Rice Recipes

what kind of rice do you use? whenever i use just rice and water, it just tastes too bland/plain

I'm confused. Did you actually purchase an "instant rice maker"? The last time I saw an "instant rice maker" it was a piece of industrial equipment that would fill a space larger than most apartments and homes and cost in the millions of $ range.

If you bought a "rice cooker" then that is a totally different story.

Sorry for being a smartarse....but after working in the rice industry for a number of years I just had to comment on the "instant rice maker".

Your post is very confusing. You say you don't want to overload it with unnecessary salt, seasonings etc. But then you say you want to add sausage, which is usually highly seasoned and full of salt. Then you ask again about seasonings.

Are you wanting to know how to use the rice cooker? If so read the instructions. Or follow this simple rule of thumb....1 cup of rice requires 2 cups of water. The rice cooker will shut off automatically when the rice is cooked.

Jasmine or the new variety Jazzman rice is a very flavorful rice to use as opposed to white rice. Brown rice is very tastey as well.

The minute you get in to the rice mix category you're looking at huge levels of salt/sodium. Fresh and dried herb work great in rice. A really good rice can be made from adding cilantro and a little lime juice for flavor.

If you're making rice for right before or after the gym, don't use butter or margarine...the salt and fat aren't "good for you".

Couple of other suggestions....use curry alone or one of Penzey's mixes that do not containt salt.

Drfood,are you a food chemist? What the hell is an instant rice maker? Does it cook rice and then dehydrate it?

Must you have the protein IN the rice cooker? You can make rice sides without the protein which will be tasty. It's awfully easy to sear a piece of salmon, for example, while the rice cooks. Same with the turkey sausage.

Jasmine rice doesn't need a lot of help. It's a good mild flavored rice.

If you like orzo, you can probably find a wheat version, which should cook in the rice cooker just like rice does. I cook it in the same way as rice. You can eat it with herbs or toss it in a little olive oil with some parm cheese.

Fresh herbs might be the way to go. Buy something different every week until you come up with something you like. Star anise is interesting in rice,add it at the beginning. Also might want to get a cook book on rice,good luck.

As far as salt, you can buy lower salt broths and stocks or you can make your own, without salt.

I haven't compared many jasmine rices, so I can't answer your question on that.

I'm not big on mixing the proteins in the rice cooker, just for the heck of it. Make a flavorful rice that can stand alone to have with your proteins. You can also add dried fruits and nuts to rice. Roasted almonds is usually my preference. Slivered are better than slices, to me, for rice.

Tinker with the herbs and wine. You'll find some flavors you like.

I'm actually involved in a number of things from product development to regulatory to technical sales in my current position.

Yes I have been involved in products you might have seen in stores. Here's a couple of examples.

Minute Rice microwave cups (multiple flavors). Not sure where in Louisiana they are. Kroger carries and I believe HEB and Publix also. That is with a previous employer that I was involved with those. Also, worked on Mahatma branded rice products.

If you've ever seen frozen beverages in convenience stores called Parrot-Ice, I was the guy who was the R&D person there. They are now owned by ICEE.

Was involved with helping Uncle Ben's with their first shots at Rice Bowls when I was teaching at UH Hilton College. Also, worked with Tyson on the first wings they were selling at KFC.

There are others I worked on when I was at LSU. Panola pepper sauce, Cajun Injector are the 2 best known. I also worked with Lionel Robin and Donald Cachere (as in Tony's son or grandson) on a canned version of Lionel's etoufee sauce he serves at his restaurant in Hendersonville/Breau Bridge (never can remember which it is in). It was during the oil crash in the 80's so we had a lot of folks with good ideas and others with wacky ideas....like pickled fried catfish that actually ended up on the shelves at Schweggman's for a very short time. We also helped Merlene Hebert in Lafayette with a project where she wanted to set up a commercial production facility to produce her meat fill bread loafs.
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Back to the rice ideas....try Nutella in rice. Honey, maple syrup also work great. Nuts work really well also.

I agree, don't cook the protein in the rice. It just does not work well. Mix it later.

To the idea of using fresh herbs. Best flavor you can get in rice.

And if you have a Penzey's locally go spend a while exploring the multitude of stuff they carry.

quote:

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when I asked where the gravy, they looked at me funny.. To me it was unheard of to serve rice with no gravy.

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They might have been trying to figure out that accent...

I just put rice in there. Long grain rice. Use the instructions for measurements of water to rice and add 2 capfuls of vinegar and a good bit of salt.