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Gin and Genever
I have some Dutch relatives and it seems that there are certain customs surrounding the jenever. My relatives always keep it in the fridge or freezer. They also always serve it in small glasses - straight up. They are about the size of a shot glass, but usually with a stem - and often cut glass. It is sipped - not slammed. Another thing that I've always found interesting is that when they pour it, they always pour the glass very full - like to the brim. Also, when the jenever is chilled like this, it pours like a thin syrup.
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Essentials: Rice
I use a pressure cooker too - have for years, but I've got to be honest, I don't think it makes the best rice. White rice tends to be very clumpy and NOT fluffy. Brown rice is better, in fact brown rice does just fine in the pressure cooker.
(I'm not Chinese and I don't have a rice cooker.)
Gin and Genever
I have some Dutch relatives and it seems that there are certain customs surrounding the jenever. My relatives always keep it in the fridge or freezer. They also always serve it in small glasses - straight up. They are about the size of a shot glass, but usually with a stem - and often cut glass. It is sipped - not slammed. Another thing that I've always found interesting is that when they pour it, they always pour the glass very full - like to the brim. Also, when the jenever is chilled like this, it pours like a thin syrup.
Essentials: Rice
I love good rice! I noticed several entries that mentioned cooking rice in a pressure cooker. I recently inherited my Dad's old Mirro and I would love to try it for my next rice cooking. Could someone please describe how to do it in a pressure cooker? Thanks!
Essentials: Rice
If you have a flame-tamer, put that on burner first. Put 1 part brown rice to 1 3/4 parts water and salt in a stainless steel saucepan. Without covering with a lid, bring water to a boil until bubbles appear through the rice and water is at same level as rice. (Surface will appear 'pock-marked'.) I
Immediately turn down to low, cover and cook 20-30 minutes. Check to make sure rice isn't sticking to bottom. This will NOT jinx the rice cooking technique. Fluff rice gently with a fork. Remove from burner and let sit 5-10 minutes before serving. This is an unconventional method that Bonnie Stern, Canadian culinary maven advocates and it works. I confess I most often use my rice cooker, one of my favourite appliances. I've downsized to a smaller rice cooker since my children left home.
The same method works for white rice but the ratio is 1 part rice to 2 parts water.
Essentials: Rice
I second the Alton Brown baked brown rice. Delicious, even according to my husband, who resents the idea of healthy rice.
Has anyone ever tried to make risotto with brown rice? I have made it with plain old Uncle Ben's instead of Arborio, but never tried the brown. I use the recipe in the old Joy of Cooking - I think it's called "Italian Rice"...
Essentials: Rice
I never bought a rice cooker because I have a problem buying single use items of that size. I'm sure rice cookers can do more, but the name scares me off. I use a 1 to 2 ratio of water to rice. Cup of rice, two cups of water, bring to a boil, add salt, oil or butter if using, stir well, cover, turn heat to low and cook 20 minutes. Turn heat off, open top and quickly fluff, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. If you do the above with a clean kitchen towel over the pot before you put on the lid you'll get a drier more single grain result. By the way, if using stainless steel pots you should wait until you get a boil before adding salt. Unless completely dissolved in water the salt will pit your pot bottoms.
Essentials: Rice
I used to do the pot method and someone bought me a rice cooker (i used to think that this appliance was a joke).... but I'm totally convinced its the ONLY way to go!
Essentials: Rice
lorelei76, I just use my anodized aluminum pan (2 qt. maybe?). I hope this method works out for you!
Essentials: Rice
Amandarama, thank you so much. I will attempt this tonight and see how it turns out. What kind of pot do you use for this? I have a heavy Le Creuset, a stainless steel one (with a thick-ish bottom), and a non-stick. I usually use the stainless steel, with claggy results. Same w/ my magical rice cooker. I don't do the soak (just rinse till clear), so I'm hoping this will solve my problems (I can't make Spam Musubi with mooshy rice!)
I'll make two batches using this recipe and cook on stovetop and in the rice cooker.
Essentials: Rice
@lorelei76 - for short grain white rice I use 1 cup of rice to 1 1/4 cups cold water. Rinse the rice thoroughly and then let it soak in the water with a 1/4 teaspoon of salt for a half hour. Then bring it to a boil, turn down to the lowest setting and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit for another 15 minutes. I find this method works pretty well. The short grain rice is going to be somewhat stickier no matter what you do to it; it's just got that much more starch I think.
