Not Sticky Rice Question

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
I'm taking Red Beans & Rice to a picnic this afternoon (it's cold and damp here today, so it's a perfect side dish), and just wanted any tip(s) on keeping the rice from getting sticky. I read somewhere that if you tumble the rice with a chunk of cold butter, that this stops the cooking process and coats the rice at the same time, thus keeping it from sticking together. I have no way to keep it in a steamer, as this is a picnic in a public pavilion without electricity.

Any tips would be appreciated.
 

GotGarlic

New member
I don't see how butter would stop the cooking process - it seems to me that it would just melt. It would coat the rice, but so would oil.

To make rice less sticky, rinse it in plain water after cooking; this will wash off the starch that makes it sticky.
 

RobsanX

Potato peeler
Super Site Supporter
The butter idea sounds like it would work to me. You can also wash the rice in the pot before you cook it, swirling it around in water and changing the water until it's no longer cloudy. That gets most of the sticky starch off.
 

FryBoy

New member
I LIKE rice that's sticky. It's easier to serve, easier to eat, and tastes better. Why on earth would anyone want a bunch of tiny grains of loose rice on their plate?
 

VeraBlue

Head Mistress
Gold Site Supporter
Joe...cooked rice is one of the most potentially hazardous foods around, and really should be kept either hot (at 140 or above) or cold (40 or below) The idea of keeping it at room temperature for a picnic is extremely dangerous. Can you not use a chafing dish with sterno????
 

VeraBlue

Head Mistress
Gold Site Supporter
I LIKE rice that's sticky. It's easier to serve, easier to eat, and tastes better. Why on earth would anyone want a bunch of tiny grains of loose rice on their plate?

Because it's easire to serve, easy to eat and tastes better.
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
Joe...cooked rice is one of the most potentially hazardous foods around, and really should be kept either hot (at 140 or above) or cold (40 or below) The idea of keeping it at room temperature for a picnic is extremely dangerous. Can you not use a chafing dish with sterno????
Thanks for the food safety tip Vera. I did not know that. I half thought about just putting the cooked rice right in with the beans and be done with it, but don't know if that is the proper way to serve it. It's getting mixed together anyway, so what could be the harm? It's just a bunch of fly fishermen, and they probably could care less anyway, and this way it could all be delivered and served hot. By Jove, I think I'll do that and save all the hassle of chaffing dishes or getting someone sick.
 

FryBoy

New member
The beans are supposed to go on top of the rice. It's a matter of appearance and texture (or more accurately, a contrast of textures).

Do you have a rice cooker? And a place to plug it in at the place where you'll be serving? That would be the best solution.
 

FryBoy

New member
As for food poisoning from rice. Here's some important information from the British Food Standards Agency:

I've heard that reheating rice can cause food poisoning. Is this true?

It's true that you could get food poisoning from eating reheated rice. But it's not actually the reheating that's the problem – it's the way the rice has been stored before reheating.

Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, bacteria that can cause food poisoning. When the rice is cooked, the spores can survive. Then, if the rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores will germinate into bacteria. These bacteria will multiply and may produce toxins (poisons) that cause vomiting or diarrhoea. Reheating the rice won't get rid of these toxins.

So, the longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that bacteria, or the toxins they produce, could stop the rice being safe to eat.

It's best to serve rice when it has just been cooked. If that isn't possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour) and keep it in the fridge for no more than one day until reheating.

Remember that when you reheat any food, you should always check that it's steaming hot all the way through, and avoid reheating more than once.
 

Kei

New member
The best thing you can do is wash the rice in cold water before cooking it. Stick it in a bowl of cold water and literally wash it with your hands. When the water gets cloudy drain it and do it again. This gets the starch off of it which usually causes the stickiness.
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
Problem solved...I put the cooked rice in with the beans and they gobbled it up and took home the leftovers as well. Thanks to all of you for your tips and concern.
 
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