Category Archives: rice

How To Tell If Rice Is Perfectly Cooked With A Single Glance

Posted on by
Reply

Cooking rice sounds easy, but making it truly perfect is surprisingly challenging.

Experts say that rinsing the grains, picking great varieties, and even cooking rice in the oven can help you to achieve fluffy bliss at home.

But even though I pride myself on my stovetop method, which took years to perfect, I still sometimes find that the side is more or less cooked than I expected after completing the absorption method.

This involves letting rice steam in a lidded pot with the hob turned off for at least 10 minutes after all the water has boiled out of the pan.

According to one chef, though, a simple sight test can confirm whether your rice is perfectly cooked or not.

If rice stands up, it’s perfectly cooked, says chef

Sometimes, once the water has cooked away, I notice that the grains of rice in my saucepan all “stand up” at the top, as if they’re looking up at me.

According to chef and teacher Erica Wides, that’s a sign it’s been perfectly steamed.

Like me, she lets the rice sit for 10 minutes after cooking it, so that the steam trapped under the lid makes it “fluffy”.

Once it was done, she showed her Instagram followers a pan full of rice which, also like mine, seemed to be standing on its end.

“You see how these rice grains are actually standing up, like, at attention?” she said. “That’s how you know that this is properly-cooked rice.”

It likely happens when the grains are steamed at the end of cooking. However, it’s not the only way to test its doneness.

How else can I tell if rice is cooked?

If you ask the late Julia Child, the secret lies under the channels (gaps) that steam makes in the rice as it cooks.

In a video showcasing the technique, she previously said: “If you notice, there are those little holes… but you can still see… liquid” at their base when the rice isn’t cooked.

But, she added, when the rice is done, you can “lift up an edge [of rice] and tilt the pan, and if there’s no liquid there” that means it’s good to go.

BBC Good Food, meanwhile, advises: “Check the rice is cooked at the end by trying a grain – this should also be indicated by the appearance of small holes on the surface and all the water having been absorbed.”

Share Button

So THAT’s Why Restaurant Rice Is So Much Better

Posted on by
Reply

Did you know the size of your frying pan can seriously affect the texture of your omelette?

Yup – pros swear by a medium-small option to get the right mix of thick curds and fully cooked fluffiness.

These are the kinds of secrets chefs keep under their white sleeves when making restaurant-level food, and the sort I’m always keen to learn about.

So, you’d better believe I tuned in when former chef (and current YouTuber) @SenpaiKai9000 began his video by describing “why rice tastes better in restaurants.”

Why DOES rice taste better in restaurants?

The chef explained that, as with so many other gourmet “secrets,” chefs simply start off with “better-quality” rice.

It might surprise you to learn that not all rice is created equal. Lower-quality rice contains more blemishes, has more broken grains, contains the right amount of starch, and is the correct length.

The YouTuber says he prefers higher-grade basmati and jasmine rice “because they have so much more flavour” than other kinds.

Then, the former cook says it’s important to rinse rice in three to five times as much cold water to remove excess starch, “otherwise it can taste gummy or tacky.”

When cooking, he uses one part rice to 1.25 parts water and – a true chef’s trick – chucks butter into the pan.

If you’re cooking rice in a pot, allow it to boil, then let it simmer for 15 minutes and rest for at least a further five minutes with the lid on. That way, the steam continues to fluff up the rice.

But “really good restaurants will cook [rice] in the oven or rice cooker,” he added.

To cook it in the oven, the ex-chef covers a baking dish with foil and bakes the water, rice, butter, and salt together for 40-45 minutes.

“This allows the rice to cook way more evenly, because the heat source isn’t just coming hyper-aggressively from the bottom.”

<div class="js-react-hydrator" data-component-name="YouTube" data-component-id="5616" data-component-props="{"itemType":"video","index":19,"contentIndexByType":1,"contentListType":"embed","code":"

","type":"video","meta":{"author":"Senpai Kai","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt80koRTG61DmNCp4oybLSg","cache_age":86400,"description":"#shorts #food #easyrecipe \n$50 OFF your FIRST order of A5 WAGYU BEEF (:\nhttps://www.crowdcow.com/l/uywukadcief\n\n————————————\n\nBusiness Inquiries: stowellkaito1@gmail.com\nInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/chino_cappucino/\nTikTok: http://tiktok.com/@senpai__kai\n\n————————————\n\nMY KITCHEN GEAR\n🍳 Pots + Pans: cookgoldilocks.com/senpaikai\n🧷 Chef Tweezers: https://amzn.to/33389KU\n🔪 Chef’s knife: cookgoldilocks.com/senpaikai\n🥄 Spoons + Spatulas: cookgoldilocks.com/senpaikai\n🥘 Cast iron pan: https://amzn.to/3t7dZpj","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Add your own player cover","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AthENEDVtjc/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"Why Restaurant Rice is Better","type":"video","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AthENEDVtjc","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"life","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"67e28b46e4b07be5218749d2","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/restaurant-level-rice-at-home_uk_67e28b46e4b07be5218749d2","entryTagsList":"food,recipes,rice","sectionSlug":"lifestyle","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.lifestyle","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":10},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"67e28b46e4b07be5218749d2","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"Food","slug":"food","links":{"relativeLink":"news/food","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/food","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/food"},"relegenceSubjectId":979740,"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"lifestyle"},"topic":{"title":"Food & Drink","slug":"food-drink","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/food-drink/"},{"name":"Recipes","slug":"recipes","links":{"relativeLink":"news/recipes","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/recipes","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/recipes"},"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"lifestyle"},"topic":{"title":"Recipes","slug":"recipes","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/recipes/"},{"name":"rice","slug":"rice","links":{"relativeLink":"news/rice","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/rice","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/rice"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/rice/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-1\", \"entry_paragraph_1\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline\", \"entry_paragraph_2\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-2\", \"entry_paragraph_3\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-infinite\", \"repeating_dynamic_display\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}”>

Why does butter work in rice?

The addition gives rice a fuller, richer flavour, which it then imparts onto other food,

Tasting Table says

.

But that’s not the only advantage of the added fat – the experts say that including it in your rice cooker or pan can also improve its fluffiness.

That’s because, as with greasing a baking dish, it prevents the starches from sticking to the sides of the pan.

So, you’ll be left with more evenly-cooked, richer-tasting grains (don’t mind if I do).

Share Button