Is it necessary to rinse rice after cooking and how to rinse steamed rice and rice for pilaf

Washing rice in a bowl of water: Pixabay Properly cooked rice is not only incredibly tasty, but also very healthy. At the same time, it is very important to prepare the cereal according to the rules so as not to spoil the taste of the rice. And here many questions arise: to wash or not to wash cereals, why wash rice, which varieties do not need such a procedure? In the article you will find detailed information on an exciting topic.

Should I wash rice after cooking?

Many housewives believe that rice grains will stick together after cooking. To prevent this, the cereal is washed, and the side dish turns out crumbly. The adhesion of rice grains is affected by the gluten that remains on their surface. Running water works best with it. But it is worth remembering that the preparation of some dishes, such as sushi, risotto or porridge, requires sticky boiled rice.

It is worth remembering that washing makes boiled cereal tasteless and watery. For this reason, experienced chefs try to properly prepare cereals for heat treatment.

Should I wash before cooking?

The following varieties are used for most dishes:

The wild one is the healthiest, but is rarely used in the diet because it is unusual in its taste and appearance. It is not rinsed either before or after cooking. Unless it was bought by weight, and if it was purchased already packaged, then there is no need for this.
Basmati is not washed. Its long, thin grains do not stick together, and given the high quality of the product, the grains are always sold clean.
Round grain always sticks together during cooking. Therefore, you must either buy it for preparing porridges and puddings and then do not wash it, leaving the mass sticky, or wash it thoroughly after cooking so that the grains are separated from each other.
The long-grain variety rarely sticks together, but giving it an extra rinse after cooking won’t hurt.
Medium grain. It is used when cooking first courses, as well as preparing risotto. Therefore, it doesn’t hurt to wash it sometimes.
Rice packaged in bags, of course, does not need to be subjected to this procedure. Packaged grains will turn out crumbly anyway.

Rinse the rice grains by placing them in a colander with warm, pre-settled water. Never under a tap. This must be done until the liquid becomes almost transparent.

How to rinse

Boiled water that is washed abundantly with water loses some of its microelements. This dish will leave much to be desired. But there are tricks that help you wash rice properly and preserve maximum benefits and taste.

You can rinse the cereal in a colander with small holes or in a large cup.
First, use a large amount of boiling water, this way the gluten is washed off better.
Then pour plenty of cool water 1-2 times, otherwise the taste of the dish will deteriorate.
Pour water so that it completely covers the side dish, then let it drain completely.
You can’t stir it, you can only gently pry it against the sides of the dish with a silicone or wooden spatula.
Wash with lukewarm water; tap temperature is not suitable for this.
It is worth slightly salting the last portion of water, this makes the rice snow-white.

You can serve the washed rice by warming it slightly in the microwave. But it is better to use dishes with a thick bottom, greased with butter. Carefully place the washed cereal into it, cover it tightly with a lid and simmer over the lowest heat for 20-30 minutes. All excess moisture will be absorbed by the steamed side dish, and thanks to the washed off gluten it will turn out especially crumbly.

Cooking cereals in a double boiler

You will get a fairly tasty and healthy dish if you cook it in a double boiler. Before heat treatment, the component is washed. Then it is poured into the required compartment. Rice is filled with water in a 1:1 ratio. The cereal should be salted to taste. After which the timer must be set for 30 minutes. There is no need to rinse the product at the end of cooking.

By choosing the most suitable method for cooking rice, you can easily get a dish that is healthy, tasty and satisfying! Thanks to the unique characteristics of this grain crop, it is loved by many fans of proper nutrition.

Expert opinion

Unfortunately, brown rice is not popular among our consumers. But only it can be considered a healthy product - everything useful is removed from white rice during its processing. By the way, in order to somehow increase the nutritional value of polished rice, manufacturers sometimes soak it with a vitamin solution. But it was possible to simply not remove the healthy rice shell. In general, I would recommend making your diet only from those foods that have not been subjected to unnecessary processing. And leave everything refined and polished in the store.

Inna Verbitskaya, nutrition specialist

Since ancient times, rice has been considered the main dish in Asian countries. Nowadays it is probably used in any kitchen in the world. Each housewife has her own secrets of preparing it. Many people think that they know how to cook rice, but often it doesn’t turn out perfect, so today I will share my recipes on how to cook rice correctly and the easiest recipes for dishes made from this incredibly popular and healthy cereal.

