Add this versatile, easy to prepare grain to your weekly meal for variety and nutrition. In most cases it cooks in a short amount of time — or can with a little planning. Rice plays a prominent role in most cuisines all over the world since it lends itself so well to different flavors and uses. Inject variety into your meal plans using rice dishes as an inspiration – in salads, soups, sides, or main dishes.
Four Main Methods for Cooking Rice
- Absorption: This is the most common way to cook rice. The grains absorb the cooking liquid completely, either using the stove or oven. In most cases you can follow the directions on the packaging, but in general it will take 20 minutes for white rice to cook and about 45 for brown rice (unless you parboil or soak the brown rice ahead of time – see Brown Rice below). A rice cooker, or pressure cooker, also uses the absorption method. Martha Stewart has a well-organized chart for cooking different varieties using this method.
- Boiling: This method cooks rice in the same way you would cook pasta. After boiling the rice (about 10 minutes for white rice varieties), you return it to the saucepan after draining and cover with a lid to let the residual steam finish cooking the rice.
- Pilaf: The rice is toasted in oil or butter before adding water to cook by the absorption method, giving added flavor and texture to the rice.
- Risotto: In risotto, the rice slowly absorbs stock, usually chicken or vegetable, to give the dish a rich, creamy texture. (If you have never tried to make risotto, the technique is simple, but does require some active stirring. It may not be something to tackle on a weeknight, but could be a great weekend option.)
Brown Rice
We keep several varieties in our pantry (click here for information on different rice varieties), but brown rice (both medium- and long-grain) has taken a more prominent role in our meal planning since it is the most nutritious for our families. Unlike white rice, it still has the bran and germ attached, making it a whole grain. We are the first to admit that unless we have planned ahead, brown rice is not what we reach for when faced with getting a weeknight meal on the table since it takes longer to cook. There are some great ways, though, to prepare and store brown rice ahead of time so it can be added into your weeknight meal rotation. It is important to note that the storage tips apply to any rice, so whether you use brown or white rice, they will help you get meals on the table more efficiently!
- Use the Oven – Most package cooking instructions will have you using the stove top to cook brown rice, but try using the oven instead. It takes an hour in the oven, only a few minutes longer than the stove top method, but you stick it in there and don’t worry about any spill overs or burner temperatures. Multi-task by sticking the brown rice in the oven if you have time in the morning, or just cook up a batch while you are working on other things to have a batch you can store, or freeze, for later. One of our favorite recipes for Baked Brown Rice is this one by Alton Brown.
- Faster Cooking – Brown rice can be soaked for two hours, or longer, in advance. This reduces cooking time to 20 minutes! Soak 1 cup water with ½ cup brown rice. After soaking, bring the rice and soaking water to a boil with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Substitute brown rice in any dish that calls for white rice by parboiling the brown rice. This tip from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything: The Basics allows you to cook the brown rice partially ahead of time. At this point you can store it to finish cooking later, or use it in any recipe that calls for white rice. It will have the same cooking time as white rice after parboiling. Boil the quantity in the recipe in a large amount of water, like you would pasta, for 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and proceed with recipe.
- Double-batch – Cook large quantities of brown rice and store either in the fridge or freeze for later use. After cooking, spread the brown rice onto a parchment paper- lined baking sheet (or just sprinkle some water on the sheet pan to prevent sticking) to allow the rice to cool all the way. From Kimberly’s kitchen: I like using the parchment paper so I can easily lift it up, and pour the rice into a zip top bag for freezing or container for fridge storage.
- To Freeze – whether you separate into smaller portion sizes in zip top bags, or freeze in larger quantities, flatten out the bag as much as you can. Having it flattened out will make defrosting easier. Also remove as much air as you can since air is what causes freezer burn, which affects flavor and texture. The advantage to freezing in larger zip top bags is that you can just break off as much rice as you want to use at a time. If using in soups or stir-frys, you can just add the frozen rice directly to the dish. Otherwise, you can defrost the rice in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish (do not defrost in a zip top bag) about 3-4 minutes per cup with about a teaspoon of water added. You can also defrost overnight in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave, or set over simmering water in a steam basket or colander set inside a saucepan with a lid.
- Time Saver – if you don’t have time to make your own and freeze, check out the freezer section of your grocery store since more are carrying frozen brown rice. For example, Whole Foods has frozen brown rice that you can measure out to use as much, or as little, as you need. There are some frozen options in plastic pouches as well, but we tend to stay away from those since the plastic gets boiled along with the rice.
- More Ideas – here are other ways to incorporate brown rice into your meal planning from Mark Bittman.
Recipe: Fried Rice with Scallions, Edamame, and Tofu from Ellie Krieger, The Food You Crave.
This is a great vegetarian main dish and a good way to use leftover brown rice.
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 4 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
- 4 cups cooked brown rice
- 3/4 cup seeded and finely diced red bell pepper
- 3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions and drained
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels
- 6 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the garlic, scallions, and ginger and cook, stirring, until softened and aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the rice, red pepper, edamame, corn, and tofu and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Make a 3-inch well in the center of the rice mixture. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, then add the eggs and cook until nearly full scrambled. Stir the eggs into the rice mixture, then add the soy sauce and incorporate thoroughly. Serve hot.