The Perfect Pot Of Rice Guide

Rice is one of the easiest dishes to make. Or is it? For many of us home chefs, it's nearly impossible to produce a pot of perfectly cooked, perfectly fluffy pot of grains.It's either sticky or overcooked. Or worse - under cooked and jarringly crunchy. Luckily there's help for us.

Tejal Rao, famed chef, and regular columnist for The New York Times Food section wrote about it today in an extensive article.Everybody cooks rice , whether for a side or for a dessert of rice pudding. Rice should be fluffy and slightly chewy , the perfect foils for gravies and sauces.One of the first crucial steps in creating perfect rice is rinsing before cooking. This gets rid of any extra starch on the rice. It means a looser, fluffier texture The technique is super simple. Just use your fingers, a bowl and cold water. The process needs to be repeated anywhere from two to six times., until the water you're pouring out is almost clear. Once it's cooked , it needs to rest.This allows the starches to cool down slightly which means the grains are firming up. DON"T stir the grains when they're hot and wet. The result is a mushy bowl of rice fragments.Wait anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes and fluff the still hot rice with a rubber spatula. (I've always used a metal fork with the same results) This is also the time to season it. Ms. Rao suggests a light salting. keep the cover on the pot until it's ready to be eaten.

What happens when the rice doesn't come out right? Ms/ Rao explores the many problems that can happen and how to solve them.If the grains are too squishy or clumpy then  there may be excess water in the pot.It could also mean that you've skipped two crucial steps rinsing and resting. Clumpy rice means that there's still starch attached to the grains or the rice was fluffed too soon.Sometimes rice can be too wet,This is probably due to it being recently harvested. The answer is just reduce the amount of water used or cook with the lid off so the water can evaporate. There is also the problem of having scorched at the bottom rice. This is due to two factors. One,the heat is too high so turn it down to the lowest setting possible. The second reason is that the pot's bottom may be too thin. Ms. Rao suggests switching to a heavier pot. What went wrong when the rice turns out stuck and starchy as she puts it.if you have rinsed it but it's still gluey, then use some muscle and a wooden spoon or spatula  to stir when the rice first comes to a boil. Doing this will release the grains at the bottom. Once you've mastered the perfect pot, you can toss in some add ins like roasted cherry tomatoes  and Parmesan cheese or basil leaves with a drizzle of good vinegar.You can even chop in green olives and blood oranges for a colorful side.

The perfect pot of rice shouldn't be an easy cook.Follow the guide and it'll come out just right. Rice is a simple dish.Cooking it should be just as simple.

Time For Blood Oranges

Nothing beats a dreary Day than a sweet piece of citrus.January is the time of and for oranges.This includes the very juicy blood orange.This lovely globe is not only healthy but also very tasty too. It was the star of Melissa Clark's A Good Appetite column in today's New York Times Dining section. blood oranges are always a good fruit choice because they 're so versatile. You can add the wedges to a salad or try it with black bass and roasted fennel as Ms. Clark suggests.She also recommends a yummy looking upside down cake with them .It includes the orange rind along with cornmeal for a denser texture.You can also make a rich tasting juice with them as they do in Rome. Blood oranges originated in Italy in the ash rich soil of Sicily.There are several kinds.The Italians love the Tarocco with it's sweet berry like taste.Unfortunately it's a hard sell here. Americans like Moros because of their rich, red color. They're used in both restaurants and bars,adding to dinners and fancy cocktails. these are the best for juicing.They produce an almost cranberry hue , unlike regular oranges which give their juice a carrot like color. Some Moros as well as other blood oranges are grown in the Italian like climate of California.Other blood oranges are coming from Texas and Arizona. This is the time to chase those winter blues away.Have a blood orange to do that.It's sweet, rich taste will surely make you smile.