Baked brown rice
 

Whenever I cook brown rice on the stove, it turns out mushy. I've started baking it, and I think it tastes much better. .

Alton Brown's recipe.

1 1/2 cups brown rice, medium or short grain
2 1/2 cups water (or substitute all or part chicken broth)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Bring the water, butter, and salt just to a boil in a kettle or covered saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.

Alton has a solution for everything. I love that guy.

How does it turn out in a rice cooker? I can't believe you ever cook rice on a stove.

This turned out quite well, thank you Farrah. I had a rack of ribs that I cut into thirds and cooked in a Crock Pot on low, and used the drippings for part of the 2 1/2 cups water. Delicious.

I honestly think a rice cooker is a waste of money. I used to own one and the stove works just as well, and nearly as easy. I'll have to try this brown rice method; I too think it tastes mushy.

We cook rice at least once maybe twice a week. I can't imagine not having a rice cooker.

Really? Not to argue, but why? As long as I buy a decent rice and measure out the amount of water, I can throw it on a stove, bring it to a boil, simmer it with a lid on for 20 minutes and it's done. I've even forgotten about it and it turned out well. I really can't tell the difference between it and what I could make with the cooker. I'm no YOhio in my culinary wisdom, but I like to cook and had two different roommates with Asian backgrounds who were very picky about rice.

With a rice cooker, you don't have to worry about raising and lowering the heat on the stove.

yes, I've tried brown rice in the rice cooker. I still don't like the texture of it. The baked rice turns out perfectly, and my husband will even eat it. Incidentally, I tried substituting part chicken broth, and it didn't seem to work as well.

Forgive my cultural ignorance (as well as my general overall ignorance on a daily basis)....but for our resident Asians....or resident RMs that served in Asian cultures....how do the masters do it?

Is it more common to simply toss it in a rice cooker or boil it on a stove?

Rice cookers are standard for families in Taiwan. IMO, it has little to do with flavor or texture and more to do with convenience.

Everyone in Hong Kong had a rice cooker, which was used multiple times during the day. I don't ever remember rice being cooked on a stove-top.

Partly this is for convenience, and poartly because of the stove situation. People didn't have big, 4-6 burner ranges like we have. Most people had 2 or 1 burners, so there wasn't room for rice.

Also, I don't know if this is a factor or not, but the burners were high-intensity, they got much hotter than the typical US stove, which is needed if you really want to do your stir frying correctly. It may be harder to control the low temperatures needed for rice on these burners. Or maybe not. This is my biggest complaint about cooking Chinese food here in the US. I just can't get the wok hot enough.

I almost always use a rice cooker for the same reasons, convenience, and because I need the stove for other things.

This makes some sense, although I'm not sure I've ever needed all four burners plus one to cook rice on. Question for everyone--how is it more convenient? Don't you still have to measure out everything?

Anyway, don't want to beat a dead horse...I'm just curious. One of my former roommates was the one who had a rice cooker, but it was a pain in the rear to clean, so we ended up just cooking on the stove. Which made me wonder--why the rice cooker?

While we're on the subject of Asian cooking--I'm in the market for a new wok. Any recommendations?

While on the subject

Well, like a crockpot, you can throw in the rice and water and leave and it'll stay warm and be ready for you. You can't do that on the stove.

I have a cheap wok I bought from the local Asian market. I prefer the iron-steel wok over the carbonized steel. Season and maintain it well and it will last forever.

[quote=ERCougar;292372]Anyway, don't want to beat a dead horse...I'm just curious. One of my former roommates was the one who had a rice cooker, but it was a pain in the rear to clean, so we ended up just cooking on the stove. Which made me wonder--why the rice cooker?[quote]

How was it difficult? With every rice cooker I've seen, including the two I own, the nonstick cooking vessel comes out and can be popped into the dishwasher.

[QUOTE=myboynoah;292382][quote=ERCougar;292372]Anyway, don't want to beat a dead horse...I'm just curious. One of my former roommates was the one who had a rice cooker, but it was a pain in the rear to clean, so we ended up just cooking on the stove. Which made me wonder--why the rice cooker?It didn't have a non-stick coating and we didn't have a dishwasher. It did detach but the rice (or at least that starchy residue) seemed to stick really badly--definitely worse than the saucepan.

The wok's so big that you only have two others. When I make Chinese food, I make a LOT of Chinese food. Generally 5 to 7 dishes.

Odd. They needed to invest in new technology.

A friend in Japan bragged that she had a gas rice cooker. She said it cooked the rice much better than electric. My barbarian taste buds couldn't tell the difference.

Is there nothing better to do in New Dehli than ponder rice cookers on cougarguard?

Rice cookers are the bomb diggity. There is always rice on in my home. Rice at every meal. Even in college I had an awesome 10 cup Zojirushi, who IMO make the best rice cookers. Get a neuro fuzzy or induction one. Worth the price.

300 bucks for a rice cooker?
http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-NP-H...6195994&sr=1-2

That must be one sweet gig you picked up...

I didn't even know there was a luxury rice cooker market. Mine was twenty bucks at Target.

Mine was a free hand-me-down from a friend 12 years ago, is not non-stick, and has no fuzzy logic. I wonder if my wife would like a new rice cooker for Christmas.

I'll be honest my Zojirushi was a gift and bit the dust after lots of use. Now I have something from Costco. It works. It's not a Zojirushi.

Our Sanyo rice cooker is 18 years old. It has fought the good fight, but we are about to put it out to pasture. Ironically, it was used when we got it so I don't know how old it is. Some Japanese friends of our gave it to us when they returned to Japan after finishing grad school.

Anyway, I am tempted to take the plunge and get a Zojirushi. We eat rice about every other day. All the reviews claim that induction is the way to go. I long for the perfectly cooked rice I used to enjoy in Japan. The Sanyo has been a workhorse, but I am tired of rice that is either mushy or dry.

My zojirushi had at least 5 years of use when I received it also. A roommate gave it to me when he moved out and I packed that thing everywhere. If you eat rice that much it's well worth it. The one Gidget and I have now is just a cheap automatic one. It seems to take much longer to cook than my old one. And it seems to brown some rice on the bottom each time.

If most people in Japan are using rice cookers....and you are using a rice cooker.....then why isnt your rice perfectly cooked like theirs? Do you think it is the brand of rice cooker?

Definitely the quality of the cooker. Ours is sturdy but ancient. Our other Japanese friends here in the ward have a high-tech rice cooker and the difference is like night and day.

Thanks. We need a new one. I will look into it.

Is there a middle-market brand that someone can recommend that doesnt cost $300? I love rice, but not that much. However, if there was a $300 bread pudding cooker.....

The same company makes non-induction models that are cheaper. Just do a search on Amazon.

Pudding? Here you go:

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Rice-...6258955&sr=8-1