The Ultimate Rice Cooker

by Julie Kaufmann

  SHORT- AND MEDIUM-GRAIN RICES

  The kernel of medium-grain rice is oblong and two to three times as long as it is wide. This is the standard rice to use for dessert rice puddings. The kernel of short-grain rice is almost round, but slightly oval, and almost as long as it is wide. It is also referred to as pearl rice. Short-grain white rice is rare to find. When the topic is Asian-style rices, the terms “medium-grain” and “short-grain” are used almost interchangeably. These rices are a must for sushi and rice balls.

  American Rice

  California-grown Calrose, a medium-grain japonica type rice, is the most commonly available medium-grain variety on the West Coast; in the East, southern medium-grain rice from Carolina is on store shelves.

  Calrose is typically the lowest priced Japanese-style rice, but its popularity stems from more than its affordability. Like other Japanese-style rices, it has a smooth, moist texture that holds together nicely for chopsticks, and its soothing, mild flavor goes well with spicy foods. This is the rice some people make three times a day fresh for meals, eaten alone, without flavoring. In terms of a bland, clean taste, this rice is probably the best in the world. The kernels cling together and have a comforting tongue appeal. In a pinch, Calrose can be used for sushi (the better brands of Calrose rice can be quite good).One we like, with wide distribution, is Pacific International (formerly Homai).

  CLICK TO SEE RICE AND OTHER COMMERCIAL GRAIN MIXES IN THE RICE COOKER

  Calrose was the first Japanese-style rice available in this country, developed by the Rice Development research specialists of the University of California at Davis. It is one of two or three similar varieties grown in California. This rice needs a special temperate climate and is grown only in a few places in the world, including Japan, Korea, Australia, and some countries around the Mediterranean Sea (see Italian Rice). There is no effort to keep the varieties separate during milling and storage in California, so each bag contains a mixture of California rices.

  In Asian markets in the United States, where the customers really know rice, price is a good general guide to quality. In fact, at some specialty Asian markets in our own San Francisco Bay Area, the prices of different brands of rice are written on a white board, erased, and rewritten as the market changes. Picky Japanese-American cooks now have many more varieties from which to choose. At the top of the line are Tamaki Gold (our favorite!), Tamanishiki, and other “premium” brands; even in large bags, they can cost about $1 a pound. They are great for sushi or special meals. As your rice palate develops, buy a bag of this premium rice to see if you can taste the difference.

  Next come popular but more everyday brands with more moderate prices. Kokuhu Rose, Konriko, Nishiki, and other “new variety” rices are delicious examples. The term “new variety” (not the same as “new crop”) means it is a high-quality variety of American-grown Japanese-style rice. Many say “new variety” rice is better tasting than Calrose.

  If you visit a Japanese market (in the U.S.) during the fall and winter months, you are likely to come across a display of banners proclaiming “New Crop Rice Is In.” New crop rice is just what it sounds like: the fresh rice from the new harvest. This rice contains more of its natural moisture; use less water to cook it. How much less? Every bag is different, and your first cup of rice from every bag will be your test batch. A general guide is to start off with water about ¼ inch below the correct line on your rice cooker bowl (about 1 to 2 tablespoons less water per rice cooker cup of rice; 2 to 3 tablespoons less per U.S. cup of rice). If your rice ends up mushy, reduce the water further; if it’s still too chewy at the core, increase the water.

  Two coveted and expensive short-grain artisanal rices that were perfected in Japan over two thousand years ago, Koshi Hikari and Akita Komachi, have been planted successfully domestically. Koshi Hikari is being grown in Texas and marketed as sushi rice by RiceSelect and Della Gourmet. If you are a sushi lover or lover offine Japanese food, you will want to try these short-grain rices. For more information, see Japanese Rice.