Using rice grains, you can prepare many delicious and healthy dishes: soups, porridges, pilaf and rolls. All these dishes require different types of rice. When choosing grains for a particular dish, you should take into account the cooking features and the expected result. It is important to remember that each variety of rice has its own properties.

What types of rice are not washed?

After rapid steam treatment in production, cereals become harder, but retain useful substances. It acquires an amber-yellowish, almost transparent hue, which after cooking changes to white. This side dish tastes good, does not stick together even after reheating, and does not require additional washing.

Varieties with rounded edges and a grain length of no more than 5 mm contain the most starch; they are most often used for pilaf. Be sure to rinse before and after cooking, otherwise the cereal will turn into a soggy porridge. The long-grain variety is often used to prepare a side dish. Varieties of this type of cereal contain less starch, but if the housewife is not sure of the recipe, it is better to rinse it after cooking.

Medium-grain cereal with increased stickiness is suitable for risotto, first courses or Japanese cuisine; it does not need to be rinsed. Wild varieties and basmati are also prepared without washing. Cereals sold in portioned bags do not require washing at all - they are carefully processed in production. During the cooking process, the side dish does not absorb excess water, so it will not become overcooked.

Why is it important to steam?

Doctors are loudly trumpeting the dangers of rice for the figure - the high sugar content, prohibitive glycemic index and high calorie content have made it the main enemy of all slender girls. In addition, it is a pure source of quickly digestible carbohydrates, which tend to actively “fill up” even the thinnest. Not the best option for weight loss! But don’t rush to draw conclusions and put an end to this product: there is a way to neutralize harmful components and reduce its calorie content.

If you're unsure whether you should soak your beans, we'll give you some facts. The most harmful and calorie-rich thing in this dish is starch. Under the influence of high temperatures, it is digested into a thick sticky mass (which is why cooking crumbly porridge is a real art). If you use soaking instead of cooking, the starch is removed from the grains into the liquid, and all you need to do is drain off this water, and with it everything harmful.

As a result, you not only lose weight, but also improve the condition of your body. Judge for yourself - after a week you will notice the following changes in your body:

Losing weight by 3-5 kilograms;
Getting rid of salts, liquids, waste and toxins;
Normalization of digestion;
A surge of strength and vitality;
Acceleration of metabolism;
Reducing cravings for junk food;
Clean and glowing skin.

How to cook fluffy rice

There are cooking secrets that allow you to cook almost all varieties without rinsing before serving. To get crumbly and tasty boiled rice, you must adhere to a number of recommendations:

Before starting cooking, rinse well 5-7 times under running water.
Do not wash in cold water, as this will make the rice grains more brittle.
To prevent the rice from sticking together during cooking, you only need to throw it into hot salted water.
Do not boil until fully cooked. Until the cereal is ready, it is recommended to place it in the oven, preheated to medium temperature, in a saucepan covered with a lid.
Before cooking, you can pre-calcinate it in a thick-walled pan. Calcination must be continued until the grains reach transparency. In the future, the rice should not be cooked for too long.

It is worth pouring a spoonful of vegetable oil into boiling water to cook rice. This will prevent the release of starch and prevent the grains from sticking together.

If the housewife plans to use the cereal to prepare sweet dishes, it can be boiled in a mixture of water and milk. In this case, it is very important to remove the rice from the heat in time. After this, you should add oil and put it in the oven for a while to soak it. In this case, the likelihood of gluing is minimal.

To cook fluffy rice, it is not necessary to buy expensive varieties and cook the cereal in a special cauldron for pilaf. Even in an ordinary saucepan, you can prepare a wonderful side dish using the advice of professional chefs. Long-grain parboiled rice is considered less capricious, but round-grain varieties can also be cooked perfectly.

Classic pilaf recipe

Whether you get a classic pilaf or rice porridge with meat depends on the right grain of rice and its proper preparation. Therefore, for any pilaf recipe, it is recommended to buy durum cereals (basmati, devzira).

Ingredients:

500 g rice.
500 g lamb or veal.
100 ml olive oil.
100 g melted fat tail fat. Approximately 2 tbsp. l. with a slide.
2 onions.
400 g of juicy ripe carrots.
1 or 2 heads of garlic, dry barberries.
Seasonings: cumin, curry, hot red pepper, black, turmeric.
Salt to taste.

