How To Cook Perfect Rice With Or Without An Electric Rice Cooker
We all appreciate the most convenient method of cooking rice is to use a rice cooker, still, if you don't possess one or you don't want to use one there is always the long-standing conventional fail safe method of doing it as well, a system that has been passed downward via the generations. Being that there are scores of varieties of rice out there means that there are also a number of different ways of cooking it as well as using it. One typical approach of cooking rice is to flavor it through seasonings or broth, a clear soup that you can use instead of water, to make the rice real tasty together with chicken or vegetables.
In order to make a ample serving that will feed at least 4 people you will first of all need a large pan or shallow pot. Take 2 cups of white rice, either plain or glutinous (depending on how tacky you favor it). Make sure that you include a helpful quantity of either vegetable oil, margarine or butter, something like 2 tablespoons worth. Ideally, for 2 cups of rice, you will want roughly 3.5 cups of water). You can also add a bit of salt to season, but not too much, because excessively salty rice can be just as objectionable as having sodden rice.
When you have placed the rice into the base of the saucepan, clean then draw off the water off a number of times until it appears no longer cloudy, this not only cleans the rice but additionally removes it's starchiness. You can administer a manual check to ensure you have the correct quantity of water by placing your longest middle finger into the saucepan, the water must reach up near your knuckle. Add your salt and oil at this point before the cooking process begins. Put your pan on a heated stove together with a lid that does not wholly cover the top, leaving roughly 1cm opening between the lid and the pot.
The objective is not to bring the rice to a fast boil, consign it initially on a low to medium heat and leave it for in the region of 20 minutes to heat up. Once this time has elapsed, then test it in 5 minute intervals until the water has been totally soaked up by the rice. Sometimes it may well appear that the water has all disappeared, but to be definite, take a spoon and push the rice back and forwards to reveal any residual water. If there is, then merely seal the lid for the final 5 minute blast. If you should find that the rice has not reached the texture of softness you desire before the water has run out, then merely put in a further quarter cup of hot water to the middle of the pot and rearrange the rice around to cover it over. As soon as it's finished, only then turn off the heat and leave it to stand a further 5 minutes simmering with the cover still on, then stir and fluff the rice up before serving.
If you would prefer to have your rice plain and unflavored then merely follow the equivalent process stated above, but this time when the rice has been rinsed and cleaned, you need to bring the water to the boil before you actually add the rice to the pan. You could use more water for this method as it is ok to drain some if required (make certain that you have a colander with a sizeable bowl to hand as well). When the rice has been added to the boiling water you would need to stir regularly to ensure that it does not attach together. Wait roughly 10 minutes and then check to see if it is done. If not, then continue to stir every 2 minutes until the cooking process is concluded, at which point you basically need to drain the contents of the pot into the sieve, letting the surplus water drain off into the bowl.
Once all the extra water has been removed then return the rice to the pot, where you could flavor it if you like and then serve. Rice tends to be a little stickier when cooked this way therefore it is suitable for using to make things like rice balls, etc. If you are on a low salt diet, you can always insert a little chilli, vegetable or bouillon stock cube to the rice to give flavor to it. There are various different flavoring options plus a lot of rice recipe cook books will permit you to experiment with various flavorings. On a concluding note, remember never to reheat your rice once it has gone cold as rice will go off extremely rapidly, either keep it hot or if it is to used as a cold social gathering dish then make certain that it cools down very fast by placing it into miniature containers.