Holly <holly@xxxxxxx> got a new rice cooker and asked:
> I'd love some tips on how to make good brown rice...
Hawaii is rice cooker country. With two thirds of our state's
population of Asian decent, it's hard to find a home without at least
one rice cooker.
For brown rice use two cups of water for each cup of uncooked rice.
This extra liquid may cause a little more bubbling, so some rice
cookers may spew a little liquid if filled to full capacity, but
usually there's no problem if you make one or more cups less than the
maximum capacity.
Some newer rice cookers have a "keep warm" feature. This allows you
to keep rice warm for up to 72 hours, keeping the taste and texture
of freshly made rice. I didn't want to chance it, but a visitor from
Japan asked me to keep the rice ready all day, and I found it really
does work.
If you're not used to using a rice cooker, be sure to "scrape" thin
layers of rice from the top with a rice paddle to fluff the rice and
make it lighter. If your machine didn't come with a paddle, they're
cheap and available in plastic or wood at many oriental food markets.
If you're making pilaf or risotto, you can add the other ingredients
with the water. Another time-saving trick is to add cut vegetables
to the top of the rice as soon as the water has been absorbed,
usually about three-quarters through the cooking cycle, but don't
open the cooker more than once, as it depends on steam to cook the
rice properly.
---
Neal Pinckney <> Healing Heart Foundation <> Makaha, Hawaii <> AH6HM
<owner, Healing-Heart email support group>
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