Rice a not so common grain!

There are several different types of the plain rice: white, brown, long brown, short brown, par-boiled, wild rice. So what is the different between all these different grains of rice? Which is the best? How do you cook fluffy rice? Hopefully, I can do a quick short lesson on the common little grain to help answer those questions. On a side note, this grain falls into the Gluten Free category!

Types of Rice:
Brown Rice (long and short): When the rice comes in from the field, the hull is removed and the result is whole brown rice. In this unprocessed state, whole brown rice offers a natural concentration of vitamins and minerals, including potassium, riboflavin, [B.sub.6], niacin and thiamine, and it still has its bran, which is a natural fiber.

White Rice (long and short): Manufacturers remove the bran by polishing the hulled rice. Ninety percent of white rice made in the United States is then enriched with powdered nutrients. Really this is not the rice you should use. FDA regulations claim that all the nutrients are back via powdered nutrients but this is not the nutrition your body needs.

Parboiled Rice: The process of parboiling rice originated from south India where steam was passed through the grains with the husks on. The nutrients are embedded into the grain during this process. Parboiled white rice is 80% nutritionally similar to brown rice The rice is polished after the steaming is done. This results in more nutritious rice than white rice and more digestible rice than brown rice. Parboiling makes parboiled rice an almost indestructible kernel. Parboil rice does not easily take up moisture when over cooked and does not get mushy. Parboiled rice can be boiled with excess water and then drained.

Wild Rice: These rice plants grow in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing streams; often, only the flowering head of wild rice rises above the water. This type of rice has a thick bran layer that is coated with a waxy layer. It is very difficult for moisture to penetrate these layers. Requirements for cooking and soaking times are longer, but the cooking process remains the same.

Cooking brown, wild, parboiled rice:
These types of rice need to be soaked over night and then cooked with 1 part rice and 2 parts salted liquid for 20 minutes. Steam for 5 minutes before serving.

Rice Flour: Use your Nutri Mill to grind the rice into fresh flour. For those with gluten intolerance, you will now have fresh rice flour with all the nutrition as opposed to the costly rice flour at the health food store where the nutrition has oxidized out of the rice flour. Click here to learn more about the Nutri Mill.

You might want to consider purchasing a rice cooker to have fabulous rice every time with little effort! Click here to learn more!