  Southern medium-grain rice appears to be the same as California medium-grain rice, since its shape and amylose content are the same. But it is not, because it is an indica variety, rather than a japonica, hence the protein content is a little higher, and it takes longer to cook. If you prefer the Japanese-style medium-grain rices, you will find southern medium-grain rices unacceptable since they cook up drier. Southern medium-grain rice is not as white, not as moist or sticky, and not as clean tasting. This is the type of rice eaten in the southern United States, Louisiana, some parts of Latin America, and Puerto Rico, with black beans, jerked meats, and spicy Caribbean sauces. Good brands include Riceland Plump, Tender Southern Star, Water Maid, and Uncle Ben’s Medium Grain (not a converted rice).

  Italian Rice

  Happily, Italian rice is widely imported today from the Po River region in northern Italy, so an excellent risotto is moments away. Risotto must be made with an Italian-type rice to achieve the proper texture. The rice is intentionally overcooked (by more than 15 minutes). The resulting product has a creamy, starchy surface but a firm bite through the center. Don’t rinse or wash Italian rice before cooking; the surface starch contributes to the creamy consistency of risottos, paellas, and puddings.

  The most common Italian rice is Arborio, but there are two other lesser known regional varieties, Carnaroli and Vialone nano. Prevean Carnaroli, estate grown and milled in Argentina by the Preve Family of the Po River valley since 1905, is now being imported under the Lotus Foods brand. Arborio has a bigger kernel than regular medium-grain rice, with a distinct chalky center. Carnaroli is the most expensive of the triad and the most difficult to grow. Two domestic brands of Arborio, CalRiso by Lotus Foods and California Arborio by Lundberg, are grown in the Central Valley of California from superfino Arborio seed. Look for the word superfino on the package; it is the top grade.

  Japanese Rice

  Japanese rice is not usually exported but there is no lack of Japanese-style rices, since the American-grown varieties of these rices, like Calrose, are very popular and widely available. In California today there are several Japanese medium- and short-grain varieties being grown that are comparable to two of the most famous and coveted Japanese rices, Akita Komachi and Koshi Hikari, the seeds of which are now being cultivated in small crops in the United States as well.

  Just when we had resigned ourselves to the fact that there was no Japanese rice exported, Beth had a sighting at one of our local Japanese markets of the artisanal rice Koshi Hikari, which poetically translates to “rice offering to the gods.” The price was steep: $30 for two kilograms. But, of course, we had to have a taste.

  Often called the best rice in Japan, Koshi Hikari is the name of the variety, and it is truly an artisan product, tended and processed with extra care in lots as small as three acres. A short-grain rice, it is grown in Nigata prefecture, a small coastal area in central Japan on the Sea of Japan that is renowned for the quality of its rice. We found beautiful rice-paper bags of Koshi Hikari rice for sale around January and New Year’s, a prime season for gift-giving. It was delicious, a beautiful pearlescent oval, and very similar in flavor, texture, and style to our favorite U.S.-grown Japanese-style brand, Tamaki Gold. It is prepared in exactly the same way as other Japanese-style short- and medium-grain rices and is excellent for eating rice bowl style and for sushi.

  Tamaki Gold, packaged by the Williams Rice Milling Company, is 100 percent Koshi Hikari. Less expensive Tamaki Classic is a blend of two varieties: the premium Akita Komachi and California Hikari.

  If you want to try some of the world’s best imported Koshi Hikari sushi rice, you can mail-order it from Williams-Sonoma under the label of Kumai Harvest.

  Spanish Rice

  Spanish-grown rice is labeled paella or Valencia rice (arroz a la Valenciana). Culti vated on the Mediterranean coast of Spain in Valencia and the Ebro River delta, it is increasingly available in this country. Other medium-grain rices can be subs
tituted beautifully for this rice.

  The other well-known Spanish rice is the unique Calasparra. A large-grained japonica called bomba, because of its size, it is now readily available from Williams-Sonoma. It is expensive because it is grown only in one small region outside of Valencia, stamped with a denominación del origin, a region of origin, like the rices imported from Japan. It is considered an artisanal rice by gourmet standards and is used to make paella. Be prepared for it to soak up a lot of liquid, more than you have ever seen a rice absorb, needed to soften the grains.

