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| Author |
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| 25 new of 205 responses total. |
cmcgee
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response 121 of 205:
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Nov 18 17:38 UTC 2006 |
My bread machine makes great rye bread, but the recipe uses about half white
flour. It makes WONDERFUl whole wheat, with nothing but whole wheat flour.
It's an old Toastmaster. Don't think they make them anymore.
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denise
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response 122 of 205:
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Nov 18 23:02 UTC 2006 |
And those that have one, what's the difference in rice that is cooked in a
rice cooker vs making some on the stove?
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mynxcat
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response 123 of 205:
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Nov 18 23:31 UTC 2006 |
When I used a rice cooker I noticed no difference. Except that you
didn't have to watch it so it wouldn't get burnt. Apart from that, I
didn't notice any difference.
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cmcgee
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response 124 of 205:
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Nov 19 02:35 UTC 2006 |
I've never noticed any difference either. The main reason I don't use one
is that it is simple to use a saucepan. If you put in any amount of rice,
and fill the pan until the water is 1 inch above the surface of the rice, you
can make perfect rice that doesn't burn.
Bring the rice and water to a hard boil, and boil until the water is reduced
to the level of the rice, usually 5 - 7 minutes. Do not stir during this
process. When the water is at the top of the rice, you will see small
"volcanos" forming.
Turn off the electric burner or turn the gas burner down to the lowest
possible flame. Put a close fitting lid on the pan. Let the rice steam 15
- 20 minutes or longer. After 15 minutes you can turn off the flame, and the
rice will remain hot for another half an hour or so.
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denise
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response 125 of 205:
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Nov 19 03:38 UTC 2006 |
Hmm, ok... And thanks for the instructions. I have a SIL [who is Japanese]
who, I think] still has a rice cooker. They eat a lot of rice. I did like
the rice I had over there awhile back [I think it was the 'sticky' rice with
a bit of seasoning added to it.] What's added, does anyone know, to make
sticky rice? Though I'm sure I can find out from Kazuko or Mike next time I
see them.
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cmcgee
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response 126 of 205:
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Nov 19 15:35 UTC 2006 |
Actually, it is more likely to be the type of rice you buy. Sticky rice,
brown rice, white rice, sushi rice, these are all varieties of rice that give
different dishes.
Sushi rice will also have a vinegar dressing on it.
BTW, the method above came from my childhood, when the lady from Osaka who
lived next door to us in Hawaii taught my mother to make Japanese rice. My
mother was a southerner who traditionally put sugar and milk on rice for a
breakfast dish.
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keesan
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response 127 of 205:
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Nov 19 16:03 UTC 2006 |
Rice cookers work by being leaky and losing most of the water as steam. When
enough water has left, the temperature rises and they shut off. This wastes
a lot of energy as well as steaming up the kitchen. I think you need to put
in at least two cups of water per cup of rice. We use a pressure cooker with
1 1/3 cups of water per cup of rice, which heats up quickly to 15 lb pressure,
then you turn it off and wait 5-10 minutes for it to finish cooking as it
cools down (for brown rice, which would otherwise take 45 minutes). We tried
a microwave pressure cooker but that was slower and quite small. There is
short, long, and medium grain white and brown rice, and white or brown sticky
(glutinous) rice. Sushi used to be fermented rice, now it is imitated with
vinegar (like vinegar pickles instead of salt pickles).
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glenda
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response 128 of 205:
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Nov 19 23:00 UTC 2006 |
My rice cooker does not steam up my kitchen. We like it. Using it means that
a burner (and pan, pans seem to be a limited resource for some reason) is not
being taken up by the rice and can be used for another dish. It keeps the
rice warm longer than the pan method which is useful when we have varied
schedules. It means no more burned rice. Damon does most of the cooking
since I am either covering or taking evening classes and STeve often doesn't
get home until quite late. Damon has a tendancy to game while cooking, hence
he often forgets to check on things. If we use the rice cooker and he burns
the chicken or pork chops and veggies, we can at least have buttered rice or
the above mentioned with milk, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Our rice cooker can also do slow cooked soups and stews.
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keesan
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response 129 of 205:
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Nov 19 23:01 UTC 2006 |
How much water goes into your rice cooker per cup of rice? You probably have
a relatively leaky house and don't mind some extra steam in it.
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mary
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response 130 of 205:
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Nov 19 23:18 UTC 2006 |
Hah, I got you all beat. My rice only takes ONE MINUTE! Which means I
have more time to develop my plan for world peace and I can save precious
energy resources at the same time.
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cmcgee
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response 131 of 205:
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Nov 20 03:14 UTC 2006 |
World Peace! You planning on becoming a beauty contestant?
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glenda
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response 132 of 205:
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Nov 22 04:43 UTC 2006 |
I use the knuckle medthod of measuring rice and water - rice to the depth of
the first knuckle, water to the depth of the second. Works in the rice cooker
or in a saucepan.
