Cooks: advice on rice?

[SimonBones 1]

I could use a little advice on rice... I’ve enjoyed cooking this Salmon & Basil Risotto dish for some time now. It has you pan fry some rice for a little in olive oil, then pour in some stock and cooking wine to cook together and soak up. My problem is that the original recipe calls for some Arborio rice. I've never found Arborio rice at my local grocery store but had used short grained white rice and it worked fine. I’ve been recently trying to substitute longer grained brown rice but it hasn’t been going well. After the absolute same cooking procedure, the brown rice is crunchy and feels undercooked. It still absorbs the same amount of liquid, but is still hard and chewy.

I’m guessing that brown rice needs to absorb more liquid in order to become soft and fluffy like white rice, is this right? Or does it need less and I’m overcooking it? Maybe it reacts differently to being fried? What’s the deal with substituting different kinds of rice? Is there a conversion factor to use different rice?

108 way head down world record!!!
http://www.simonbones.com
Hit me up on Facebook

[TEXX56 0]

just put some more liquid in, brown rice isn't bleached so that might have something to do with it

[VideoFly 0]

Brown rice is not going to be as delicate, fluffy, and creamy as Arborio because being less milled, it retains bran and germ. Also expect brown rice to require more liquid and more cooking time than Arborio or other white shorter grain rice. You might want to sauté the brown rice in butter and then add vegetable stock for about 20 minutes and then add the whine and some white rice and more vegetable stock as you raise the heat and stir. If you can’t find Arborio rice, you might be able to find Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, or sushi rice, which may work well for Risotto. Generally, you will want short grain, starchy, rice and lots of vegetable stock to keep your Risotto creamy. Moreover, if you make Risotto with brown rice, it probably won’t be as creamy as with shorter more starchy rice.

[virgin-burner 1]

i'm hungry now..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[cjsgrlsx3 0]

You guys are hillarious..............and I have been doing the cooking and bringing it to the DZ!

[SimonBones 1]

So is there no way to make long grained brown rice as soft and fluffy like its white counterpart? Or does it just take a ridiculous amount of more attention?

108 way head down world record!!!
http://www.simonbones.com
Hit me up on Facebook

[VideoFly 0]

It probably won’t work. You can try longer cooking in a crock pot, but that might not come out the way you want it. Brown rice is just a nuttier less starchy grain. It’s kind of like trying to jump with a squash instead of a pineapple. It’s just not the same. Also, I prefer Alaskan salmon over fish caught or farmed in other areas. It’s probably got something to do with the water. Maybe Penelope knows why. You might want to check with:
American Rice, Inc.
10700 North Freeway #800
Houston, TX 77037
Phone: 281-272-8800
www.amrice.com
They might know where to find Arborio in your area.

[tigra 0]

Risotto calls for a special kind of rice- you can substitute, but it won't be Risotto anymore, just another rice dish. On the plus side, there are some added benefits to using brown rice- it is less processed and has a lot more fiber but, no, you will never get the same texture as arborio rice or any other white rice.

Instead of Risotto, why not accept the fact that the brown rice will have more "texture" and go with that- add some slivered almonds, chopped scallions and maybe some diced up dried fruit like cranberries or raisons?

[VideoFly 0]

That's some great advice fom Tigra. There are many delicious dishes to make with brown rice. As Tigra said, keep t a little crunchy and enjoy the meal.

[Pokerstar 0]

Brown rice takes approx 25% longer to cook. You may want to look in the international section of the grocery store for arborio rice.

Fortunately, I'm adhering to a pretty strict, uh, drug, uh, regimen to keep my mind, you know, uh, limber.
--- The Dude ---

[penelope 0]

We've been cooking the brown rice for longer (about 50 minutes last time), but it is still crunchy. I understand it won't get fluffy like white rice, which is fine with me as I appreciate the healthiness of brown rice, but shouldn't it get a little bit soft? Is brown rice always crunchy to the point that you hear it crackling in your mouth as you eat it?

Find me on Facebook!

[NWFlyer 2]

This won't work for the risotto, but I really like this method of cooking brown rice. It says you're supposed to have a glass baking dish, but I've used metal ones just fine.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-brown-rice-recipe/index.html

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[brenthutch 383]

Quote

Brown rice is not going to be as delicate, fluffy, and creamy as Arborio because being less milled, it retains bran and germ. Also expect brown rice to require more liquid and more cooking time than Arborio or other white shorter grain rice. You might want to sauté the brown rice in butter and then add vegetable stock for about 20 minutes and then add the whine and some white rice and more vegetable stock as you raise the heat and stir. If you can’t find Arborio rice, you might be able to find Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, or sushi rice, which may work well for Risotto. Generally, you will want short grain, starchy, rice and lots of vegetable stock to keep your Risotto creamy. Moreover, if you make Risotto with brown rice, it probably won’t be as creamy as with shorter more starchy rice.

Add the whine??

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

Quote

Brown rice is not going to be as delicate, fluffy, and creamy as Arborio because being less milled, it retains bran and germ. Also expect brown rice to require more liquid and more cooking time than Arborio or other white shorter grain rice. You might want to sauté the brown rice in butter and then add vegetable stock for about 20 minutes and then add the whine and some white rice and more vegetable stock as you raise the heat and stir. If you can’t find Arborio rice, you might be able to find Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, or sushi rice, which may work well for Risotto. Generally, you will want short grain, starchy, rice and lots of vegetable stock to keep your Risotto creamy. Moreover, if you make Risotto with brown rice, it probably won’t be as creamy as with shorter more starchy rice.

Add the whine??

"Waaah... my brown rice never cooks right. Waaaah!"

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke