Rice cooking?

Question

The Asians consume lots of rice. am just wondering ..... do people wash the rice (rubbing it with the palms till the water turns milky) and rinse once/twice before cooking ? Is this necessary?

Answer 1

It depends what kind you buy. The kind you get at the grocery store in boxes etc. you don't have to wash anymore.
I guess if you'd buy rice locally in Asia its a different matter.

Answer 2

You wash the rice until when you drain the water, the water isn't milky. It can vary from 3 to 5 times.

Answer 3

It is necessery to wash the rice properly, in your words rubbing it with the palms till the water turns milky.

Answer 4

In the past, rice used to be coated with talc as a preservative and to make it shiny. This had to be washed off to make the rice safe to eat. Nowadays, I buy rice that is marked that its coated with rice flour instead. I still wash it but its not as much of a health issue as it was.

Of course, processed rice in boxes doesn't have to be washed.

Answer 5

I'm from Hong Kong and I always wash the rice before I cook it. Everyone I know (the Japanese, Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean) washes the rice too.

Answer 6

Removing the excess starch makes the rice less sticky and more palatable. It also depends on what variety of rice your cooking.If it's a starchy rice soaking first then rinsing will suffice.

Answer 7

the rinsing washes away the starches in the rice. I do sometimes when the recipe calls for it

Answer 8

I don't think all rice needs to be washed. I know that jasmine rice does, though. There are many kinds of rice.

Answer 9

I see it as more psychological. And I have to admit that I do wash them, regardless.

Remember, brown rice has more nutrients than white rice.

Answer 10

I've never washed my rice, never thought it was necessary.