  Indian Rice

  When shopping in an Indian foods market, we found an astonishing array of miniature grain rices imported from various areas of India. While unfamiliar to most American cooks, these rices have their own charm and uses in regional cooking. Kalijira is a miniature basmati-type medium-grain white rice imported exclusively by Lotus Foods, and is the diminutive rice that has crossed over into specialty super markets. Like all true basmatis, its little needle-like grain elongates as it cooks, but plumps like a medium-grain rice at the same time. It is an ancient strain grown in Bangladesh and is so expensive that it is reserved only for holiday meals in that country. It is also grown across the border in Bengal, India, where it is known as gobindavog. Use Kalijira for special pilafs and dessert puddings.

  Egyptian Rice

  Egyptian-grown rice is a medium-grain japonica cultivated in the marshy Nile waters and is used for Turkish-style pilafs. While the grains are smaller than those of Arborio, they look similar, but cook up more like Japanese-style medium-grain rice. Use the same proportions as for Wild Pecan Rice and cook as for a pilaf using olive oil instead of butter. It is sold in Middle Eastern specialty food stores.

  Sweet Rice

  Sweet rice, also known as sticky, waxy, glutinous, pearl, or California mochi rice (it is known as mochi gome in Japan), is a real specialty item. These names are deceptive since sweet rice is only slightly sweeter than conventional rice, so most palates would not detect any sweetness. The nature of the starch is that it contains almost pure amylopectin, so the rice is very sticky indeed. Sweet rice is a japonica rice and a small number of acres in California is dedicated to this variety. It is usually steamed and used to make Asian-style desserts, stuffings, and cakes. It is made into noodles and sake, or is ground into flour. A good brand is Honen sweet rice, which can be found in Asian markets and larger supermarkets.

  BROWN RICES

  Brown rice is the earthy sibling of white rice. It is the same grain as white rice, but is simply left unhulled, so it looks tan. Brown rice always takes at least twice the amount of time to cook as white rice and a bit more water since the grains needs to absorb more to soften. The thick bran layer is coated with a waxy layer that is very difficult for moisture to penetrate; requirements for cooking and soaking times are dramatically increased, though the boiling/steaming cooking process remains the same. Because of these bran layers, brown rice has more fiber, which makes it chewy, with a great, distinctive flavor. Because of its retention of natural vitamins and minerals, this is the rice called for in special high-fiber and vegetarian diets. Since any pesticides and fungicides that are used during the growing remain as residue in the bran layer, many cooks seek out organic brands.

  CLICK TO SEE THE LUNDBERG FAMILY RICE FARM

  Natural brown rice comes in long,medium-, and short-grain varieties, as well as a number of specialty and heirloom varieties. We found most aromatic varieties, like Wild Pecan rice and imported brown basmati, taste quite similar, while the California-grown brown rices are less complex but nuttier, although every bit as satisfying.

  Short-grain brown rices include Lundberg’s California-grown Natural Short-Grain Brown Rice, Kokuho Rose Brown Rice, Calrose, and Hinode Brown Rice. Long-grain brown rices include imported brown basmati, domestic brown jasmine (from Lowell Farms), Lundberg Long-Grain Brown Rice, and brown Della and Texmati rices. Pacific International (formerly Homai) markets both California-grown grades. While the Japanese traditionally eat only white rice (given rations of brown rice, “poor people’s rice,” after World War II, locals polished the rice with their home milling equipment rather than eat brown rice), this is changing.

  CLICK TO SEE ORGANIC RICE AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

  Short- and medium-grain brown rices are good for casseroles, salads, dinner rice, stuffings, unorthodox sushi, and stir-fries. Long-grain brown rices are good in casseroles, fried rice, salads, soups, waffles and pancakes, side dishes, and pilafs.

  Red Rice

  There are dozens of red rices grown around the world, but they are relatively new to the American gourmet rice eater. Though technically a brown rice, instead of a brown hull, red rices have a pink to red to mahogany hull. Red rices cook in a manner similar to that of other brown or medium-grain rices, have a distinct nutty, almost popcorn-like aroma, and a distinct nutty flavor.

