Rice-cooking utensils

Rice-cooking utensils are tools used for cooking rice and similar foods.

Dedicated rice-cooking utensils have a long history. A ceramic rice steamer dated to 1250 BC is on display in the British Museum.

Rice absorbs a great deal of water as it cooks, expanding its volume and using up the cooking water. The moisture and heat gelatinize and soften the starch granules in the rice. The cooking time for raw rice (not parboiled beforehand) ranges from about 15 minutes and up, depending upon the type and freshness of rice, method, and desired result (from separate grains to disintegrated porridge). Some rices, such as white rice, long-grain rice and African rice, break up more easily. Some cooking methods are more likely to break the rice (fragmenting it with a mortar and pestle before cooking, or stirring frequently). Some rice is stickier. Most recipes will therefore not work for all rices.

Rice can be cooked by heating in boiling water or steam, or a combination of both (boiling until water evaporates, then continuing in steam generated by continued heating).

Rice cooking utensils may be divided into

A microwave rice cooker is a container designed specifically for cooking rice. Some container consists of three parts: an outer bowl, a fitted lid with steam vents, and an inner bowl with a finely perforated base. Some others have only one container and the double-layered lid fitted with a steam vent.

A measured amount of dry rice is placed within the bowl. For long-grain rice or scented rice (e.g., basmati rice, Thai jasmine rice), neither washing or soaking is usually necessary unless contaminating dirt is suspected. For Japanese rice (e.g., Calrose or medium/short grain rice), the rice is washed to remove surface starch powder and the trace of rice bran from the grains. For washing, a generous amount of water is added to the rice then the mixture is stirred a few times with a hand quickly. The water is then drained immediately while the lighter starch is still in the water, and the heavier rice grains settle at the bottom of the container. The washing process may need to be repeated up to three times until the water draining out is clear of starch. Excessive washing, however, is believed to be detrimental, since it will remove too many water-soluble nutrients, e.g., vitamins.

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Wikipedia