brown rice

[mandimoo]

i can cook white rice perfectly, but i really struggle with brown rice. if i follow instructions on the packet, its like porridge, but if i try to improvise from there it ends up crunchy. any advice?

[Jugglering]

It seems to depend on how fresh it is, mandimoo.... it definitely takes longer to cook than white rice - sometimes 40 minutes for older dried rice, but usually about 30 minutes, as opposed to 10/12 minutes for white rice. If the instructions say cook for 30 minutes, I'd check after 20 minutes and if still crunchy then check again after a further 5 minutes boiling. Do you keep the lid on the saucepan ? This will help stop the water evaporating.

[mandimoo]

maybe thats where i go wrong, i dont boil the rice in plenty of water, i use only 2 x water to 1 x rice and bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 min, then turn off heat and put lid on for a further 10 min. by the end of cooking all the water is absorbed and the rice is nice and fluffy (well the white stuff is anyway). so you reckon just to boil till ready and drain off the extra water?

[Jugglering]

That method will work fine for white rice but you need to extend the cooking period for brown rice, to say simmer for 20/25 mins, then turn off the heat and leave for 10 mins. I would stick with the 2:1 ratio of water to rice for the moment but do check on it occasionally during the simmering to make sure it's not all boiled away. As I mentioned above, it really seems to depend on how fresh the rice is - the fresher stuff needs less cooking !

[puddicat]

brownnose lolx

[Jugglering]

J extends her long arm and gives Puddi a big slappy tickle.. lol...msn now,,,quick !!!

[SupaAbzyBall]

Once cooked, leave the rice to steam, turn off the gas and let it sit for 10 mins, lid on. Let us know How u get on.