# uncooked vs instant rice -- does it make a difference?



## Jish (Dec 12, 2001)

We are trying to rid ourselves of all the "white" in our lives. We are converting to whole wheat pasta, wheat bread, brown rice and the like. We all love rice, but I'm so used to whipping up a batch of minute rice in five minutes that it's taking me a while to get used to the 45 minutes it takes to make rice. I've found an instant brown rice and am wondering what the nutritional difference really is between it and uncooked brown rice. Am I losing that much if I go for the quick and speedy version on occasion?


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## Clarity (Nov 19, 2001)

i thought long grain brown (might've been quick cook) to taste gross...like dirt! I prefer short grain brown. i think it tastes better. was it just the brand maybe?


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## tessamami (Mar 11, 2002)

Since any grain starts to lose vitamins when ground or pre-cooked.

I love brown basmati and sweet brown rice. I have seen some excellent grain cookbooks at the bookstore. I'm going to treat DH to one for his birthday. It was really beautiful, with a TON of pictures.

I also rely on a terrific Indian cookbook that really went into all the inns and outs of rice. That, and soon I get my pressure cooker.

I have never used the instant rice and have grown up used to preparing the rice first and letting it sit until my beans, meat, etc. were done.


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## Clarity (Nov 19, 2001)

tess made me think of something...me and DH eat a lot of rice. The rice cooker (we have a big luxe model) is the one small appliance that we could not live without. Helps people at high altitude too...it's just a pressure cooker per se but to creates enough pressure to cook rice much faster. In the cooker I think it takes 15-20 minutes and does up to 12 cups.


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## indiegirl (Apr 15, 2002)

Do you have a rice-cooker? I am rice-inept and find great success with my cooker. It doesn't take as long and is much easier.

Good luck.


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## Jish (Dec 12, 2001)

We have a black and decker rice steamer, but it takes just as long to cook the rice and doesn't hold much. What exactly is a rice cooker? What does it look like and where would I find one?


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## Clarity (Nov 19, 2001)

You can get great ones at asian markets, any speciality cooking store. Zojirushi, panasonic, national, sanyo all make them. I do think it cooks large amounts faster, and I don't have to watch it. Too many runs ins at my BIL's house with watery rice has made me picky I guess. YOu can cook great rice without one, I'm just lazy.

some reviews, plus the magazine cook's illustrated did one a few years ago, you might do an online search for their site.

http://www.epinions.com/hmgd-Small_A...l-Rice_Cookers
http://www.sallyskitchen.com/html/reviews.html

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question35.htm
(how does it know how to turn off)


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## Clarity (Nov 19, 2001)

and one fsot

http://www.amitymama.com/vb/showthre...threadid=42190


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