Why do people suggest boiling rice before lowering the heat to low, when making steamed long grain rice? What happens if you don't wait for it to boil and go straight to simmer phase?
Rice – Why boil rice first when steaming rice
ricesteaming
Related Topic
- Rice – When I boil rice, they lump together after a while. How to prevent this
- Rice – Why fry rice before boiling
- Rice – Why cooking times for rice are different in different locations
- Rice – Why does rice get sticky as it cools off
- Rice – how long to boil rice for Biryani
- Rice – What makes rice wet
- Rice – How to make and keep long grain organic brown rice tender
- Rice – Stove-steamed rice gets burnt on bottom
Best Answer
In cooking rice or many other grains (and even some grain based products such as pasta), two things actually happen:
The boiling phase does both at the same time, very efficiently, but sufficient hydration happens before the rice is fully cooked through. So steaming to finish allows the rice to be fully cooked.
If you just simmer, things would simply take longer. The reason to turn the heat down is to not burn the rice at the bottom during the steaming phase.