One Serving of Rice

delongpre
delongpre Posts: 14 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Can anyone tell me how to cook one serving of rice? Thank you very kindly for answering only about one serving of rice. I cannot cook more servings and "freeze the rest" because of my eating disorder. Thank you very much.

Replies

  • Clarewho
    Clarewho Posts: 494 Member
    I assume you're cooking for one? So you'll weigh about 50 - 75g of rice (raw) then cook in usual way. Or buy the boxed boil in the bag option which comes as individual portions.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wekw3n8Vrv8

    I would try measuring it out and microwave
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    Does the package/box for your rice have instructions or not? It may have instructions for, say, 4 servings, but you should be able to just do the math for a lower portion.

    Serving sizes may vary depending on brand/type of rice, too, so it could be tough for one of us to give you the info you need.

    ~Lyssa
  • tristen_leigh
    tristen_leigh Posts: 214 Member
    Depends on what you consider a serving. BUT I would say about 1/4 cup (uncooked) is plenty for me. The ratio should be one part rice and two parts water.

    Bring your 1/4 cup rice and 1/2 cup water to a good boil for about 3-5 minutes then COVER and turn your heat all the way down to low. Just let it do it's thing. You should have perfect rice in about 8-10 minutes.

    I always cook my rice and quinoa that way and never have an issue.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    If I recall correctly the package usually describes cooking for four. So you would divide the quantities by a quarter. I agree with @tristen_leigh that it's a two-to-one ratio water to rice, and that a single serving of (dry) rice is about 1/4 cup.

    The cooking method is the same.

    http://www.unclebens.ca/en-ca/products/uncle_ben_s_converted_brand_rice/uncle_ben_s_converted_brand_rice.aspx
  • delongpre
    delongpre Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you. I was under the impression that one serving was 1/4 cup cooked, but when I think about it, that seems quite ridiculous. I'll try it that way and see how it goes. Thank you so much!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    You know what? I think I just found some deceptive packaging. The link above for Uncle Ben's lists two servings as being 1/2 cup (dry) rice, but the serving size on the nutrition panel is for 1/2 cup (prepared). Which is half.

    Half a cup (prepared) rice would be 110 calories.
  • delongpre
    delongpre Posts: 14 Member
    I was just wondering if anyone had experience cooking one serving since often cooking times vary when we reduce amounts by a significant quantity. Sometimes it's hard to achieve the same effect (quality-wise) when we change the recipe-especially by THAT much. Thanks for all the comments. I appreciate them.
  • delongpre
    delongpre Posts: 14 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    You know what? I think I just found some deceptive packaging. The link above for Uncle Ben's lists two servings as being 1/2 cup (dry) rice, but the serving size on the nutrition panel is for 1/2 cup (prepared). Which is half.

    Half a cup (prepared) rice would be 110 calories.

    Exactly. It can get very confusing when trying to figure it out!
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
    I think you're right about proportions changing when you cook a much smaller amount than typical. In this case, I imagine the same amount of water will evaporate whether you're cooking one portion or four. I'd use more water than math implies. Cook for the same amount of time. If it's too wet, drain it, and use less water the next time till you figure out the proportions.

    When I was a kid, the method we used was like pasta. Lots of water. Boil (20 minutes for white rice). Then drain.
  • jmule24
    jmule24 Posts: 1,382 Member
    Do you have access to a digital food scale? You can purchase one for less than $10. I like to use them for weighing dry items like noodles, rice, beans, and pasta. All packages will give you a number in grams which is the serving size dry / uncooked. I think white rice is 45g dry.
  • delongpre
    delongpre Posts: 14 Member
    Rice Report: I took everyone's advice, and some modifications are worth mentioning. I measured out the rice (1/4 cup dry), and increased the liquid. I used 1/2 cup V8 juice and 1/2 cup low sodium free range chicken broth. I increased the liquid because, in the past, the liquid absorbed/evaporated while the rice kernels were still hard and uncooked. I monitored the rice while cooking and even had to take it off the heat for 1-2 minutes a few times because the heat was overwhelming the small quantity of rice. The cooking time was about 20 minutes all together. The rice turned out very nicely; however, 1/4 cup yielded A WHOLE CUP of cooked rice. <smh> I'll just have to throw it out or try to be very, very disciplined about keeping it for my lunch tomorrow. Please send good wishes that I only eat one serving. Thank you.

    You all are cool, and I appreciate your input. It inspired me to try to make the one serving, and I'm glad I did. When one loves to cook, it is very difficult when excess food is a struggle. Thanks for your help. You're all very cool <and nice> people.

  • delongpre
    delongpre Posts: 14 Member
    jmule24 wrote: »
    Do you have access to a digital food scale? You can purchase one for less than $10. I like to use them for weighing dry items like noodles, rice, beans, and pasta. All packages will give you a number in grams which is the serving size dry / uncooked. I think white rice is 45g dry.

    I've had one before, but it was kind of a hassle (and sometimes I thought it contributed to my binges, if that makes sense), so I got rid of it; however, I often find myself wishing I still had it. You're right--I need to get one because A. what you said about the weights on packages
    B. I've been a lot better not bingeing lately. I think I'll get one tonight since I have to go out. I get very frustrated trying to figure out grams, so this will help. :) Thank you.

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