How to cook brown rice

When I first started doing a lot more cooking from scratch, I looked up how to cook rice. The method I use now is more like cooking pasta, easier than trying to measure out a certain amount of water for a certain amount of rice.

Get a pot of salted water boiling. (The salt is optional.) Depending on how much rice you're making, you want plenty of room for it to boil around in - I only need a few inches if I'm cooking a half cup of dried rice to make a cup of cooked rice for a recipe, but if the meal is chicken and rice I'll fill the pot higher for 2 cups of dried rice. The pot needs to have a tight lid.

Once the water is boiling, prepare the rice. This involves rinsing it under cold running water until the water runs off clear. If you have a sieve, or a colander with very tiny holes, you can use that. Otherwise, put the rice in a deep bowl, run some cold water in, and swirl it around with your hand. Drain out most of the water, add fresh, and repeat. I usually do this three times. (This is to wash excess starch from the rice so that it doesn't stick together after it cooks. It's okay to skip it if you don't want to bother - just be aware the texture may be a little different.)

Dump the rice into the boiling water and give it a brief stir. Bring it back up to boiling and let it cook uncovered at a rolling boil for half an hour.

Pour out into a strainer and let drain for ten seconds, then transfer back to the pot. Put the lid on and let it sit for ten minutes - not on the burner, just sealed. At this point the rice is being steamed to finish the cooking.

I know this is a lot of words, but it's so easy - get water boiling, rinse the rice, cook for half an hour, drain for ten seconds, steam for ten minutes, and you're done!

Spanish Rice (not Mexican)

This is one of my Grandma Josephine's signature dishes. She called it Spanish Rice. This later led to me being very confused at menus in Mexican restaurants. If you're looking for a side dish for your Tex-Mex menu, this is not it - but it is a delicious casserole/meatloaf-type meal.
My sister has a copy of a church cookbook which Grandma submitted her recipe to, so I can give it to you in her own words:


Spanish Rice

1 lb hamburger

1 cup cooked rice

1 cup tomato juice

1 tsp salt

pinch pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F

Mix well with your fingers until well mixed. It should be of less firm consistency than for a meat loaf - not firm enough to hold its shape. You may want to add more tomato juice. Put in 8 x 8 pan or pyrex and bake 350 for 1 1/2 hours more or less.

My mother Mary Rodgers always took this dish to "Last Day" dinners at the country school when I went to school. It was always a hit with everyone.

Josephine Appleby

Now, a few notes: this should be spread out in a casserole dish, flat - not more than an inch or so deep, because it gets a delicious crispy crust on top.

I usually reduce the salt a bit.

I usually use cooked brown rice, but any kind would work. Grandma always used white. I can't tell the difference.

If I don't have tomato juice on hand, I put some canned tomatoes in the blender. I usually increase the amount by half, since part of that is going to be pulp rather than juice.

If there is liquid around the edges of the pan when you take it out, wait to drain it - let it sit for a minute and a lot of the juice will soak back in.

Traditional accompaniments to this dish include cottage cheese, corn, and sliced tomatoes.

Because the proportions are all "one", it's very easy to alter the amount!