Rice is Nice

RE: Rice is Nice (Sonny Funzio)

Sun, 02 Apr 2006 19:27:55 GMT

I'm big on anything gravy can be poured over. I like pot liquor seasoned and thickened with a bit of corn starch and poured over stuff too.

Speaking of rice for dinner ...
Last year (2004) I went to a "chinese gift giving" party at a friends house around Christmas. I managed to provide the biggest buzz prior to the rounds of gift opening by providing a carefully wrapped 50lb bag of rice as my contribution. (The fact that I put it in a Sony television box for those that couldn't keep their fingers from the gifts made it even more popular)
The hostess, who retained the final choice in the gift-giving ceremonies for herself, selected that gift ... and I ended up with a never-ending stream of invitations to dinner last year all centered around rice (and delicious I might add :-)

RE: Rice is Nice (roossy90)

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 03:35:07 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by BelleReve

It's always been sort of a joke in our family - my parents met during WWII, my mother was from Texas, my dad from NOLA. The first time she cooked rice for him, she made it the way she grew up eating it, which was to cook it like oatmeal with butter and sugar on it. We enjoyed it that way as kids, but never watched how it was made. Can someone describe this method with the rice to water ratio?

Not to get off subject, but my dad and I enjoyed it just like eating oatmeal also. No sugar though..
Some milk and salt and butter...
A big dish of rice for dinner....
Oh, I miss him...

RE: Rice is Nice (roossy90)

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 03:32:57 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Jimeats

2 parts water 1 part rice. Chow Jim

And dont peek.. never lift the lid when cooking rice!

RE: Rice is Nice (BelleReve)

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 13:35:45 GMT

Thanks Jim, I'll try it.

RE: Rice is Nice (Jimeats)

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 05:09:56 GMT

2 parts water 1 part rice. Chow Jim

RE: Rice is Nice (BelleReve)

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 18:28:51 GMT

It's always been sort of a joke in our family - my parents met during WWII, my mother was from Texas, my dad from NOLA. The first time she cooked rice for him, she made it the way she grew up eating it, which was to cook it like oatmeal with butter and sugar on it. We enjoyed it that way as kids, but never watched how it was made. Can someone describe this method with the rice to water ratio?

RE: Rice is Nice (roossy90)

Sat, 25 Mar 2006 21:44:32 GMT

I will usually opt for rice as a side dish if it is available when I eat out.
When at home, I usually make yellow rice...I make a meal out of it: with stewed tomato's, mushrooms, onions and bell peppers in it. Sometimes corn.

RE: Rice is Nice (Jimeats)

Sat, 25 Mar 2006 07:31:17 GMT

I eat a ton of rice also, but just can't bring myself around to buy another gadjet for my kitchen. But there is a Chineese takey outie spot that I frequent with an open kitchen type concept and I noticed they use one. Maybe someone here will change my mind. The item I did buy though was a set of rice bowls, I like my rice hot and if just glopped on a plate it cools down pretty quickly, the bowls keep it nice and hot. Chow Jim

RE: Rice is Nice (Jennifer_4)

Sat, 25 Mar 2006 05:48:09 GMT

My favorite ways with rice are: fried, sticky/sushi, pilaf, and pudding.

I just can't get behind plain white rice the way my husband can..

RE: Rice is Nice (2005Equinox)

Sat, 25 Mar 2006 02:32:28 GMT

I just got a new Oster food steamer and so far love it. Have to try rice in it.

RE: Rice is Nice (carlton pierre)

Mon, 28 Feb 2005 14:26:33 GMT

I bought 25# of brown rice at Jungle Jim's last week and having a bowl of it now. I just make it in the microwave. let me know if there is a better wy to make rice.
I also bought some wild rice and some red rice which I have been unable to find locally. I'll probably save those for stir fried veggies.

RE: Rice is Nice (1bbqboy)

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 16:57:49 GMT

Wow Huntryce, That whole website is really neat, as is the rice cooker.

RE: Rice is Nice (huntryce)

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 16:55:21 GMT

Whoops. Posted above before I was ready...

I bought this cooker for my Dad last year and he loves it. Use it on the stovetop. Of course you can steam veggies in it too.

It's a beautiful addition to your kitchen.

RE: Rice is Nice (huntryce)

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 16:52:59 GMT

http://www.carolinafoodpros.com/products/details.aspx?gid=5&pid=00037

RE: Rice is Nice (1bbqboy)

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 16:26:36 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by cindyloo

Until reading this topic today, it had never occurred to me to put gravy on rice. Huh.... learn something new every day. I've never seen it done. Riced potatoes with gravy, yes. But actual rice with gravy on it? That's a new one to me.

