Cooking Brown Rice

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pinthin87
pinthin87 Posts: 296 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone have any tips for cooking brown rice? I have tried twice now and failed. It always comes out crunchy no matter how long I cook it. Suggestions?

Replies

  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    The best thing I ever did was buy a rice cooker.

    That is my suggestion. Perfect rice. Every time.
  • petuniah
    petuniah Posts: 7 Member
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    I had the same issue! Try upping the amount of liquid you cook it in by a little bit and see if that helps.
  • Sydney0710
    Sydney0710 Posts: 61 Member
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    Is it crunchy or it is simply not cooked enough? If it is crunchy, but still really sticky on the outside then you likely need to put less water in it and cook it longer at a lower temp. If it's simply crunchy even on the outside then you need more water.Here are the instructions:

    Here's recipe I generally follow for brown rice.

    "Put brown rice and water together in a pot with a lid. Use the ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice. I normally make 3c rice with 4.5c water for a single batch.

    Set the heat to maximum, and bring the rice/water to a boil uncovered. Then put the lid on the pot, and reduce the heat to low/simmer. If your lid has a steam valve, keep it closed. Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes.

    Turn off the heat, and let the rice sit in the covered pot for another 10 minutes. It’s OK if you let the rice sit longer than 10 minutes (20 or 30 minutes is fine too), but don’t let it go any less. I prefer my rice to be slightly chewy, not mushy, so I usually remove the lid after 10 minutes.

    Eat and enjoy. Be careful when you remove the lid, since a lot of steam may escape when you do."
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    I tried every which way to cook brown rice in a pot and never got it right. Just buy a rice cooker - they're perfect every time.
  • mreenis
    mreenis Posts: 13 Member
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    Soak the brown rice in cold water over night. Drain and use fresh clean water to cook the next day. Always make sure brown rice is well cooked otherwise it is too harsh on your stomach.
  • carolemack
    carolemack Posts: 1,276 Member
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    The best thing I ever did was buy a rice cooker.

    That is my suggestion. Perfect rice. Every time.

    ***This*** You will be so glad you did!
  • ydeleon
    ydeleon Posts: 81
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    This may sounds obvious, but you need to read the read directions on the package carefully. There are some brands that require soaking. As a rule of thumb, of you'll need twice as much water as rice.
  • iKapuniai
    iKapuniai Posts: 594 Member
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    Rice cooker, for sure. And the trick we hawaiians use to measure the water: cover the rice with water, stick your index finger in the water to where the tip of your finger touches the rice, and if the water measures up to the first crease in your finger, that's enough water. Perfect rice. Love it. <3
  • sharleengc
    sharleengc Posts: 792 Member
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    Rice cooker! Brown rice was the bane of my existence until I bought one! Before that, it was a love/hate relationship! My husband loved it, I hated it because it was NEVER right!
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    I cook brown rice on the stove, easy peasy. I prefer short grain, it doesn't seem to have the mushy/crunchy issue. I use a ratio of 1 part rice 2 parts water. I bring water to a boil in my electric kettle, pour over rice in pan, bring to a low simmer, cover tightly and don't touch it for 40 minutes. No peeking, no stirring! Remove lid, fluff with a fork and let stand 10 minutes before eating.
  • shmunster
    shmunster Posts: 538 Member
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    I love my rice cooker, perfect rice ever since I bought it
  • ashley67203
    ashley67203 Posts: 95
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    I've broken so many rice cookers that I've finally given up on them. My brown rice is almost always gummy when I cook it on the stove. I found this recipe online a few days ago for baking it in the oven and I'm going to try it this week:

    1 cup of brown rice (basmati or short grain)
    2 cups of water/broth
    bayleaf
    oil

    Pre-heat the oven at 200C/375F. In a pan, heat some oil at low. Then, add the rice (unwashed!) to brown it. Make sure it does NOT burn! In the meantime, in a kettle or a saucepan, warm the liquid and some salt (if using water, not that much if using broth) and the bayleaf. Crack some pepper if you feel like it. When the rice is lightly brown, transfer it to a glass baking sheet. Pour the liquid. Watch out for this step as it might splatter and the liquid could burn you!. Stir to evenly distribute the mix. Tightly cover it with foil and transfer it to the oven for 50 minutes. When time is up, remove the foil (watch out for the steam!), remove the bayleaves, fluff and serve immediately.
  • ImaLadyBiker
    ImaLadyBiker Posts: 28
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    I love my rice cooker. When I'm in a hurry, or to throw in the crock pot, I use brown Minute Rice.
  • LavenderBouquet
    LavenderBouquet Posts: 736 Member
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    I used to have the same problem, I use a rice cooker personally, but if you soak the rice in water for 30-60 minutes before you cook it, it makes a HUGE difference. If you're cooking it on the stove, you'll have to check the other tips on here, I'm not sure sorry!

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