This article explores the different ways of cooking rice, while attempting to explore why certain practices are discouraged. Understanding these could be vital to your job search, in particular, your job search interview.
There are several ways in which to cook rice, differentiated by the amount of water absorbed by the cooking rice. If you are boiling the rice, you will need nearly double the amount of water as the rice. For steamed rice, cook it in water that is two and a half times more. There is also a third method, also known as the Japanese method. This utilizes four to five parts water for every part of rice.
However, rice is considered cooked to perfection only when all the grains are cooked through and separate from the other. Probably for this reason alone, rice should be handled less or not at all, while cooking.
Steamed Rice:
If you want to steam cook the rice, add 1 cup of rice to about 2 and a half cups of boiling water. Keep the vessel covered. You can also steam rice in a double boiler. Rice cooked this way does not need to be stirred too much and should be done in about an hour and a half.
Boiling on the Stovetop:
To boil your rice on the stovetop, take one quart water for every cup of uncooked rice. Add salt to the water and bring it to a rapid boil. Wash and rinse the rice and add to the water. Allow the mixture to boil rapidly, skimming any froth that rises to the top of the water. Take it off the fire and drain the rice using a colander or sieve. Reserve the liquid to make soups or gravies. Rinse under cold water to arrest the cooking and to loosen the starch from the cooked grain. Cover and let the rice steam for 2-3 minutes before serving. It should look fluffy and white.
Boiling, the Japanese way:
To boil your rice the Japanese way, take a cup of rice, wash and rinse it. In a separate vessel, boil about 5 cups of water. When it starts boiling rapidly, add the washed rice to it, stir once and let it boil gently for about 15 minutes. Cover the vessel, remove from fire, and place it in a preheated oven for another 15 minutes to allow the rice to cook without the grains disintegrating.