Essentials: Rice
I tend to make boring old medium grain rice. I don't like for there to be anything in my rice when I cook it, and perhaps a pinch of salt afterward. I can always tell when there's butter in white rice, which always annoys me when I go to a restaurant and ask for plain rice. I guess they figure Chinese restaurant in America means no one likes plain rice without butter? Who knows.
GumbeauxGal's method is about the method I use, but I don't add salt to the water and use 1.5 to 1.75 parts water to 1 part rice. I just just a regular 2 or 2.5qt pot for cooking it.
I need to go buy a new bag of rice...
Essentials: Rice
I've cooked (jasmine) rice since I was a kid - grandma taught me the way of the rice cooked in clay pots, in bamboo, steamed with banana leaves, cooked over a coal fire, over a gas stove. Then we came to the US and we got a rice cooker and it was good. So, I'm not a rice novice, by any means.
Yet...sushi rice. The Japanese short grain, extra gooshy smooshy rice has defeated me. What the heck am I doing wrong? I started w/ a 1-1 ratio but that was too claggy. So I've lessened the water considerably, I've cooked in a rice cooker and on the stove. I've fluffed and fanned per directions. I still get claggy rice. What is up short grain rice? And anyone want most of a 50lb bag of it?
Essentials: Rice
Rice is best naked with a pat of butter,yummy!
http://organicandnaturalmom.blogspot.com/2008/03/rice-cookers.html
Essentials: Rice
HAHA! I meant "Combine IN pot"!
***Disclaimer -- There is no pot in my rice!***
Ah, I now see that billyburgwife uses the finger bend method!
Essentials: Rice
I've grown up eating and cooking extra long grain white rice, but I now use a lot of brown basmati and this method works beautifully for both. (Individual grains, not clumps, of rice.)
It's pretty close to Robin's recipe, except for the oil and that I do rinse the rice.
Rinse and drain rice until water runs clear.
1 part rice to 1.75 parts water or stock
pinch or two of salt
Combine pot, stir, bring to boil. Stir, turn down heat to low and cover. Cook 20 mins. Let rest 5 mins. Fluff prior to serving.
My older relatives had a method involve putting a finger in the pot and pouring water up to the first (or was it second?) finger joint. I never quite picked it up, though!
Essentials: Rice
i've always done the finger-bend measurement for my rice too! a friend the other day said he was scared to make rice and didn't know how to do that and when i told him my method he looked at me like i was crazy. but, i learned it from my chinese mom :-) now, i'm married, my husband is mexican and i need to learn how to make his aunt's amazing rice and beans.
Essentials: Rice
For brown rice, Alton Brown's recipe for baking works wonders. I'd link to it, but I'd have to go to the Food Network site. And then I'd have nightmares. With Giada's disembodied gaping maw and manhands seizing upon me...
What was I saying? Oh, yeah. Buy a rice cooker.
Essentials: Rice
I second the pressure cooker comment. Fast and perfect every time.
Essentials: Rice
My old foolproof method was put a ton of water in a pot and bring to a boil, throw in rice and cook for 12 minutes, drain and let sit, fluff. Found that on the side of a box of thai rice which included 4 different methods. My new foolproof method is even better, use a rice cooker. Since my wife is Indonesian it was pretty much a must buy so that we can make tons of rice all the time and it's always yummy (oh, and I recommend a fancy one with "fuzzy" logic and a ton of buttons. not sure why it's better but it makes much better rice than the simple one-button varieties, IMHO)
Gin and Genever
In 1993, while dining at the Black Sheep restaurant in Amsterdam, I was served jenever. It was golden in color and it was definitly a sipping gin. It was a cultural experience that I , obviously, haven't forgotten.
Gin and Genever
I found an "old" bottle in my grandfather's bar. Can't recall the label but it was in a craft type cask. Delicious -- and my first and only memory of getting wasted with the old man! It should be available here.
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I use a pressure cooker too - have for years, but I've got to be honest, I don't think it makes the best rice. White rice tends to be very clumpy and NOT fluffy. Brown rice is better, in fact brown rice does just fine in the pressure cooker.
(I'm not Chinese and I don't have a rice cooker.)