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One of the most cooked items in thermal cookers across the world, would have to be rice! But there are so many different variations and methods we thought we would compile the most popular, and successful, here for you.
General tips
Measure your rice straight into your simmering basket
Rinse your white or brown rice really well, scrunching it in your simmering basket (also known as massaging the grains) – this helps the starches to release and really does make a difference (not required for arborio or other risotto style grains)
If you have time, you can also soak your rice before cooking – even just an hour can make a difference
Once cooked, let your rice rest for a time in a thermal server
Always remember to use a spatula with the hook to remove your simmering basket so you don’t get burnt!
Cooking tips
There are many different methods, in the bowl, in the basket, manual methods and there is even an automated method now on some machines however we have found that cooking rice in the simmering basket to be the most consistent method.
Depending on which machine you have, the recipe you are following and how much rice you are cooking will alter the amount of liquid and time required so it is often best to follow a tried and true recipe, however a rough guide is as follows: –
White grains
(This includes basmati, jasmine, long or short grain)
300 – 400g rice in the simmering basket with 700g – 900g liquid cooked at steaming temperature for approx. 20 minutes on Speed 4 with the MC on.
Brown rice
300 – 400g rice in the simmering basket with 700g – 900g liquid cooked at steaming temperature for approx. 30 minutes on Speed 4 with the MC on (you may need to cook longer again, just check, stir and cook for another 5 minutes).
Arborio rice
This is normally cooked straight into the bowl risotto style, however it can be cooked in the simmering basket also similar to the white grain method.
If cooking straight into the bowl, generally it is at a lower temperature with more liquid to allow time for the grains to absorb the liquid.
Approx. 350g arborio rice in the mixing bowl, 1000g water (or up to fill line of machine), cook for 16 – 18 minutes at 100 degrees, Speed 2 on reverse (or blunt blade) with the MC off.
Change it up!
You can make plain steamed rice a little bit more interesting with just changing or adding a few things. Some ideas are: –
- Using half coconut milk/half water in the liquid
- Adding nuts or sultanas to the basket whilst cooking
- Using chicken stock instead of water
- Adding some olive oil, salt and a bay leaf to the water
- Adding a teaspoon or 2 of turmeric will give you a lovely colour