When I make rice in my rice cooker, I get some burned rice at the bottom of the pan. Any idea how to avoid it?

Answer 1

Hello, Eduardo,

I see three reasons that could explain why your rice is getting burned at the bottom of the rice cooker pan. (I have had that same problem, but don't anymore.) Let's look at the reasons.

1. Not enough water. Sometimes, old rice may have been stored too long and become dryer than usual, so that if you put the normal amount of water in the cooker, the rice will absorb it faster and tend to burn or scorch toward the bottom of the pan. The solution here would be to add a little more water and see if that makes a difference.

Also, if you are buying rice in a supermarket, check the expiration date, if there is one, or the processing date, if there is one. Sometimes, very old rice is put on the shelves. Personally, I go for the new rice.

2. The cooker itself has a thermostat set too high, or the cooking time is too long--or both. That's why I personally do not use a rice cooker, anymore. I get much better results with the method I will describe below. If the problem is a mechanical one, and if you are not pleased with the results over time, recycle the cooker and either try another one, or do as I do.

3. Are you washing the rice under cold water before you put the rice in the cooker? It really is a good idea to gently rub the rice between the palms of your hands in a large bowl of cold water, then pour the water out, refill with water, rub, and continue this cycle about four or five times--until the water is no longer milky. This way, you will have gotten rid of the starches that do tend to make rice kernels stick together (and burn). The rice will absorb a bit of water in the washing process, so you should do the washing quickly and with cold water. Warm water gets absorbed much faster by the rice.

MY METHOD OF COOKING RICE IN A KETTLE WITH A LID:

Find a heavy-bottomed stainless steel cooking pot, around two liters (two quarts) in size (with lid). Absolutely do not use an aluminum kettle or a thin, cheap one. The rice will burn almost every time. You will need to spend some money, if you don't have such a kettle, but it will be an excellent investment that could give you a lifetime of pleasure.

Wash two cups of the rice as I described in #3 above. (I am going to assume you are using long-grain, white rice, here. I personally think the world's best white rice is Thai Jasmine Rice. It is now available all over the world.)

Put three cups cold water (or a little more--depending on the rice and your kettle), and turn the heat on high. Bring the water to a boil, immediately drop in the washed and drained rice, put the lid on and do resist the urge to take a peek; keep the heat on high for just a very little time, enough for some steam to build up inside the kettle. You will know when you can hear or see the lid slightly rocking, or you see a bit of steam escaping. Then immediately turn the heat down to its lowest level, set a timer for 20 minutes. At 20 minutes, turn off the heat, remove the lid and let the rice cool for at least five minutes before you fluff it.

NOW, FOR BROWN RICE:

The process is the same as for white rice, EXCEPT:

1. The amount of water should be double the amount of rice. Two cups rice should
normally require four cups water. Again, the amount will vary depending on how
dry the rice is. I use long-grain brown rice (either Thai Jasmine Brown Rice, or
Brown Basmati Rice from India). Both are delicious.

2. The cooking time should be 40 minutes, instead of 20 minutes. But I have found
that the timing does vary from bag-to-bag, simply because of the length of time
the rice has been stored before I bought it.

Final note:

A. I always add a pinch of salt to the boiling water before I put the rice in. Up to
you, though.

B. Don't remove the lid and take a peek at the rice during the cooking process.
If you do that, steam will escape, the sticky kernels of rice will collapse a
bit on each other, and you could end up with a gummy mess. I have peeked,
and sometimes I can get away with it, but other times I can't. Now I don't.

C. I buy rice in bags that I can squeeze into the freezing unit of my refrigerator. I
keep the rice frozen until I need to use it. I never buy more rice than I can
keep frozen. Sometimes it does mean emptying a sack into several freezer
bags made of clear plastic, or putting the rice in Tupperware containers
(or other plastic containers that seal tight). Why freeze rice? you might ask.
That way there will not an insect problem in the rice. Any potential eggs
won't hatch, and when you wash the rice before you cook, you make sure
you have clean rice.

D. If, after the recommended cooking time, the rice is still wet, you can
put it back on the heat for a couple minutes--with the lid off, if you
like. If the rice is too dry, add a bit of water--not much--and cover
with the lid and let the covered, hot rice rest while it absorbs water.

Good luck from Bangkok!

Answer 2

I have to say there are very few things which are easily cooked in a microwave that come out as good if not better than on a stove, but rice has to be one of them. So if you have a microwave, spend $15 and buy a good microwave rice cooker. Just make sure you wash your rice and then once cooked use a good rice wine vinegar and sugar mix when the rice has sat for a couple of minutes. Believe it or not it, is that mixture stirred into the cooked rice that makes all the difference in the taste of the sushi rice base.

Answer 3

Try to keep track of the time your rice cooker stops cooking the rice, then unplug the cooker.

Answer 4

My guess is to stir it halfway through cooking so that the rice on the bottom isn't on the bottom the qhole time. Hope I helped!

Answer 5

I have found that if I stir the rice halfway before it's finished the rice will loosen up and will not burn.

Answer 6

Put a wax paper or parchment paper on the bottom, it works for me.

Answer 7

I am gonna share with you a very old Californian Surfer Beach DUDE "Rice No Burn" secret MAN!
Squeeze a good load of Wallmart Suntan lotion on the bottom of Rice Maker. Yep Yep Dude, the whole idea is to have at least a 2 inch barrier between the bottom of the Rice pan and your Rice.
.........Enjoy your Burn Free Rice!!!!
Ah also you can Wax the bottom of the rice maker with some surfin' board wax...works AwEsome.

