Brown $%^#$%#$%^ Rice!!!

[Joshua Davis]

Ok, it's enough that I have started eating steel cut oats for breakfast, that take 40 minutes to cook - as well as I am making a rice dish with a pound of beef or chicken for lunch every day... but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to cook brown rice!

Today I cooked 1/2 cup dry brown rice with 1 1/2 cup of water (as per the directions), brought it to a boil, simmered for 40 minutes (again, as per the directions). I still get a pot of loose, hard brown rice kernels in a brown rice broth-like substance. I then usually have to cook it for another 10-15 minutes on a high temperature with the lid off, to evaporate the remaining liquid and further soften up the rice itself.

I have been doing my best to eat clean, and to avoid white carbs - but it just isn't gonna happen if I have to eat partially crunchy rice for lunch each day.

[BrianKing]

Microwave it for about 7 minutes instead of cooking on conventional oven

[Jason Bergmann]

Joshua,
I've had enough brown rice to feed a small country. The microwave works good for saving time. I just make enough for a week and then put it in containers and freeze it or refridgerate it according to the day of the week. I usually use a 1 to 1 ratio of brown rice to water and bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Drain the rest of the water and your set. of course, it is going to be a little chewy compared to white rice but I believe it's better that way. Keeps more of the fiber in the rice and takes longer to digest. hope that helps.

Bergmann

[Jacob Sauter]

I use 6 cups water, and 2 cups rice. So a 3/1 water rice ratio(you got that) and mine takes about 40-55mins to cook on average. Maybe try cooking it on a low medium heat after it boils.

[Joshua Davis]

I think I figured it out.

I put 1/2 cup of rice and 1 1/2 cups of water in a pyrex measuring cup. Top it with plastic wrap, poke a hole or two in the top, and nuke it for 7 minutes. While that is microwaving, I brown 1/2lb of ground beef, some chopped onion, flash-frozen spinach, and 1 clove of garlic in a saucepan. When the rice is done microwaving (there is still at least .5" of water in the cup), I pour it into the pot, cover, and reduce the heat. 10 minutes later, tender brown rice, in a nice beefy, oniony, brothy, pilaf. Good stuff.

Even better when eaten with a dab of 4% cottage cheese.

[SBaier]

Thanks Josh, now I'm hungry!!

[Michael Nunn-Weinberg]

If you are eating a lot of rice I would highly recommend that you get a rice cooker. It will save a lot of time and aggravation. I use 2 cups of water for every cup of brown rice. With the one I have I just add the rice and the water and set it to cook. When it is done the cooker automatically turns off.

[Jesse Marunde]

have you found a rice cooker that worked good with brown rice? the couple different rice cookers I've had only cooled white rice and always messed up the brown rice.

I like use fat free chicken broth instead of water in my brown rice. mmmm! good flavor!

Jesse

[Corey Schaich]

I have been using the same Zojirushi for the last ten years. I turn it on, it cooks, shuts off, then I let it sit for 30 min and its ready. I do have to vary the water amounts for the types of rice I eat or what part of the world I am in (because of elevation). Some times i just use ricearoni type meals and dump it all in while its cooking. After that I add my pre-cooked meat to it or have a few steaks along side it. Oh yeah redneck casserole. I love it!

[Corey Schaich]

Have you tried adding some oil to it? I usually use a tablespoon of Olive oil or real butter. Udo's oil work well for a healthy alternative and tastes good. I prefer taste so I go with the oil that matches whatever flavor I am going for.

[Joshua Davis]

Yeah I have a rice cooker - it dosen't work very well with brown rice at all. You also can't cook beef, onions, and spinach in it. I only eat rice in this dish, otherwise it is oatmeal for breakfast, or (depending on the family member that cooks that evening), potatoes, pasta, or white rice with dinner.

[Michael Nunn-Weinberg]

I was having trouble doing brown rice in my rice cooker until I played around with the water-rice ratio. Now that I use 2 cups water to 1 cup rice it does a nice job.

[Tony Moses]

Joshua, that recipe made me hungry and I just had lunch.

You guys all work hard making rice.....my secret short cut is the boil in bag, lol.....it probably isn't the most cost-effective approach, but it saves me time.

[Patrick McGuffin]

Threw 2&1/2 cups of brown rice into my rice cooker with a quart of chicken broth, a tablespoon of seasonsalt, and tablespoon of oliveoil, let it cook then rest for half an hour (on "warm" setting), threw in some precooked chicken and let it sit for another half hour and it came out nice and tender with lots of flavor. The best thing is i have a three or four day supply.

[Mike Yuen]

rice is always 2:1 ratio....2 cups water : 1cup rice

and lucky for me my rice cooker works good with both white and brown :B: