My brown rice just isn't right.

[lovelycook234]

Every time I make brown rice it seems to never cook completely but burn on the bottom.I know brown rice is suppose so have a different texture than white rice,but I can't seem to get it right. What's the right way to cook brown rice?

 

[MostlyWater]

I got a rice steamer and it's perfect every time.

 

[taxlady]

I have been cooking brown rice this way for 40 years.

Measure out some dry brown rice.
Put it in a sieve and rinse it very well.
Put it in a heavy pot. I use enamelled cast iron.
Add twice as much water as rice.
Add ~ 1/4 tsp salt.

Bring the rice to a boil.
Don't stir the rice.
Boil for 5-10 minutes.
Don't stir the rice.
Turn the heat down.
Don't stir the rice.
Put the lid on.
Simmer for ~50 minutes. (~35-40 min, if it is brown basmati)
Don't stir the rice.

To check if the rice is done, poke a wooden spoon straight down and then lean it a little bit, so you can see all the way to the bottom. Pull out a few grains of rice and taste them. I seldom bother to taste the rice any more because I am so familiar with how it looks when it's done.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Taxlady gives some good advice, however, I think the most important thing is this:

"Turn the heat down."

If you're rice is burning on the bottom, you are cooking it at more than a simmer. I cook rice at the lowest setting on the burner. Leave the lid on and don't stir.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Taxlady gives some good advice...

Mostly Water's advice is better. A rice cooker is the best way to make any kind of rice, and a good one will also steam vegetalbes, act as a slow cooker and the Krups rice cooker I have makes oatmeal, too!

If the rice cooker comes with a steamer basket that sits on top of the rice bucket, you can cook your rice and steam your vegetables at the same time!

 

[Steve Kroll]

Mostly Water's advice is better. A rice cooker is the best way to make any kind of rice, and a good one will also steam vegetalbes, act as a slow cooker and the Krups rice cooker I have makes oatmeal, too!

Sorry, I don't see spending money on a gadget to be better advice. I've been making rice (and vegetables) just fine for about 40 years now without a rice cooker.

It's good to understand the basics of driving before buying a sports car.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Sorry, I don't see spending money on a gadget to be better advice. I've been making rice (and vegetables) just fine for about 40 years now without a rice cooker.

And I can pull nails out with my teeth, but I prefer to use a claw hammer.

The rice cooker is a multi-purpose cooking tool, and most professionals use them, including Martin Yan and Ming Tsai. 60 bucks American is a small price to pay for perfectly cooked rice, vegetables, stews, and oatmeal for the next ten years.

 

[Steve Kroll]

And I can pull nails out with my teeth, but I prefer to use a claw hammer.

The rice cooker is a multi-purpose cooking tool, and most professionals use them, including Martin Yan and Ming Tsai. 60 bucks American is a small price to pay for perfectly cooked rice, vegetables, stews, and oatmeal for the next ten years.

Holy cow. Sounds to me like you just enjoy being argumentative. But whatever. As the saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat.

If you want to shell out 60 bucks on an appliance, it's your money. But I also think it's important to understand cooking basics. I'd be willing to bet both Martin Yan amd Ming Tsai learned to cook rice in a pot before buying an appliance.

 

[GLC]

Taxlady gives some good advice, however, I think the most important thing is this:

"Turn the heat down."

If you're rice is burning on the bottom, you are cooking it at more than a simmer. I cook rice at the lowest setting on the burner. Leave the lid on and don't stir.

And if you have gas, you may have to further reduce the heat. For my gas range (GE Profile running propane), even on the "simmer" burner, I have to use a heat diffuser to get it down to a proper low level.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Every time I make brown rice it seems to never cook completely but burn on the bottom.I know brown rice is suppose so have a different texture than white rice,but I can't seem to get it right. What's the right way to cook brown rice?

I'll tell you how I make my brown rice and perhaps it will work for you. I guess there's many ways to succeed since mine isn't exactly like any of the above.

Put one measure of brown rice and two measures of water in a small sauce pan. Choose a pan that has a reasonably tight fitting lid, and the size should be such that the rice and water come up about half way.

Bring the rice to a boil, then quickly reduce the heat to the lowest setting and tightly cover. Do not take the cover off at any time. Do not peek. Do not stir it. Continue cooking for about 35-40 minutes then turn off the heat. At this point I usually give the rice a quick stir and put the cover back on until it's time to serve.

You should understand that it's the steam that cooks the rice not the water. Every time you remove the cover you're letting the important steam escape and reducing the amount of water left to produce steam. Do this too many times and most or all of the water will be gone and the bottom will burn. Use too big a pan or pot and your steam will be spread out and wasted on not cooking rice. If the lid doesn't fit tightly enough the steam will escape with the same end result, water gone and bottom burned.

The same method works for me with white rice. The only difference is that white rice takes 20 minutes and brown rice takes 40 minutes.

I recommend everybody should try Lundberg's "Jubilee" brown rice mixture, available at Whole Foods Market and other stores and online. It's my favorite brown rice.

And if you have gas, you may have to further reduce the heat. For my gas range (GE Profile running propane), even on the "simmer" burner, I have to use a heat diffuser to get it down to a proper low level.

