Tips

Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice into your rice cooker: Little-known tips with amazing benefits

Adding lemon to rice may sound strange, but it actually brings amazing benefits. Let's find out more about it.

9 March, 2024

129

Rice is an essential dish in every Vietnamese family’s meal. Rice is cooked from fragrant rice with the appropriate amount of water. For many people, the first thing they learn when entering the kitchen is how to cook rice.

Nowadays, cooking rice is relatively simple with the help of a rice cooker. You just need to add washed rice and a sufficient amount of water to the pot and cook until done. However, to “elevate” the dish, you can learn additional tips from experienced housewives and restaurant chefs.

One of the secrets to making rice more fragrant is to use lemon juice.

After cooking the rice and adding the right amount of water to the pot, you can add a teaspoon of lemon juice. A teaspoon of lemon juice is suitable for cooking rice for about 5 people. Depending on the amount of rice, you can reduce the amount of lemon juice added. This method does not make the rice sour but helps the grains remain white, prevent burning, and stay fresh longer, especially in hot weather.

In addition, to cook delicious rice, you can also refer to the following tips.

Don’t rinse the rice too many times

When cooking rice, you need to wash the rice and remove any impurities. However, you should not rinse the rice too many times as this will remove many of the nutrients from the outer layer of the rice grains. Just rinsing the rice gently 2-3 times is enough.

Add white vinegar

If you don’t have lemon juice, you can add white vinegar to the pot. A small amount of vinegar will not make the rice sour. For about 1500kg of rice, you only need to add 3ml of vinegar. Vinegar helps make the rice whiter and prevents sticking. The smell of vinegar will dissipate during the cooking process.

Add cooking oil

To make the rice grains shiny and appetizing, you can add a tablespoon of cooking oil before cooking. Do not add cooking oil when the rice is already cooked as it will make the rice oily and have a strong oil smell, making it less appetizing.

Add salt

Salt is a common seasoning in every household. Adding a little bit of salt to the pot when cooking rice will make it more flavorful and stay fresh longer.

Additionally, for leftover rice, you can add a little diluted saltwater and steam the rice again. This will make the rice more fragrant and eliminate any odd smells.

Add alcohol

After rinsing the rice, you can add 1-2 teaspoons of alcohol and cook it together. After it’s done cooking, the rice will have an attractive aroma and the grains will be more tender and delicious.

Source: Xe và thể thao

Frequently asked questions

Adding lemon juice to cooked rice does not make it sour. Instead, it helps the grains remain white, prevents burning, and keeps the rice fresh for longer, especially in hot weather. The amount of lemon juice added can be adjusted depending on the quantity of rice being cooked. For example, a teaspoon of lemon juice is suitable for cooking rice for about 5 people.

Yes, if you don’t have lemon juice, you can add a small amount of white vinegar to the pot. For about 1500kg of rice, 3ml of vinegar will suffice. Vinegar helps make the rice grains whiter and prevents them from sticking together. The vinegar smell will dissipate during cooking, so it won’t affect the taste.

– Don’t rinse the rice too many times, as this will remove nutrients from the outer layer of the grains. 2-3 gentle rinses are enough.
– Add a tablespoon of cooking oil before cooking to make the rice grains shiny and appetizing, but avoid adding oil to already cooked rice.
– A pinch of salt added to the pot enhances the flavor and freshness of the rice.
– For leftover rice, try adding diluted saltwater and steaming it again to restore its fragrance and eliminate any odd smells.
– Rinse the rice and add 1-2 teaspoons of alcohol before cooking for an attractive aroma and tender, delicious grains.