Rice. Just Rice.

Yep. Let’s talk about something boring – rice. And NOT that part-cooked stuff they call ‘rice’. Real rice.

Rice very quickly became a mainstay in our household after the gluten issue was uncovered. We needed a side dish that was both easy to make and that the kids liked.

Our primary learning when making a big shift to more rice in the diet was that a good rice cooker is your friend. Yes, you can make great rice in a normal pot, but can you set it and forget it in a normal pot? Can you go to work and come home to a fragrantly rice-scented house?

Nope.

We have this device (links to Amazon, but this can be had for less if you comparison shop):

You can view more on rice cookers on Wikipedia – research the various features and see how they fit into your lifestyle. You’ll find one that fits for your situation.

We love our rice cooker, and use it at least twice a week.

Types of rice:

There are two big categories of rice – white and brown. I could go into all the gory details of what makes them different, but other greater bloggers/journalists/media stars have done that explanation plenty of justice. Let’s just suffice it to say that the different types need different cooking lengths. Brown takes longer to cook than white (which is where a rice cooker with a timer comes in handy).

Each brand of rice cooker comes with its own set of instructions, calibrated for that particular rice cooker. Follow those instructions, but feel free to vary in some ways.

Variations:

When cooking brown rice, we always cook the rice in broth of some variety – usually either vegetable or chicken (beef is a bit strong of a flavor for kids). Just substitute the amount of broth for the amount of water called for in the rice cooker instructions. The broth adds a very nice flavor to the finished rice, and often you can go with just the broth.

When we want to get creative with brown rice, we add the required amount of broth, and then add garlic, cumin and parsley, plus salt and pepper. Our kids love Mexican-style food, and this rice has a nice cumin-y flavor reminiscent of Mexican flavorings.

White rice is also great with broth – but our all time favorite way to cook white rice is to substitute coconut milk for the water called for in the rice cooker instructions. You would think the rice would be coconut-y, but it’s a delicate flavor (but your kitchen will smell magnificent). The rice takes on a bit of a creamy texture, and the taste is fantastic.

We also do white rice with saffron – but only occasionally, as saffron is expensive.

Lengthy blog post this time around – and I’ve not even gotten to risotto, and rice-based pastas.

More next time – til then, Enjoy!