'Fluffy' white rice (e.g. Chinese food places)

[stag3]

+1 on jasmine rice, i've never used a rice cooker, just a pot.
i wash the rice (up to you if you want to)
then put my hand palm side down flat on the rice and fill it with water until the top of my fingers are @ the water line, then let it boil, once boiling, change to low heat until all the water is gone
let sit for 5 min

i usually make a lot, then the leftovers will sit for a day or 2 for fried rice once dried out

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Just buy a rice cooker. Every single chinese place uses one.

I find it weird that americans have this thing about cooking rice on the stove, when people like like my grandmother and mother both say how grateful they are that rice cookers exist because its so damn easy.

They HATED cooking rice manually all the damn time.

 

[dighn]

They don't serve jasmine rice at Chinese/Japanese restaurants.

false. japanese restaurants maybe. chinese restaurants do often serve jasmine rice. preference for short-grain vs long-grain is regional.

 

[Strk]

false. japanese restaurants maybe. chinese restaurants do often serve jasmine rice. preference for short-grain vs long-grain is regional.

My guess is, unless they specify otherwise, they're just going to use generic white rice since it is cheaper.

And I'll stick to cooking rice with a pot on my stove.

 

[CountZero]

Different cuisines tend to use different rice (not to say that every restaurant will follow this since you frequently see things like a Korean family running a Chinese place).

Chinese - long grain
Japanese, Korean - short grain "sticky" or calrose
Thai - Jasmine
Indian - Basmati

Making rice on the stove is stupid easy but every type of rice has different ratios and some (especially brown or haiga) require soaking a bit before cooking. The basic idea is always the same:
1. Add rice and water to pot.
1a. Optionally rinse the rice though I never do it
1b. Optionally leave rice to soak for some time.
2. Bring rice to a boil
3. Put on tight fitting lid and leave on a low temperature until done. Do not open lid or stir.
4. Let it sit off heat when done.

This is exactly what a rice cooker does. That being said if we had the counter space we'd have a rice cooker right now as it is nearly foolproof and if you are only doing white sticky or long grain even a cheap one can do it with no problem.

 

[PowerYoga]

false. japanese restaurants maybe. chinese restaurants do often serve jasmine rice. preference for short-grain vs long-grain is regional.

more like it depends on the race of the family running the restaurant. If you have a thai family running a "chinese" restaurant you bet your ass you're gonna see jasmine rice instead of the normal long grains.

 

[Oyeve]

one to one ratio of rice (carolina in my case) and water. Come out perfect every time. I use the stove and not a steamer, rice does not stick to pot either. I put a couple of drops of olive oil.

 

[JulesMaximus]

You eat like one pound of rice a year. I wouldn't mess with rice cooker if I ate rice as infrequent as you. They make Uncle Ben rice for people like you.

I make rice a couple times a week usually. I've never bought unkle bennys rice in my life. Usually use a Jasmine or Basmati rice but I've been going with brown rice lately too.

 

[TheVrolok]

Are people really arguing that a rice cooker isn't easier/more convenient than stove top pot cooking? That's absurd. I love my rice cooker, wouldn't ever give it up.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Is there anything about which we won't argue?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Asians eat a lot of rice and talk about convenience. Put a lot of rice in a rice cooker enough to last for 2-3 days (keep heated) for a family or cook it every time (9 times over a period of 3 days). Why do people buy coffee makers when they can make coffee without it?

Okay, I get that, and I'm saying this with peace and love, that the notion that you NEED a rice cooker to make decent rice is just nonsense. That's all I'm saying.

BTW-I don't use a coffee maker. I boil water and pour it over a Hario V60. :biggrin:

Peace and love, peace and love.

 

[Ns1]

Is there anything about which we won't argue?

Didn't the last rice cooker thread get 200+ replies?

 

[preslove]

If I ate rice for every meal, I'd sure as hell have a rice cooker. As it is, I make rice a couple times a month, so making jasmine rice on the stove is not annoying at all, and far preferable to buying a rice cooker and finding a place to put it.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Didn't the last rice cooker thread get 200+ replies?

They always do. It is the way of things.

-Peace and love

 

[ponyo]

Okay, I get that, and I'm saying this with peace and love, that the notion that you NEED a rice cooker to make decent rice is just nonsense. That's all I'm saying.

BTW-I don't use a coffee maker. I boil water and pour it over a Hario V60. :biggrin:

Peace and love, peace and love.

I agree completely. For me the best rice is made using a stovetop pressure cooker. Rice is chewier and more moist when cooked in a pressure cooker. And you can cook it really quick too. Great when you need to make rice quick.

That said, I would never give up our rice cooker. Or our automatic espresso machine.

 

[ponyo]

They always do. It is the way of things.

-Peace and love

It's about time we had another rice thread.

 

[Tommy2000GT]

Get a good rice cooker. Skip the Zojirushi because it's not that good and it's just all hyped up.

Here is a good rice cooker. It uses a stainless steel inner pot unlike the Zojirushi that uses a non-stick aluminum pot.

http://www.buffalocookware.com/en/2-product_list.php?p=23

 

[BUTCH1]

Why use a simple pot with a lid when you can have a bulky and expensive appliance to do basically the same thing? :whiste:

Sometimes, electric ranges are notorious at cooking crappy rice, their "simmer" is way to high causing the water to evaporate before it's properly absorbed. That being said I found a simple work-around, just pull the pot 1/2 way off the element while it's cooking, this is another reason cooking with gas will always be a lot easier than electric, because you can choose from a tiny amount of heat to full-bore whereas electric only let's you go so low (and that low is to hot for good rice..).

 

[DCal430]

They don't serve jasmine rice at Chinese/Japanese restaurants.

Actually basically all Chinese places here serve jasmine rice or non fragrant long grain rice. Japanese and Chinese eat very different rice. But I think it is more cheaper long grain non fragrant rice.

 

[DCal430]

Lol All Asians use rice cookers. White people cook rice on a stove.

 

[Jeeebus]

Get a good rice cooker. Skip the Zojirushi because it's not that good and it's just all hyped up.

Here is a good rice cooker. It uses a stainless steel inner pot unlike the Zojirushi that uses a non-stick aluminum pot.

http://www.buffalocookware.com/en/2-product_list.php?p=23

$230 to cook rice? Fuck that shit.

 

[Strk]

$230 to cook rice? Fuck that shit.

I'm pretty sure when people say rice cookers are stupid that that is what they're thinking of

As for which rice, I'm a fan of parboiled. It tastes great and very nutritious.

 

[BrokenVisage]

iT'S SO FLUFFy!

 

[ponyo]

$230 to cook rice? Fuck that shit.

So buy $30 one. http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-ARC-914SBD-Uncooked-Digital-Steamer/dp/B007WQ9YNO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406075284&sr=8-1&keywords=rice+cooker

If that's too expensive, there's one for $15. I'm pretty sure simple pots and pans cost around $15.

Cheap ones will work fine for you. You don't eat enough rice to buy the expensive ones. And it's not like you're going to notice the difference in rice quality as a casual eater.

 

[BoomerD]

Fuck cooking rice in a pot on the stove. YES...it works...and with practice, you can do it perfectly...but fuck that. My Aroma rice cooker makes perfect rice every time. Add rice and water...turn it on. When it beeps, the rice is done to perfection.

Prior to owning a rice cooker, the ONLY time I would eat rice is in a Chinese/Japanese restaurant. Now...I make better rice than most restaurants.

(Lucky Elephant Jasmine Rice in 25 lb. bags from Costco)