Cookin Brown rice in electric rice cooker

[oldcarguy]

Hi

 

I normally cook white rice in my electric rice cooker at 1 parts rice and 2 parts water , this seems to work great with long grain rice ,

 

This gives you cooked  rice that sticks together in clumps which makes it easier to eat ,

At one time the "correct" way was that your rice did not stick together, at least in the USA.

 

But I have a problem cooking Brown rice in the electric rice cooker,

 

So what is the trick ?

 

How much   brown rice / water  , do you pre-soak the rice ?  any other tricks ?

 

I want it to clump together like the white rice I cook,

 

The rice cooker is just a cheap one with an on-off switch that turns off when its done...and it has a glass lid with a small hole to let it breath :)

 

Thanks for your ideas

[worgeordie]

Best to soak it in water for few hours before you actually cook it.

regards Worgeordie

[mauGR1]

My electric cooker has a time setting : 1 hour for brown rice, and i like it softer, so 2 and half cups of water for 1 cup of rice. If your cooker has no timer, i guess you may follow Mr. Worgeordie's advice.

[janclaes47]

1 hour ago, oldcarguy said:

I want it to clump together like the white rice I cook,

I don't think this is possible with brown rice, because it has a hull, which is removed with white rice.

[ubonjoe]

You might be getting sticky (glutinous) brown rice. That requires steaming the rice the way Thais do the normal white sticky rice.

Some of wife's family grows the brown sticky rice and gives it to her.

[zyphodb]

I put about 3 1/2 parts water to 1 brown rice, takes a bit longer but comes out fine...

 

[Laza 45]

5 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You might be getting sticky (glutinous) brown rice. That requires steaming the rice the way Thais do the normal white sticky rice.

Some of wife's family grows the brown sticky rice and gives it to her.

...ask for homme malie khao ghong..  jasmine brown rice.. yummy..

[Craig krup]

I know that the question is how to cook it, not whether you should, but still....

 

I love rice from a rice cooker, and I like brown rice. It has lots of useful vitamins and fiber. But, rice is full of arsenic, brown rice is worse than white rice, and the only way to get the arsenic levels right down is to soak the rice, and then cook it plenty of water and drain it. Rice cooker absorption cooking is going to leave you with a lot of arsenic. 

 

Having said that, if it was a really major problem you'd expect to see it in the cancer rates. I also soak, but then cook using absorption, for curries, so obviously I'm not that worried about it. 

[nontabury]

55 minutes ago, Craig krup said:

I know that the question is how to cook it, not whether you should, but still....

 

I love rice from a rice cooker, and I like brown rice. It has lots of useful vitamins and fiber. But, rice is full of arsenic, brown rice is worse than white rice, and the only way to get the arsenic levels right down is to soak the rice, and then cook it plenty of water and drain it. Rice cooker absorption cooking is going to leave you with a lot of arsenic. 

 

Having said that, if it was a really major problem you'd expect to see it in the cancer rates. I also soak, but then cook using absorption, for curries, so obviously I'm not that worried about it. 

From where did you find this information,not saying it's wrong, but would like to know the source.

[jgarbo]

9 hours ago, oldcarguy said:

Hi

 

I normally cook white rice in my electric rice cooker at 1 parts rice and 2 parts water , this seems to work great with long grain rice ,

 

This gives you cooked  rice that sticks together in clumps which makes it easier to eat ,

At one time the "correct" way was that your rice did not stick together, at least in the USA.

 

But I have a problem cooking Brown rice in the electric rice cooker,

 

So what is the trick ?

 

How much   brown rice / water  , do you pre-soak the rice ?  any other tricks ?

 

I want it to clump together like the white rice I cook,

 

The rice cooker is just a cheap one with an on-off switch that turns off when its done...and it has a glass lid with a small hole to let it breath :)

 

Thanks for your ideas

Properly cooked rice should NOT "stick together" but be individual grains, slightly "al dente". I use 2 cups of rice to 3 cups of water. OK. Brown rice has a tougher husk, so try 2-4 ratio.

[dapperdan]

1.5 cups of water to 1 cup brown rice works for me. No soaking or any of that. Turns out perfectly delicious .

[JRUSA]

I use the tried and true Chinese method... 1 cup rice..2 cups water...1/2 cup soy sauce..my white rice comes out a nice shade of brown..

 

I really just made that up...

[lvr181]

1 hour ago, nontabury said:

From where did you find this information,not saying it's wrong, but would like to know the source.

