That moment I realized I was cooking rice completely wrong my whole life

I was 34 years old standing in my cousin's kitchen in Pittsburgh when she showed me she rinses her rice until the water runs clear - I had been just dumping it in the pot dirty for 20 years. Has anyone else had a cooking habit they did wrong forever before someone finally called them out on it?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancy_king2910d ago

Not sure I agree that rinsing is always the right move. Some chefs actually prefer the starch from unrinsed rice for creamier dishes like risotto or sticky rice. Kind of depends on what you're making, not every method is wrong just because it's different.

harpercampbell9d ago

Flip that around @smith.elliot - rinsing ruined my sticky rice once.

smith.elliot9d ago

@nancy_king29 you make a fair point about the starch. I found out I was doing oatmeal wrong for years though, not rice. I always just boiled it in water and called it done. Then my neighbor showed me she adds a pinch of salt and a little butter before cooking, then lets it sit covered for five minutes after. Completely changed the texture and flavor for me.