Parboiled vs regular rice

Parboiled rice is already partially cooked and takes less time. Parboiled rice is boiled where as regular rice is steamed. Regular tastes much better IMHO if it's done right.

I didn't like parboiled rice, Uncle Ben's in particular, but the Mahatma brand has a very good one.

Use parboiled when you are cooking rice to be topped with something(i.e. red beans, stew, gumbo, etc.). For jambalaya, medium or long grain regular is the way to go.

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Rinsing it off doesn't do anything for the flavor

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Correct - but it helps with consistency.

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Cook until done, pour into colander and cover with a tea towel.

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A tea towel? I just don't like how that sounds.

Parboiled rice is somewhat tolerable when topped with something, but I still find it generally repulsive. Rice is supposed to have some sort of stickiness to it, and parboiled rice has none. Parboiled is also too "rubbery" to me.

Here's my recipe for foolproof rice on the stove as opposed to a rice cooker. Put whatever amount of rice you want into a pot and shake it to make sure you have an even layer. Fill with water until you have a layer of water over the rice that is the same depth as the rice below it. I judge this very roughly with my finger and as long as it's close, it's fine. Doesn't have to be super accurate. Bring this to a slow boil over medium high heat, then cut the heat to simmer and cover. I usually put a paper towel over the pot (under the lid) to keep the steam/bubbling from getting on the stove. Cook for roughly 17 minutes (can go a little longer without a problem). Voila, perfect fluffy rice.

ETA: Make sure to use a pot that is large enough to handle the expansion of the rice. If your pot is too small, the cooking process (even with a paper towel) will be very messy as the steam escapes the lid.

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That's actually not a good thing. Rice is coated with a vitamin mix that makes it MUCH more healthy. Rinsing it off doesn't do anything for the flavor, but hurts the nutritional value.

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Ehhh. Rice is only "enriched" because the FDA decreed that the food industry needed to sneak in certain vitamins into food to help insure that dumb American dolts who weren't making an effort to eat balanced diets or take vitamins were getting the necessary nutrients regardless. (The Omnivore's Dilemma folks also think it has something to do with reduced nutritional yields in agribusiness crops, and the need to try to overcome that -- but I think that's a bit conspiratorial.)


As long as you're generally eating a balanced diet and maybe taking a vitamin supplement, there's not much differece in the nutrition you're going to get by eating the full enriched rice versus rinsing it off before or after cooking.

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Parboiled rice is somewhat tolerable when topped with something, but I still find it generally repulsive. Rice is supposed to have some sort of stickiness to it, and parboiled rice has none. Parboiled is also too "rubbery" to me.

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THIS.

Thank God they dont make par-boiled Short Grain Rice. I'd have to get out of the SGR bidness.

My perfect fail safe rice cooking method. Buy rice cooker.