There are many types of rice on the market, from dry rice to sticky rice with different flavors. Basically, dry rice has less nutrients, more fiber, and less elasticity. To cook delicious rice, it is not only important to have fully cooked rice, but also to have rice with even, elastic, fragrant, and delicious grains. By knowing the following tips, your rice cooker will surely produce better results:
Add a few grains of salt when rinsing the rice
Before cooking the rice, you should soak it in water with a few grains of salt for at least 30 minutes, then rinse the rice in a strainer instead of in the rice cooker. Rinsing the rice in a strainer helps remove impurities, sand, and preservatives in the rice more effectively than rinsing in the rice cooker. The soaking time should be longer for brown rice. Soaking the rice helps remove natural toxins and activate enzymes in the rice. Soaking the rice helps make the cooked rice evenly fluffy. Adding a few grains of salt when rinsing the rice enhances the flavor of the rice.
Cook rice with hot water instead of cold water
When you use hot water to cook the rice, the rice grains will quickly solidify, resulting in elastic and not easily broken rice.
Add a little cooking oil/chicken fat
It is not only congee that needs to add a little fat for shiny rice grains. Adding a little cooking oil helps make the rice fragrant, shiny, and more delicious to eat. However, just add a small amount. You can add it while cooking or after the rice cooker switches to the warm mode for 10 minutes, then mix it well with the rice. This small amount of fat also makes the rice grains look even and elastic without sticking together.
Add a little vinegar
Vinegar enhances the aroma of rice, and if you have apple vinegar, it adds even more fragrance. Vinegar also helps increase the resistant starch in rice, which is good for slow absorption of starch, especially for people with diabetes. Vinegar helps inhibit bacterial growth, which keeps the rice from spoiling for a longer time.
Add a few drops of beer
Beer is also a common cooking condiment. Beer yeast is good for converting food components in rice, creating a sweeter taste and more fragrance.
Place citrus peels on top of the rice cooker when the rice is cooked
When the rice cooker switches to the warm mode, wait for about 10 minutes, then open the lid and add a few pieces of citrus peels. Your rice will be exceptionally fragrant when you eat it.
Do not open the lid immediately after the rice is cooked
When the rice cooker switches to the warm mode, avoid opening it immediately as it will cause heat loss. Leave the rice cooker for about 10 minutes, then open it and use a fork or chopsticks to fluff the rice so that the grains become even and fully cooked. However, don’t leave it for too long, otherwise the rice will become clumpy and the grains will not be fluffy anymore. The best time to open the rice cooker is 10-15 minutes after cooking, fluff the rice evenly and enjoy the deliciousness.
By cooking rice with these tips, your rice cooker will produce fragrant and delicious rice with a unique sweetness, elevating your taste buds. Especially for those who enjoy eating plain white rice, adding a little white vinegar can help slow down the absorption of sugar into the blood. For those who prefer sticky and fragrant rice, don’t forget these tips.
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