Yeah that's a good idea. I've sometimes felt that my natural gas stove burner even on the lowest setting was dangerously too high. To cook rice properly IMO you really need the very lowest flame possible, just the smallest amount of heat, just barely enough to produce a small amount of steam, no more than that.

 

[taxlady]

...

Bring the rice to a boil, then quickly reduce the heat to the lowest setting and tightly cover. Do not take the cover off at any time. Do not peek. Do not stir it. Continue cooking for about 35-40 minutes then turn off the heat. At this point I usually give the rice a quick stir and put the cover back on until it's time to serve.
...

When you let it sit with the burner off, it's going to make a big difference whether you use electric or gas. The heat retention of the pot will matter too.

 

[taxlady]

Mostly Water's advice is better. A rice cooker is the best way to make any kind of rice, and a good one will also steam vegetalbes, act as a slow cooker and the Krups rice cooker I have makes oatmeal, too!

If the rice cooker comes with a steamer basket that sits on top of the rice bucket, you can cook your rice and steam your vegetables at the same time!

I don't want to know what those vegis look like if they are steaming for as long as brown rice.

I don't have any spare space in my kitchen. I wouldn't mind having a rice cooker, but it's not very far up the list of things that I want. There are other things, that will take up space, that I want first. And, it isn't one of those kitchen toys that will make preparing the food enough easier that I will make that food more often. I make rice about once a week now. I make more than I need and refrigerate and/or freeze some. It nukes up really quickly. Or, I could steam it.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

When you let it sit with the burner off, it's going to make a big difference whether you use electric or gas. The heat retention of the pot will matter too.

Yes of course. I was assuming a gas stove. Of course you'll have to take it off the burner if you have an electric stove.

In my situation (gas stove) the heat retention of the pot will keep the rice warm until serving time. At the end of the cooking time (40 minutes for brown rice) the liquid should be gone and the retained heat won't appreciably cook the rice further since there's no more steam being generated. After that point any heat applied to the bottom of the pan will just burn the rice because there's no more water left to evaporate and carry the heat into steam.

In fact the exact instant the last water is turned to steam is the perfect instant to turn off the flame or remove the rice from your electric stove. For me that usually works out to be approximately 40 minutes, or close enough.

 

[MostlyWater]

Mine makes quinoa too. I can also serve and store the rice in the container that it cooks in.

I admit that it's a gadget, and "extra", but since I can't make decent rice on the stove - neither can my mom - I don't think it's an indulgence. I bought ours several years ago & it wasn't like I used the rent money. I could afford it.

Until then, we microwaved our rice and you know what? Microwave energy costs money too.

 

[taxlady]

Mine makes quinoa too. I can also serve and store the rice in the container that it cooks in.

I admit that it's a gadget, and "extra", but since I can't make decent rice on the stove - neither can my mom - I don't think it's an indulgence. I bought ours several years ago & it wasn't like I used the rent money. I could afford it.

Until then, we microwaved our rice and you know what? Microwave energy costs money too.

That's why a rice cooker is a great tool for you and not for me.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I get great results cooking white rice in my Cuisinart rice cooker. However I've never gotten good results using brown rice. I know I should experiment with adjusting the water:rice ratio but I've just gotten around to it. Partly that's because when I cook brown rice I often cook only small quantities, but I often cook larger quantities of white rice partly because IMO white rice is better for making the typical Asian fried rice recipes I'm fond of, so I don't mind having lots of white rice left over.

Brown rice, particularly that Lundberg Jubilee I recommend, has such a nice nutty taste when freshly cooked that IMO is not nearly as nice when reheated. That's why I generally cook only small quantities of brown rice.

 

[Dawgluver]

I get great results using the directions on the package, in a pot! It's pretty much the same as Taxlady's TNT method. Love brown rice.

As much as I love gadgets, not sure I could find the space for a rice maker.

 

[AlisonC]

For perfect brown rice every time, use your oven. This is Alton Brown's recipe, and it always works!

 

[CWS4322]

Sorry, I don't see spending money on a gadget to be better advice. I've been making rice (and vegetables) just fine for about 40 years now without a rice cooker.

It's good to understand the basics of driving before buying a sports car.

I agree with Steve. One of the tips I picked up on American Test Kitchen is to rinse all rice. So before you cook the rice, run it under hot water (in a strainer) until the water runs clear, massage the rice as you are running the water over it. It does make a difference. I also add the rice when the water starts to boil and then I turn the temp down and cover the pot. I have no problem with the rice sticking to the bottom of the pan. I have to admit I am a bit "dyslexic" about problems cooking rice. For me, it is a no brainer and I haven't had any problems cooking rice...longer than Steve has.

 

[Addie]

Sorry, I don't see spending money on a gadget to be better advice. I've been making rice (and vegetables) just fine for about 40 years now without a rice cooker.

It's good to understand the basics of driving before buying a sports car.

Same here. Learing to turn the heat down to very low is the answer to cooking brown rice. That doesn't take a college degree. Or a needless appliance. She asked for directions and was given excellent advice.