Cindy

Oh my gosh, Cindy, We've had Pork chops and Rice with Cream Gravy about once a week

since I was a kid. Sometimes I make Rice with Steak and the Beef Broth gravy. A piece of white bread underneath the meat is mandatory to sop up the gravy of course. Our family's cooking heritage-Missouri & Texas- dictated that we almost always had rice with pork & potatoes with beef, both with gravy. Don't know why, it was just always that way.
Bill

RE: Rice is Nice (cindyloo)

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 14:44:13 GMT

Until reading this topic today, it had never occurred to me to put gravy on rice. Huh.... learn something new every day. I've never seen it done. Riced potatoes with gravy, yes. But actual rice with gravy on it? That's a new one to me.

Cindy

RE: Rice is Nice (1bbqboy)

Fri, 04 Feb 2005 14:23:53 GMT

We had rice last night, with Swiss Steak over the top. It got me to wondering whether I like rice or potatoes better as a side. I think it's whatever one is on my plate, but rice with a crem gravy is sure hard to beat.

RE: Rice is Nice (JimInKy)

Wed, 11 Feb 2004 17:43:50 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by sauceman

Anyone ever tried Creole Rose rice from Louisiana? I've been using it for a couple of months and have been quite pleased with the results. Comes in an old-style cloth bag, too.

Fred Sauceman

Fred, where do you obtain this rice. I saw cloth bags of rice in Sam's Club this week, but didn't look at them.

I buy the premium California medium grain rice used in my friend's Asian restaurant (in 50 lb. bags at his price). I use a lot of rice. I've been buying my rice through the restaurant for years, as everything white in grocery stores here is par boiled. My coop refuses to sell white rice, so plain white rice must be purchased from the Asian markets or somewhere like a Sam's club.

Who would have thought that white, unprocessed rice would be unavailable in the big Kroger stores of the Upper South?

Incidentally, one time the 50 lb. bag I picked up was different. The rice was grown in California, but packaged and sold by an Asian firm. I thought it tasted somehow different, but delicious, so I checked the bag, and sure enough, the rice kernals were coated with corn syrup.

My restaurant friend had decided to sample a bag (and got one for me), unawares of the sugar coating. Neither of us ever used that brand again, but it sure was good.

RE: Rice is Nice (Grampy)

Wed, 11 Feb 2004 16:53:50 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by sauceman

Anyone ever tried Creole Rose rice from Louisiana? I've been using it for a couple of months and have been quite pleased with the results. Comes in an old-style cloth bag, too.

Fred Sauceman

I've been hooked on it for years. It's my favorite American grown rice.

RE: Rice is Nice (sauceman)

Wed, 11 Feb 2004 16:48:43 GMT

Anyone ever tried Creole Rose rice from Louisiana? I've been using it for a couple of months and have been quite pleased with the results. Comes in an old-style cloth bag, too.

Fred Sauceman

RE: Rice is Nice (Sundancer7)

Fri, 06 Feb 2004 17:47:57 GMT

I hate to get songs in my head. For some reason, they stay with you all day long.

Another thing that bothers me is that I like my gravy over rice better than potatoes.

There are more kinds of rice than I can imagine. I went to Krogers to get some rice to make some Sushi. I was informed that my rice I bought was not acceptable. I had to buy another kind that was sticky.

With my gravy, just plain white rice taste perfect.

Paul E. Smith
knoxville, TN

RE: Rice is Nice (Ort. Carlton.)

Fri, 06 Feb 2004 17:26:52 GMT

Dearfolk,
Now I've got that blasted song, "Rice Is Nice," playing on the involuntary jukebox in my head. Yaaaaah! Do y'all suppose shock treatments would help?
Grainily, Ort. Carlton in Grey-But-Not-Gravy Athens, Georgia.

RE: Rice is Nice (Sundancer7)

Fri, 06 Feb 2004 16:30:43 GMT

I enjoy about any gravy over rice, potatoes, french fries, any bread and especially East Tennessee Fried cornbread and about any meat that I serve and a lot of veggies.

My favorite gravy is
1: Sausage
2: Fried chicken
3: Pork Chop (fried)
4: Roast beef
5: Meatloaf
6: Red eye

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

RE: Rice is Nice (JimInKy)

Thu, 05 Feb 2004 05:24:24 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Cakes

Left over gravy on bread! One of my all time favorites!

When I make gravy, I try to save some for a snack of gravy over toast or toasted biscuits. I learned that homemade biscuits are very good the next day, if split and toasted in a toaster oven. Place on a pan and lightly toast the top of the split biscuits.