Answer 8

How to Cook Rice Perfectly
Letting your rice rest enlarges the window of opportunity for serving perfectly cooked rice

Perfectly cooked rice is tasty, light, and fluffy. The grains are distinct and tender but not mushy.

Aside from differences in culture, many Americans shy away from rice due to a fear of cooking it. (Hence the popularity of instant rice, which offers "perfect" rice--in exchange for flavor and texture.) While exactly how rice cooks changes from variety to variety, even from batch to batch (brown rice cooks longer than white, for example; old rice absorbs more water than new) getting consistently good results is not impossible. In fact, the method that works best is practically the same as the one on the back of the box. But what the back of the box neglects to mention is the importance of letting the rice rest before serving it.
These days, most rice comes free of dirt, gravel, and chaff so there's rarely a need to patiently pick through it. Washing rice is another matter. Outside the U.S., talc is still sometimes used as a milling aid and should be rinsed off in a few changes of cold water. Though rice with talc should be labeled as such, I rinse if there's the slightest doubt. Some people also find that rinsing washes off loose starch, making the rice less sticky. (In the U.S., rice is enriched with vitamins, but only a small amount gets washed away if the rice is rinsed.)

Whether you soak rice depends on time and tradition. Apart from habit, the reasons for soaking rice are to shorten the cooking time and to allow for maximum expansion of long-grain rice, particularly basmati. A soak also makes the grains a little less brittle so they're less likely to break during cooking. If I'm using older basmati, which needs to be treated carefully if it's not to break, I soak it first. (Recipes vary in suggested soaking times, with 30 minutes most common.) But for most everyday meals, I skip this step and still get good results. If you do soak your rice, be sure to drain it thoroughly or you'll be using more water in cooking than you intended.

Cooking rice by the absorption method is simple and reliable
I grew up in a household that only boiled rice and only basmati at that. We'd tip some rice into a large pot of boiling water, adjust the heat to keep the rice just dancing to the surface, and check it now and again by taking a bite. When the rice was resilient without a trace of central hardness, the water got poured off and saved for soup. To make the rice dry and fluffy, we'd tip it back into its pan, cover it, and cook it further over very low heat.
I now prefer the absorption method. In this more streamlined process, the rice is cooked in a measured amount of water so that by the time the rice is cooked, all the water has been absorbed. As the water level drops, trapped steam finishes the cooking.

For every cup of rice, use 1-1/2 to 2 cups of water (less if the rice is washed first). You'll need to experiment a little to find the amount you like best, but in general, use the larger amount for long-grain rice, the lesser for medium and short. Keep in mind that more water gives you softer, stickier rice--great for stir-fries. Less water will keep the grains more separate and result in firmer rice, a good style for rice salads.

Use a sturdy pot with a tight-fitting lid
You want a pot with a heavy base for the most even cooking, and one that's big enough to provide plenty of room above the rice for steam. A tight lid keeps the steam in. If your lid fits loosely, put a clean kitchen cloth between the lid and the pot. (Be sure to fold it over onto the pot so it doesn't burn.) The cloth also absorbs the water that would normally condense on the inside of the lid and fall back down into the rice, so this is also a good trick to get drier, fluffier rice.

Rinse, strain, boil, and then simmer.
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A bit of butter or olive oil will also help keep the grains from sticking together, while a little salt adds flavor.
Once all the ingredients are combined, cover the rice and let it simmer. On an electric stove, use two burners: bring the rice to a boil on a hot burner and then immediately slide it to a burner set on low to continue cooking at a slow simmer.

After about 12 minutes, the liquid should be absorbed, and the rice still al dente. If you served the rice now, you'd find the top layer drier and fluffier than the bottom, which can be very moist and fragile. Here's where you need patience. Let the rice sit off the heat, undisturbed with the lid on, for at least 5 minutes and for as long as 30. This results in a uniform texture, with the bottom layers as fluffy as the top. That a pot of rice actually improves with a rest also gives you more flexibility for cooking the rest of the meal.

Fixing not-so-perfect rice
If you follow these guidelines, perfectly cooked rice is attainable. But it's an imperfect world, and the telephone has a way of ringing at inopportune moments. So here are ways to fix rice that has turned out less than perfectly:

Problem: The rice is still very chewy or hard in the middle after the allotted time.
Solution: Add just enough water to create a little steam, 1/4 cup or less. Put the lid on and cook the rice on very low heat for another 5 minutes.

Problem: The rice is cooked but too wet.
Solution: Uncover the pot and cook over low heat to evaporate the water. Or gently turn the rice out onto a baking sheet and dry it in a low oven.

Problem: The grains are split and the rice is mushy.
Solution: Use the rice for rice pudding and start over if you have the time.

Problem:The bottom layer of rice has burned.
Solution: Run cold water over the outside of the pot's bottom to keep the burnt flavor from permeating the rest of the rice (don't add water to the rice itself).Tip out as much rice as you can salvage.

You can avoid such problems by breaking the cardinal rule of rice cooking ("never lift the lid") and actually looking to see how it's doing. I for one have done so and lived to tell the tale. A quick peek will tell you if most of the water has been absorbed and that it's time to let the rice sit off the heat. The point is to keep the lid off for just a flash.

Answer 9

spray it with pam cooking spray

Answer 10

maybe u didn't put enough water
normally it should not burn