How to...
Ever just needed to know how to do something? Make simple rice without a rice cooker? Save money by boning your own chicken breasts? Make something from "scratch?" You've come to the right place, because here "right at home," we enjoy cooking and sharing tips and secrets that make every day cooking enjoyable and easy.
How to Cook RiceRice is a very simple food to cook, but it's important that you're comfortable with the tools you have on hand. You can usually make your own equipment work for any recipe, and you will become the master of your own kitchen! To make rice, my tools of choice are:
1. Heavy non-stick skillet with a cover that fits well. (I prefer a glass cover so I can see what's going on and not be tempted to play peek-a-boo with my rice. 2. Regular long grain rice from the supermarket. 3. A wooden spoon for stirring and not destroying my beautiful non-stick finish. 4. Margarine. I have used oil successfully, but I keep margarine in stick form on hand for this kind of dish. For plain PLAIN rice, just spray with some PAM-style oil, to help it not stick. Here's how to do it. You will need: 1 Tbsp margarine (or a little spray oil) 1 cup long grain white rice salt pepper, optional 2 cups hot water Method: 1. Heat the skillet over medium to high heat and melt the butter or margarine. (Leave out the margarine for plain white rice.) 2. Add the rice to the margarine and sautee the rice. Add salt and pepper as desired. (Heat the rice, and spray with a bit of spray oil for plain rice.) 3. Just as the rice is starting to pop and brown a little, add the hot water and listen for the sizzle! 4. Bring this mixture to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat to low. (LOW) Set the timer for 15 minutes. Most of the water will be absorbed and the rice will be good enough to eat. 5. If you leave the rice to sit OFF the heat for another 10 minutes or so, it continues to steam, and becomes fluffy and wonderful! This recipe makes enough rice to "bed" two good sized dinner plates, or several servings as part of a meal. If you don't have a non-stick pan, you can certainly use a regular skillet, or the more traditional sauce pan. In a case like this, I like to leave a little bit of liquid in the very bottom of the pan so that nothing stick and burns. The steam time at the end of the process is very important in this scenario, so the water will be absorbed. Just let the rice sit and do its business, while you fix the rest of the meal, confident that you'll have a beautiful pan of rice waiting for you when it's time to eat! For use in fried rice, move the rice to a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate. |