  Wehani (an Indian red rice hybrid developed by Lundberg) is a plump long-grain red rice that has been improved to cook up less sticky than regular brown rices. Wehani and a rice called Richvale Red are mixed to make Lundberg’s Christmas Blend. Lotus Foods imports a red rice from Bhutan and in some specialty markets you can find Thai red rice, South Indian red rice (rosematta), Vietnamese (cargo) red rice, and Himalayan red rice.

  French red rice has a gourmet following and is often served in three-star restaurants. Planted in 1942 by the Chinese and Madagascarean military troops fighting in France, the marshy lands on the Mediterranean have been desalinated and developed into an artisan rice colony, with both medium-grain red and organic brown rices grown; at this writing, these rices are rarely imported. If you are traveling in Provence, France, you may encounter a red rice grown in the Rhône delta of the Camargue, riz rouge de Camargue.

  Black Rice

  Black and purple-black rices are considered brown rices because they are unhulled (under neath the hull they are white when polished), leaving the colored hull layers intact. While this color rice is highly unusual in America, there are hundreds of varieties of black rice in Asia. They are common in southern China, the highlands of Southeast Asia, Bali, and parts of Indonesia. Black rice is a japonica, so it cooks up sticky and is eaten with the fingers. It is also a familiar temple and festival offering for special religious holidays. Domestic Black Japonica (from Lundberg) was the first recognizable black rice in America; it has an assertive flavor, like that of wild rice. For that reason, Lundberg mixes it into blends such as Wild Blend and Gourmet Blend of 7 Brown Rices; they are not only delicious, but work beautifully in the rice cooker. Thai black rice, which is not really sticky, is not often seen in the United States; it is mixed with white rice and dyes the whole pot purple-black. Thai black rice is especially good for desserts. The newest black rice to be marketed in the U.S. is Forbidden Rice (China black), grown in Zhezhiang in northern China and imported by Lotus Foods. It has become popular as an alternative to regular white rice in California-style cuisine and restaurants. It is not a sticky rice, which makes this rice unique. It is a rice bowl rice and used to make congee, the beloved Chinese savory breakfast porridge.

  A RECIPE FORMULA FOR EVERY RICE

  The rice cooker is, in most cases, used exclusively for making plain white rices cooked in water. While experienced cooks can dump some rice into a pot and estimate the amount of water by eye or “knuckle deep” feel (½ inch above the rice by “eye”), some of us need a bit more help, such as a proportion chart and measuring cup. Every home cook, as well as professional cooks, agrees that getting the proportions right is often a challenge (sometimes even the proportions on the bag are not quite right). We have provided them here, for every type of rice, for your convenience.

  Each of the three charts on the following pages has amounts suitable for all three sizes of machines: 3- to 4-cup (known as “small”), 5- to 6-cup (known as “medium”), and 8- to 10-cup (known as “large”). While there are rice cookers that are downright gigantic and used in restaurants, we have focused on the siz
es available to the home cook. There is a chart for each category of rice: (long), (medium), and (brown rice).

  CLICK TO SEE JUST ADD WATER ?

  We recommend that when you first make rice in your rice cooker, you use the amounts and guidelines stated in the manual accompanying your machine. If you are not happy with the results, then refer to our charts. We were astonished to find that every rice cooker cooked rice just a little bit differently, and each cook likes his or her rice just so, so plan on a bit of experimentation to get your rice just as you like it.

  How much to make and in what size machine? If you live alone, a small rice cooker is perfect. For 2 to 6 people, use a 5to 6-cup model (it cooks even 1 rice cooker cup of raw rice perfectly), and if you have a larger family or make rice for company and large salads, get a large 10-cup cooker. The 10-cup model does not make 1 cup of raw rice efficiently; you must make 2 cups minimum or it will cook up too dry. Some rice cooker aficionados own two sizes.