Pro tip
I was nearly inspired by pierceH in the "Brown rice, white rice" thread to get a rice cooker. My previous attempts at cooking rice on the stovetop have been hit and miss. But I hate to buy special-purpose kitchen items when I can avoid it.
So I did some more google research and tried another batch. I think I've got it under control now. At least for long-grain white rice which is what I make.
Making tender rice means getting moisture through the whole grain. You should be able to get decent basmati rice by using 2 cups of water and one of rice and following the directions on the package. But that only works if you've got a pot with a tight fitting lid. I don't. So here's how I got a really good batch of white rice.
You'll need:
A heavy pot.
A strainer.
1 cup good long grain rice (basmati or jasmine)
Put the rice in the pot and run a bunch of water. Swish the rice around pour off the excess water. Do this until the water is fairly clear after swishing.
Cover the rice with water again plus a bit. Let it sit for 30 min (at least). (and there's the pro tip. Most rice recipes never mention this and it made all the difference.)
Pour the rice and water through the strainer (to get all the water off).
Put the rice back in the pot. Add two cups (or less. I'm going to try a bit less now that I'm getting moister rice).
Put the pot on heat to boil (don't cover).
Once it's boiling, turn the heat down to its lowest and cover. Disturb the rice as little as you can after this point.
Take it off the heat as soon as all the water has evaporated. For me this is ~15 minutes. (Some recipes recommend letting it rest (sit) for a few minutes after its done. This happens for us naturally in that it takes some time to get the whole family to the table and settled down.)
So there it is. Let me know if it works for you.
I love this kind of small but useful knowledge. Add your own bit of how-to below on any topic.
I use the two water to one rice reduction method every time when cooking rice. I put it in cold water, then put it on the slowest burner on my stove at the highest heat with the lid on. Once it starts to boil, about 5 minutes or so later, I simply turn the heat down to the very lowest setting and leave it there for about 20 mins, then turn the heat off but leave it on the burner for another 10 or so with the lid on.
My saucepans just have normal lids, but they do have heavy bases which is the key to cooking rice with the reduction method.
If you're going to do it the other way, bring the water to the boil before you put the rice in, then just boil it till it's cooked, making sure it has room to roll around freely at all time.
I had a rice cooker, but I gave it to my step mum. I just found it to be a pointless waste of space in my kitchen when I could do the job just as quickly and with less fuss on the stove top.
Diligence (and good rice) can get you good rice regardless of method. But the beauty of a rice cooker is I can take my long grain brown rice, pick any random cup off the shelf, measure 1:2 rice:water, throw it together, and forget about it for 1-4 hours while I work on something. Rather than being reminded about my rice because it's burning, I'm reminded by a gentle "click" or the overwhelming smell of deliciousness.
This one still has a price tag on it: $5.99. Check your local thrift stores, they're fairly common.
I just found it to be a pointless waste of space in my kitchen when I could do the job just as quickly and with less fuss on the stove top.
ditto
Its been a long time since I ruined a batch of rice. Its not that hard.
On a roll. I made a really decent batch of fried rice today.
Not so ditto for me. We have two rice cookers, large and smaller, in the house. Either one is simply charge, plug, and play. Set it and forget it while doing whatever you're putting with your rice. No fuss at all if one doesn't fill the big one to max capacity but give it a little room at the top, and even maxed out the smaller one seldom makes any mess.
We use a rice cooker too. But it's one cup rice to 1 1/2 water. But lately, the rice has been a bit dry so we increased it to 2 cups. In my opinion, cooking rice over the stove top is so much more hassle than using the rice cooker. :D
Protip:
Cellar thread page numbers are relative, post numbers are absolute.
I use a rice cooker too, despite all my cooking training. I have very few pots and I sometimes need to cook two things at a time. I have one good saucepan and one little one. So the cooker comes in handy for cooking rice while I am also cooking sauce or whatever.
I hate being undersupplied.
You can make a very decent panini on a Foreman grill. Just make sure to use good italian bread and real butter.
You can make smores with a propane forge, but the marshmallows will taste a bit gassy.
You can make smores with a propane forge, but the marshmallows will taste a bit gassy.
that sound more like a "here, hold my beer and watch this" tip.
You can drive a car with your feet, but that doesn't make it a good f***ing idea.
--Chris Rock
You can not proof your own writing. You need to read your own writing of course, but don't think it's been proofed after doing so.
Hey!
I *love* garlic. And I do find that peeling it is something of a pain in the ass. And although the production values of that video are quite high, I am skeptical. Furthermore, I don't have a set of bowls like that (I have one, not two). But I am intrigued. I'm gonna get a set of suitable bowls, and some garlic. I will report my results here.
i think the best part is the noise and the violence. i am totally going to try it. garlic on toast for lunch, maybe?