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cmcgee
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response 133 of 205:
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Nov 22 12:27 UTC 2006 |
Actually, mine is the knuckle method as well. However, you can fill the pan
with any amount of rice. The only measurement is the 1 knuckle between the
top of the rice and the top of the water.
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jadecat
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response 134 of 205:
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Nov 22 13:55 UTC 2006 |
*grins* and here I use measuring cups...
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keesan
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response 135 of 205:
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Nov 23 17:37 UTC 2006 |
A knuckly method would only work if you use the same pot and cook the same
amount of rice every time.
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glenda
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response 136 of 205:
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Nov 23 18:35 UTC 2006 |
It has worked every time in every pot I have used it. It is basically the
same as Colleen's - about 1 inch of water above the level of the rice. The
second knuckle on my index finger is close enough to an inch that I use it
for measuring while stitching. It is the easiest measuring device for this
purpose as it is always available, is easy to wash before using, and doesn't
matter if it gets wet. I have made rice for 1 person to 8-10 people using
it. I don't know how you came to your conclusion above, especially if you
haven't used the method.
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cmcgee
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response 137 of 205:
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Nov 23 23:54 UTC 2006 |
Yes, the knuckle method has worked for my mom and me for over 50 years. I
have never in my life made rice by measuring either the rice or the water.
Many pots, many stoves, infinite amounts of rice. It works the same way for
brown rice and white. I probably err on the "more" side of the joint when
adding water for brown rice.
I just pour rice into a pot until it looks like the right amount for the
number of people I'm feeding and how hungry they are.
It's worked for 1-8 people, routinely, for dinner, even when 3 of the 8 people
were hungry teenaged athletes. I too don't understand how Sindi can tell
those of us who use the method that it doesn't work.
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keesan
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response 138 of 205:
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Nov 24 04:26 UTC 2006 |
I can't believe this would work, unless you put in too much water every time
and cook it without a cover and boil it until the water is gone. If you cover
the pot, and use the same pot for 1 or 8 cups of rice, either the 1 cup will
come out much too wet or the 8 cups will burn.
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cmcgee
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response 139 of 205:
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Nov 24 05:59 UTC 2006 |
Do you really think that your belief that it wouldn't work is a more
compelling argument than our years of experience feeding people with this
method?
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glenda
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response 140 of 205:
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Nov 24 07:52 UTC 2006 |
Really. I put the lid on EVERY time. When cooking on the stove and not in
the rice cooker, it is brought to a boil and either turned off or down to the
lowest temp on the burner and left alone for 15-20 minutes for white rice,
35-45 minutes for brown. No boiling until the water is gone. Doesn't matter
what pot or how much rice. The magic is in the inch of water above the level
of the rice. That is just enough water for the rice to come out light and
fluffy every time. It is the instructions for cooking rice that is in all
my Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Persian, and Mid-eastern cookbooks. It
is also the instructions I got from Chinese and Indian friends. (I asked just
to confirm how they were taught.) Since most of them have rice for almost
every meal, and the fact that it has always worked for me, I trust them. Try
it and see.
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cmcgee
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response 141 of 205:
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Nov 24 15:40 UTC 2006 |
Actually, the water isn't gone. You only boil until the water level reaches
the rice level. Any more than that and you get burned rice.
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keesan
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response 142 of 205:
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Nov 24 19:54 UTC 2006 |
Re 141, that means you are putting in more water than you need, if you boil
off some of it. If 1" of water above 8" of rice is enough, then it is too
much above 1" of rice, unless you like added heat and humidity in your
kitchen. We pressure cook brown rice by just bringing it to 15 lb and turning
it off. Some time I will measure how much water is above 2 cups of rice when
we add 2.6 cups of water to it.
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cmcgee
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response 143 of 205:
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Nov 24 20:02 UTC 2006 |
If I put in less water, I get burned rice.
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keesan
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response 144 of 205:
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Nov 24 20:10 UTC 2006 |
Your pot is probably losing a lot of water to the air.
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cmcgee
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response 145 of 205:
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Nov 24 22:49 UTC 2006 |
Well, it's one of those waterless stainless pots, that has a lid that floats
on the steam. I have butter-steamed new potatoes in it without using any
water at all. Works just fine with tiny potatoes and butter. Without having
an seal that withstands multiple atmospheres of pressure, it's one of the best
designed lid and pan sets I've ever seen.
It was designed in the 50s, and has a cast iron core in the bottom, sandwiched
between layers of stainless steel. It uses very little fuel to cook with,
and because of the cast iron core, can finish cooking a dish with the heat
turned off.
I have a set my mother gave me when I went to college, and have collected all
the other pieces over the years. The company went out of business in the 70s,
and the pieces are gourmet collectors items because of their fuel efficiency.
It self-seals when used correctly, and the lids are precisely weighted to
provide waterless cooking of vegetables and other foods that contain a fair
amount of natural moisture.
It does not create a pressure vessel, but short of a pressure cooker, it does
the best job of any professional pans I've ever used.
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