let it boil for about 2 minutes.
I covered the pot and put the fire on simmer for twenty minutes.
Then let the rice sit for 10 minutes.

Hopefully, I'll be able to repeat this method again.

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