"google" rice and arsenic

[Skeptic7]

GF makes perfect brown rice in an electric cooker all the time. She mostly eyeballs everything, but insists that for however much rice is in the cooker...lay your hand on top and pour water to generously cover your hand. No pre-soaking. She then qualifies with...next time add or subtract water to your liking! Guess it's trial and error really!

 

IMPORTANT...wash hands first! 

 

(as previously mentioned...brown rice does not turn out "flakey" like white. It is naturally more sticky/clumpy)

[mjnaus]

3 minutes ago, lvr181 said:

"google" rice and arsenic

 

Right. Because if it's on the Internet, it must be true...

[MyFriend You]

2 hours ago, Craig krup said:

I know that the question is how to cook it, not whether you should, but still....

 

I love rice from a rice cooker, and I like brown rice. It has lots of useful vitamins and fiber. But, rice is full of arsenic, brown rice is worse than white rice, and the only way to get the arsenic levels right down is to soak the rice, and then cook it plenty of water and drain it. Rice cooker absorption cooking is going to leave you with a lot of arsenic. 

 

Having said that, if it was a really major problem you'd expect to see it in the cancer rates. I also soak, but then cook using absorption, for curries, so obviously I'm not that worried about it. 

In a year I think I must have eaten 20lbs of Brown rice, 3 cups water, 1 cup of rice in my rice cooker.  Now you tell me it has arsenic in it, that be the case, I should be dead by now??.

[lvr181]

3 minutes ago, mjnaus said:

 

Right. Because if it's on the Internet, it must be true...

DUH! There are plenty of RELIABLE sources that confirm rice and arsenic! Try reading about it. Could this be a 'new experience' for you? 

Edited September 30, 2017 by lvr181

[SunsetT]

10 hours ago, oldcarguy said:

Hi

 

I normally cook white rice in my electric rice cooker at 1 parts rice and 2 parts water , this seems to work great with long grain rice ,

 

This gives you cooked  rice that sticks together in clumps which makes it easier to eat ,

At one time the "correct" way was that your rice did not stick together, at least in the USA.

 

But I have a problem cooking Brown rice in the electric rice cooker,

 

So what is the trick ?

 

How much   brown rice / water  , do you pre-soak the rice ?  any other tricks ?

 

I want it to clump together like the white rice I cook,

 

The rice cooker is just a cheap one with an on-off switch that turns off when its done...and it has a glass lid with a small hole to let it breath :)

 

Thanks for your ideas

If it clumps it is overcooked; the last thing u need with white rice as there is little enough nutritional value and taste in it anyway. The Thais have got it right eating rice with a spoon  rather than  a knife and fork. Trying to balance a mouthfull of rice on a fork is ridiculous! My missus cooks brown and rice mixed. It has always puzzled me how the rice cooker copes with that but it seems to.

[waza46]

7 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

If it clumps it is overcooked; the last thing u need with white rice as there is little enough nutritional value and taste in it anyway. The Thais have got it right eating rice with a spoon  rather than  a knife and fork. Trying to balance a mouthfull of rice on a fork is ridiculous! My missus cooks brown and rice mixed. It has always puzzled me how the rice cooker copes with that but it seems to.

Thats right, makes me laugh, in Australia you see people asking for chopsticks in thai restaurants. Spoon and fork is definitely the way to  eat.

[SunsetT]

9 minutes ago, waza46 said:

Thats right, makes me laugh, in Australia you see people asking for chopsticks in thai restaurants. Spoon and fork is definitely the way to  eat.

Yep, I refuse to learn how to use chop sticks until someone informs me of something they can do that you cant do better with a knife, fork, and spoon which are far more efficient and versatile.

[Skeptic7]

49 minutes ago, mjnaus said:

 

Right. Because if it's on the Internet, it must be true...

If being sarcastic, then funny! If serious...then ignorant. Assuming the former, for sure. That said...there is a world of info on the Internet from credible sources and the Internet is the greatest encyclopedia ever.

 

Also, there IS arsenic in rice and more in brown than white, but is really only a serious concern for infants.

 

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm

Edited September 30, 2017 by Skeptic7

[geisha]

I have three Vietnamese cooks. They rince all rice well, your dosage is right , one cup rice to 2 water. Turn on rice cooker. When done, open, and turn the rice around ( mix it ) close again for 5 minutes. It should not be sticky like sticky rice, or dry and individual grains like Uncle Bens. ! Just right. My experience with these cooks over 33 years.

[Craig krup]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38910848

 

It's a complete nuisance as well, because I really like big, congealed one-pot curries, and if even if you just soak it the taste isn't the same. 

