What is it with rice?

[sunflower]

OK, try this.

Do exactly what you're doing (which is exactly what I do), right up until the simmer bit.
Now, when you've got your rice to a rolling boil, let it carry on boiling hard for FIVE (count 'em, 5) minutes, with the lid on. After 5, kill the heat (if you're on electric, shame on you, and move it to another element), KEEP THE LID ON, and leave it to stand for another 10 mins.

Then all it should need is a quick whip through with a fork, and you're sorted.

Tilda is teh bestest, but it should be possible to get halfway decent rice out of the others...

That sounds like good advice will try this next time, but I guess you've also noticed the difference between Tilda and other rices by what you said?

 

[sheothebudworths]

Fuck, I swear I'd just make do with stodgy rice in that situation!

No clean tea towels?

 

[pembrokestephen]

That sounds like good advice will try this next time, but I guess you've also noticed the difference between Tilda and other rices by what you said?

Yes. ASDA is one of the dodgiest, IME. I tried the washing thing, made no difference. I even wondered if ASDA weren't selling some weird non-basmati rice as basmati

Tilda is far and away the best, but like you, I resent paying twice the price for something, so I've had to put up with unforgiving rice.

It also helps, I find, if you add a little oil or ghee to the boiling water.

 

[pembrokestephen]

No clean tea towels?

Well, yes, loads. WHich is why I don't want to be dirtying them by wrapping rice in them!

slight derail, but my policy back in my inter-woman days was to have about 40 tea towels in the kitchen, and expect to use at least two or three during any serious cooking operation, as oven gloves, lid covers, etc. Since reverting from bachelor status again, my current paramour seemed more than faintly shocked at the number of tea towels one bloke could own, not to mention my immediate demand for cupboard space within arm's reach of the cooker for storing them, all neatly folded up so I could just grab one as I needed it.

But wrapping rice up in 'em? Nah, can't see me doing that!

 

[sheothebudworths]

Errrrr....you don't take the rice out of the pan....you just throw a tea towel over the top of the pan.


More than just one person on this thread now who seems to have forgotten how to read.

 

[sheothebudworths]

(and I would naturally then continue to use the tea towels for normal tea towelly stuff )

 

[ViolentPanda]

Just to chuck in my two pence worth:

We buy our Basmati from Lidl (a good price for a very tasty rice) , in 7.5k sacks that last us 4-6 months, and I use the same method as with any other Basmati, which is;

Put I cup rice plus 2 and a half cups water and a pinch of salt in pan.
Bring to boil and then keep at a hard simmer for 5 minutes.
Take off heat and drain.
Rinse twice with boiling water, draining thoroughly.
ut back in pan, place doubled tea towel on top and replace lid.
Allow to stand for 10 mins.
Remove tea towel and fork rice.

et voila! Perfect Basmati rice.

 

[Roadkill]

IME Tilda rice is really good. I always use Tilda basmati - like the OP, about 2 or 3 times a week - and always get good results.

Tbh I'm not that exact about the cooking. I don't really bother with using a set amount of water for a set quantity of rice. I just give the rice a good rinse, stick it in a pan of boiling water, drain it and and then wash it again with boiling water once it's cooked.

 

[aqua]

you people DRAIN rice after cooking?

there shouldn't be any water left in the pan

*looks for tarranau*

 

[sheothebudworths]

Not me!
No sirree!

 

[Yossarian]

I just boil 2 cups water to one cups rice, with a little salt in the water and maybe a splash of rice vinegar, throw in the rice when the water's boiling, stir it a few times with a fork, put the lid on and wait about 15-20 mins and it always comes out fine, except for those occasions when I wander off and forget I've got some rice cooking.

 

[hatz]

This is such a recent phenomenon to me- I always thought rice was one of the easiest things in the world to cook... I have never had any go wrong, and I use every type of rice under the sun, inc. cheapo rice. Unfortunately I have no tips. How does it even go stodgy?

Perhaps it's just one of those things, you either have the magic touch or you don't? Those without the magic touch should maybe buy a rice cooker (I have one but I rarely, if ever, use it).

Or maybe it's just that stuff from Asda is rubbish? Try Tesco value rice (I think it's top notch), or like someone said, brown rice... tis much tastier.

 

[sunflower]

you people DRAIN rice after cooking?

there shouldn't be any water left in the pan

*looks for tarranau*

Agreed

 

[Roadkill]

you people DRAIN rice after cooking?

there shouldn't be any water left in the pan

Does it matter? I've always found it tastes the same.

 

[sheothebudworths]

Yes!

It's wrong!

Very, very WRONG!!!

 

[mack]

The way I do it using Sainsburys basmati is to rinse throughly in cold water, chuck it in a big saucepan of kettle boiled water - let it cook for about 8 minutes on about medium heat - then drain with a sieve and pour over some more boiling water to rinse any remaining starchy stuff off - then dish it up!

 

[fortyplus]

I am trying to eat less rice, we often have oat groats instead for fewer food miles.

I think that "basmati" is one of those words that's become rather abused. It should be a strict "appelation controllé" for rice grown in particular parts of India and Pakistan, and it should be expensive, for special occasions. But I don't think there are any rules in the UK about what can be sold as basmati.

Probably Walmart are not selling you real basmati at all.