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Absorbing Rice

© Lindsay W. McSweeney

Alton Brown, one of my favorite TV chefs, states that there should be only one single purpose appliance in the kitchen - a fire extinguisher - a mantra I have tried to follow. But I came into a rice cooker recently and became a convert. Not only am I cooking rice far more frequently, my cooker is encouraging me to experiment and play with different kinds of rice.

Americans eat far less rice than the rest of the world - about 21 pounds/year per person, versus Asians who eat up to 300 pounds/year. Part of the reason is that rice has a reputation for being hard to cook - our perfect rice is supposed to be fluffy, with each grain separate and glossy. Without a rice cooker, this can be tricky. But dishes such as risotto (creamy rice) and sushi (sticky rice) illustrate that rice can be cooked a variety of ways and still be delicious.

Given the popularity of such ethnic dishes, different types and varieties of rice are now readily available. The labels can be confusing unless you understand that rice is first categorized by types and then labeled by varieties. In the U.S., we first sort all varieties of rice into three types- short, medium, and long grain. Elsewhere, rice is considered to be either short or long grain. To achieve the fluffy, independent grains of TV commercials, you need long grain rice. To achieve either the creamy or sticky rice of Italy and Asia, you need a short grain rice.

Having been defined as either long or short grained; rice is also labeled based on processing. Brown rice is any variety of rice that still has its outside bran hull. When cooked, brown rice will be chewier, firmer textured and have a nuttier flavor than the same variety cooked as white rice, e.g. without the hull. Converted rice is white rice that has been parboiled. It is a little more nutritious than plain white rice as the parboiling drives some of the nutrients into the rice before the hull is removed. Also, cooked converted rice will be a little fluffier than regular white rice. Instant rice is white rice that has been completely cooked and then dehydrated.

Within these types, there are numerous varieties of rice available. The most common rice in the U.S. is a long grain, white rice, either just labeled as rice or called Carolina rice - though it is now largely grown in Texas, Arkansas and California. It is relatively bland, cooks fluffy and is excellent in casseroles, soups and stews where it will absorb flavor.

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