How to Cook Brown Rice

For the most part we try to eat whole grains for non-dessert starches: whole wheat bread, tortillas, Barilla Plus pasta, etc. I bake a lot from King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking, and I often add half white whole wheat or whole wheat flour to quick breads, muffins, and pizza dough. We also eat mostly brown rice. Some meals just go better with white, though!

If you like brown rice, you might be turned off because it takes about an hour to cook. The good news is that you can make a big batch and freeze in individual or family-sized servings. It heats up very well.

This technique for making brown rice came from Saveur magazine, and it's great. Even though there is no fat added, it ends up almost buttery tasting - like popcorn. The boys like it, too - though I usually add a little butter to theirs. This recipe is more like making pasta than rice - you don't want all the water to absorb.

Brown rice doubles in size while cooking. Last night I made 3 cups dried and ending up with 6 cups cooked. We ate two cups, and I froze the rest in two cup portions.

Perfect Brown Rice

Fill a large pot with 12 cups of water and bring to a boil. Using a fine-mesh strainer or a regular strainer lined with paper towels, rinse one cup of brown rice. Add to the water when it is boiling and cook for 30 minutes. Remove rice from water and drain again briefly. Add the rice back to the hot pot, cover, and let steam for 10 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork, add salt, and serve.

Note: When I made the rice last night, I filled a stock pot with enough water to cook a pound of spaghetti. I wanted to be sure I'd have enough water so it wouldn't be absorbed.