The first thing you have to do to Make Perfect Brown Rice is think pasta, not rice. Fill a soup pot (not sauce pan) with water, add rinsed rice, boil, boil, boil for 30 minutes uncovered, then drain and let steam in the pot, covered with a tight fitting lid, on a cold burner for about 10 minutes. A more exacting recipe is below…and for those that always ask; Yes, Brown Rice is healthy! It is an unprocessed rice. That means only the inedible outermost layer, the hull, is removed. In the rice family, it has the most nutrition and fiber.
This is not my original idea, but it is how I make awesome perfect brown rice. It was an article in Saveur Magazine several years ago. Since I’m often asked about cooking brown rice, I thought I would pass the info along, and always have it present on my blog. For more info, here are a few links if you want to keep reading.
- All the info you will ever want to know from The World’s Healthiest Foods: Is Brown Rice Healthy?
- Chef AJ succeeded by simply focusing on low calorie dense vegetables and high-satisfaction starches–a proven combo for longterm health and permanent weight loss: Chef AJ loses weight by adding rice to her diet.
- In the 4:31 minute video, Brown, Black, Purple and Red Unlike White on Rice, Dr. Michael Greger with NutritionFacts.org explains the healthiness of rice.
How to Make Perfect Brown Rice
Makes 2 cups Brown Rice in 45 minutes
The Ingredient List
- 1 cup short, medium, or long-grain brown rice
The Preparation Method
- I do not use a sauce pan, I use my largest soup pot.
- Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds.
- Bring 12 cups water to a boil in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid over high heat.
- (Many times I don’t measure the water, I fill the pot with water like making pasta. It is probably much more than 12 cups. If you are the type of cook that needs exact measurements, then carry on with 12 cups)
- Add the rice, stir it once, and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Pour rice into a strainer over the sink, or drain directly from the pot by tipping the pot and maintaining the rice in the pot.
- Drain well, then return rice to the pot. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid.
- Set the pot aside on a cold burner to allow the rice to steam for 10 minutes.
- Uncover the rice, fluff with a fork, and season with salt, pepper or flavorings of your choice.
NOTES
This recipe first appeared in Saveur Magazine April 2008. As a testament to its success it has been republished on many blogs. Here is a link to Saveur’s Online Version: Perfect Brown Rice
These are great footnotes to remember when making a simple rice dish. Thanks! Also, if you talk to Chef AJ soon, tell her Jason said hi 😉 we befriended each other this past weekend!
Hi Jason,
Yes, she was in Marshall. I think brown rice is one of the best food items in the world. This technique works every time. Don’t be afraid to add more rice and more water. One of my favorite ways to eat it is to sprinkle with Nutritional Yeast…yum!
Much Love, Phebe