Product preparation:

Pour in the cereal and rinse before cooking.
Cut the meat into medium pieces.
The onion easily “dissolves” in the finished dish, so you shouldn’t chop it too finely.
Chop the carrots into cubes.

Preparation:

Place oil and fat into a heated cauldron. Ignite.
Fry the meat over high heat and remove from the cauldron to a plate.
Place onion in boiling fat and fry.
Return the meat to the onions, add the carrots. Fry for 10 minutes and reduce heat. The result is zirvak - the basis of the classic pilaf recipe.
Pour in hot water to cover the zirvak by 1.5 cm.
Place the washed rice and the head of garlic in a sieve.
Add 400-500 ml. hot water to completely cover the rice and vegetables.
Add salt and turn up the heat so it boils faster.
When the rice stops crunching on your teeth, reduce the heat to low and add seasonings. Cover and wait about 25 minutes.
Serve on a flat platter with pieces of meat and garlic cloves on top.

Pros and cons - indications, recommendations, disadvantages, opinions and reviews of experienced

This diet is contraindicated for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and those suffering from cardiovascular diseases may be at risk (porridge leaches potassium, which can cause malaise and heart pain).

The following points should also be taken into account:

Causes constipation and bloating. To avoid being bothered by such “surprises”, use flaxseed oil or bran, which gives a mild laxative effect;
If you have a high degree of obesity, it is better to avoid this dish;
Extensive physical activity is contraindicated - there simply won’t be enough energy for it, and you will experience fatigue.

Do not worry about contraindications - if you follow the recommendations correctly, you will not have any problems with your health and well-being. An examination by a doctor the day before and during cleansing will insure you against poor health and exacerbation of chronic diseases.

The best confirmation of our words are reviews from readers who, using this method, managed to achieve amazing results:

Osksana, 23 years old

Hi all! Despite my dislike for fast diets, losing weight on rice turned out to be easy and enjoyable for me. I spend fasting days several times a month. Then I gradually break out of their regime: I eat small portions of no more than 1200 kcal per day. As a result, the lost kilograms do not return, and I continue to lose weight without strict diets and constant restrictions.

Valentina, 38 years old

Hello! I decided to resort to cleansing with rice not to lose weight, but to cleanse the intestines and liver of toxins. In addition to the healing effect, after a few weeks of eating it for breakfast, I noticed that I managed to lose a fair amount of weight. The old things fit me more freely, and I felt younger and lighter.

That's all for us! If you are looking for a simple and safe way to lose weight, a rice cleanse is perfect for you. You will lose excess weight, improve your body health and go through a real shake-up, which will make it easy to lose weight in the future.

Cooking the perfect porridge

First you need to choose the right variety. Buy brown or unpolished, as they are much healthier for the body. The steamed or round variety will not work.

Since such grains cannot be steamed overnight, we will cook it for several days. To make this process more convenient, and for you to always have a ready-made portion at hand, use a special cooking system according to Malakhov:

Take glass jars of the same size, marked 1, 2, 3 and 4;
On the first day, pour four tablespoons of grains into jar No. 1 and fill with water;
On the second day, change the liquid in the first jar and pour a portion into the second;
On the third day we change it in two jars and make the preparation in the third in the same way;
Fill the last jar with cereal and change the water in the first three again;
On the fifth day you can start drinking the first portion. As soon as you empty it, fill it again and let it sit until ready, not forgetting to change the water every day.

This way, you will have prepared porridge on hand to eat on an empty stomach, and you won’t have to cook it until it’s ready. 3-4 tablespoons of grains is a conventional value, and you have the right to change this amount depending on your appetites and needs.

It doesn’t matter what kind of water you steam in – either cold or hot will do.

Video: Cleansing the body with rice

To cleanse the body, you should consume the product in the morning in this order:

After waking up early in the morning, drink a glass of herbal or green tea. It will start metabolic processes and “awaken” the stomach from sleep;
After half an hour, you can move on to your meal. It is prohibited to add butter, sugar or salt to the dish;
Then you cannot eat or drink anything for 3-4 hours.

For lunch and dinner you can afford whatever you want. The exception is fried and fatty foods, as well as alcohol and milk.