Looks good for a big batch, but I very rarely peel more than 3 cloves at a time. Usually just 1 or 2. What am I supposed to do with a whole bulb?
There is no such thing as too much garlic, so that's not a problem.
Looks good for a big batch, but I very rarely peel more than 3 cloves at a time. Usually just 1 or 2. What am I supposed to do with a whole bulb?
go vampire hunting
I cook brown rice on the hob. Simples.
25 minutes is as much preparation as I am interested in for something I'm simply boiling (as opposed to "proper" cooking).
Can't say about white rice - really not a fan.
There is no such thing as too much garlic, so that's not a problem.
I once thought that.
But then a friend and her bf collaborated to make garlic bread and some sort of dip.
Booze was involved in the making of.
Both added their usual level of garlic (and both were garlic fans) without realising the other had already done so.
Even
my eyes watered, and I'm an avowed fan.
We had what can really only be described as a raw garlic party one year when I was a teen. And had forgotten that all of us kids had back to back dentists appointments the next morning. The dentist talked about that for years. Four patients in a row with powerful garlic breath.
Looks good for a big batch, but I very rarely peel more than 3 cloves at a time. Usually just 1 or 2. What am I supposed to do with a whole bulb?
There is no such thing as too much garlic, so that's not a problem.
Well, UT offered the definitive answer, so my contribution here is trivial in comparison, but... why not just put a couple cloves into the magic bowls of raucous garlic peeling violence? Just because he goes all Monty Python on the whole head of garlic doesn't mean you have to. Pluck off what you need and peel with vigor.
But really, if you had more peeled garlic, you'd have more reason to use more peeled garlic, so... win.
Question: How can you tell the doneness of a steak?
Answer: Use The Rule of Thumb
By probing the surface of the steak as it is cooking you can tell how firm the meat feels. The firmer the meat, the more well done. The art is in knowing how each level of doneness feels. Try this: Loosely touch one of your fingers to your thumb: forefinger for rare, middle finger for medium rare, ring finger for medium, and pinky finger if you like your steak well done.
The tension in your muscle below the thumb should resemble the toughness of the steak you want to cook.
But remember, the steak will continue to cook as long as 5 minutes after you remove it from direct heat. Aim for undercooked. You can't uncook a steak once it's overcooked.
Like this:
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How to separate eggs with *magic*. Or coke, or dr pepper or bottled water, minus the water that is. check this out.
[YOUTUBEWIDE]Uz2Vnp5ZW4c[/YOUTUBEWIDE]
Protip: To sew straight lines, use a straight needle. To sew curved lines, use a straight needle (surprise protip!).
Self explanatory
[ATTACH]44601[/ATTACH]
Protip: To sew straight lines, use a straight needle. To sew curved lines, use a straight needle (surprise protip!).
seems I forgot to include the picture of the point of my epiphany. Here ya go:
[ATTACH]44602[/ATTACH]
Wellthere's yer problem !!!!
You mean doin woman's work? I kid I kid!
Seeing that rice is basically sugar, and lands in my ass, I've been using quinoa since the winter. In Canada it's almost $5 for about a pound at the bulk food store. Easy to cook in any pot/rice cooker, and has something like 56% of the recommended daily protein.
Cook the same as rice; 1 cup quinoa 2 cups water. Rise quinoa in strainer for 2 minutes before adding to pot. Add as substitute for pasta, in salads. I've seen burgers, but it looks messy.
Delicious when seasoned, filling and my ass thanks me.
Without music, life would be a mistake.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
Quinoa works with two volumes of stock, too. Comes out flavored like a pilaf.
come back and play with us UG, pleeeaaaaase?
Question: How can you tell the doneness of a steak?
Answer: Use The Rule of Thumb
By probing the surface of the steak as it is cooking you can tell how firm the meat feels. The firmer the meat, the more well done. The art is in knowing how each level of doneness feels. Try this: Loosely touch one of your fingers to your thumb: forefinger for rare, middle finger for medium rare, ring finger for medium, and pinky finger if you like your steak well done.
The tension in your muscle below the thumb should resemble the toughness of the steak you want to cook.
But remember, the steak will continue to cook as long as 5 minutes after you remove it from direct heat. Aim for undercooked. You can't uncook a steak once it's overcooked.
Like this:
[ATTACH]38502[/ATTACH]
Doesn't work. I jabbed the meat thermometer into that part of my palm and no matter how long I left it in it still read 98.6°
:mad:
We have a nice quick read digital meat thermometer, and since we got that, I have pretty much never had a tough piece of meat. Especially good for a boneless chicken breast.
Doesn't work. I jabbed the meat thermometer into that part of my palm and no matter how long I left it in it still read 98.6°
:mad:
I bet you're well and truly done now!