 

Craig's one pot curry. 

 

1 or 2 tins of sardines

60-80g of natural yogurt

1/4 tube of tomato puree

Tablespoon of curry powder

Squirt of lemon (if you've got it)

Load of chopped veg (carrot, broccoli, onion)

Chopped clove of garlic (if you like)

One mug 250g of rice

 

Whack the sardines in the pan. Wash off the tomato crap. Chuck in the yogurt, puree and curry powder. Smash the sardines to absolute much using the back of a spoon, mixing it with the puree, powder and yogurt. Chuck in the rest, add about 850ml of boiling water, get it all moving, make sure it isn't sticking, bring it to a slow boil, and reduce the heat right down. Make sure periodically that it isn't sticking. Cook really slowly for 20 minutes until the whole lot has congealed. You can crack three eggs in after 12 minutes and they'll cook on the surface. Serves three women, two normal geezers or one really greedy git who's just staggered out of the gym. 

 

The pauper's version is rice, onion, curry powder and sardines with the tomato from the can. 

 

 And now I can't enjoy it because of the <deleted> arsenic! 

[madusa]

7 hours ago, Craig krup said:

I know that the question is how to cook it, not whether you should, but still....

 

I love rice from a rice cooker, and I like brown rice. It has lots of useful vitamins and fiber. But, rice is full of arsenic, brown rice is worse than white rice, and the only way to get the arsenic levels right down is to soak the rice, and then cook it plenty of water and drain it. Rice cooker absorption cooking is going to leave you with a lot of arsenic. 

 

Having said that, if it was a really major problem you'd expect to see it in the cancer rates. I also soak, but then cook using absorption, for curries, so obviously I'm not that worried about it. 

Where does the arsenic come from? Factories discharge the chemical into the canals that flow into the rice fields?  I don't see factories near rice farm land.

Waiting for your reply. Please don't make me worry that my babies growing up retarded with brain damage from arsenic poisoning.

[Damrongsak]

Arsenic can be found naturally in soil and ground water.  More in some areas than others. It is an element.

 

Possibly of interest:  http://www.louisianaweekly.com/concerns-grow-about-arsenic-levels-in-rice/

[janclaes47]

We all gonna die from arsenic poisoning if we keep eating rice.

 

We also gonna die if we continue most other foods, because whatever kind of food I ask about, Mr Google will show some reports that it contains something that is unhealthy.

 

I would say the only way to save our lives is to stop eating, but I'm afraid we will die from hunger then.

[ThaiWai]

You might wanna try the real internet for some advice. Most of us probably let the brown girl make the brown rice. 

[oldcarguy]

Hi ,

 

thanks for your ideas , but for 1 cup brown rice  it can be 1 1/2 , 2 or  3 cups of water ?????

 

How does the fancy rice cooks with a brown rice setting work ?

Does it change the time ?  or the Temp ?

 

And maybe I have it wrong ,  but if the rice is overcooked why does it matter ?  

[Elkski]

Modern rice cookers have a brown rice button.  If I press brown rice  mine  automatically says minimum 2 hours.  So it adds like 90 min soak before starting heating element.  Actually I think it warms up for 90 mins. It also has 4, 6, 8, 10 hour selections.   If press start white cooks in 30 minutes.  Brown fastest is 2 hours.  I had Chinese and Thai do some first knuckle deep thing.  Like us guys measuring our whiskey by fingers.  I also had one gf do some blow in the water test.  If you can't blow water away so rice feels air I guess ok.   I wouldn't want anyone but a lover cooking my rice like this.  

I'm not a picky rice eater, I prefer bread or baked potatoes.   I sure am glad I don't have to eat rice everyday

Edited September 30, 2017 by Elkski

[oldcarguy]

30 minutes ago, Elkski said:

Modern rice cookers have a brown rice button.  If I press brown rice  mine  automatically says minimum 2 hours.  So it adds like 90 min soak before starting heating element.  Actually I think it warms up for 90 mins. It also has 4, 6, 8, 10 hour selections.   If press start white cooks in 30 minutes.  Brown fastest is 2 hours. ............... 

I'm not a picky rice eater, I prefer bread or baked potatoes.   I sure am glad I don't have to eat rice everyday

 

I have Rye , and Sourdough bread on hand and potatoes too ,  but  rice goes good with lots of food  including Mexician which I cook a lot,

 

Looks like if I want to cook brown rice I may have to get a "smart" rice cooker ,