RE: Rice is Nice (Rusty246)

Wed, 04 Feb 2004 17:13:10 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Cakes

Left over gravy on bread! One of my all time favorites!

No kidding! Gravy and sliced bread is right on time!(like rice too)I save my gravy when I fry chicken or chops and bring to work with me the next day with a couple of slices of bread, nuke the gravy and viola! instant breakfast/lunch!

RE: Rice is Nice (Cakes)

Wed, 04 Feb 2004 17:10:03 GMT

Left over gravy on bread! One of my all time favorites!

RE: Rice is Nice (sauceman)

Wed, 04 Feb 2004 16:30:26 GMT

I could never embrace any diet that bans rice. I'm from the Upper South, but I prefer all my gravies, especially chicken and pork, over rice, not mashed potatoes, not biscuits, and certainly not light bread, a trick my wife pulled once in my presence, since she dislikes gravy over rice. Somehow, though, the marriage has survived.

Fred Sauceman
Johnson City, Tennessee

RE: Rice is Nice (Grampy)

Wed, 04 Feb 2004 15:03:21 GMT

I have had 4 rice cookers over the years, and the Zojirushi NHS-10HX 6-Cup Rice Cooker/Steamer is my favorite. I have given two a Christmas presents. It's a little more (list $69.99, but $49.99 on Amazon), but I swear by it -- rather than at it.

RE: Rice is Nice (JimInKy)

Wed, 04 Feb 2004 14:54:46 GMT

A rice cooker recommendation from the February '04 Cook's Illustrated monthly newsletter (mailed free to people registed at their Web site):

The Best No-Frills Rice Cooker

Here in the test kitchen, we depend on electric rice cookers for perfect, foolproof rice. We had two questions. How do they work, and which model is best? It turns out that rice cookers do not have timers. Instead, they turn themselves off when the temperature in the inner pot starts to rise, something that occurs when the water is fully absorbed by the rice. A good rice cooker will then shift to a "keep warm" setting, which holds the rice at about 180 degrees.

Our favorite no-frills model is the 5-cup National SR-W10NA ($37.99).

RE: Rice is Nice (JimInKy)

Thu, 06 Nov 2003 10:52:48 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Lone Star

Does anyone use a ricemaker or have any recommendations for such?

When I wanted to buy a rice cooker in 1998, a friend who owns Lexington's premier Asian restaurant, offered his help.

My friend grew up in Taiwan and has a good opinion of the National brand of rice cookers (most rice cookers sold in Taiwan are National). Manufacturer in Thailand by Matsu****i, these rice cookers are sold in the U.S. under the brand name Panasonic.

My unit, Panasonic model # SR-W15FP, is a rice cooker and steamer. My friend and I looked all over Lexington for the National/Panasonic unit before finding it at WalMart, selling for $35. I later bought another one as a gift.

This unit will also steam a large amount of fresh vegetables with excellent results (it's about how much H2O is added). It's sold with a plastic measuring cup, a nice rice scoop, a steaming rack, and good operating instructions. The lid is part see-through glass.

I generally use the rice cooker 1 to 3 times a week. Having one encourages me to cook more, since it's so easy to make meals around rice. Cooked rice stores well and nicely reheats in a microwave. Last night I added some refrigerated rice to homemade chicken soup. The night before I had warmed up rice with smoked deli sausage and stir fried Szechuan cabbage.

This Panasonic unit seemed better made than many of the rice cookers I saw. Panasonic also sold the unit with a solid glass lid (model # SR-W15PC). Both models may be available online; I haven't looked.

Several friends warned me about small rice cookers that make only a few cups. These leave a thick crust on the bottom of the rice. Everyone was insistent that I buy a rice cooker that can cook up to eight 6 ounce cups of raw rice. Back then no one seemed impressed with pricey electronic models, which are common now and more reasonably priced.

My friend told me how to get a better result from my unit: Combine the water and rice a half hour before cooking (I add salt). The moment the switch pops up, indicating the rice is done, unplug the machine so the warmer function will not continue cooking the rice (this is very important as the warmer will dry out the rice, leaving a thicker, browner crust on the bottom). Leave the lid closed for at least 15 minutes after the switch pops up, so the rice continues to steam. The rice will stay warm a long time, even with the warmer off.

The reliable rice cooker allows me to focus completely on other parts of a meal without worrying about how the rice will turn out. I can cook rice just fine, but appreciate the consistency of a problem-free method. I sometimes substitute chicken stock or make curried rice.

After I bought the rice cooker, I began buying 50 lb. bags of premium medium grain white rice through my friend's restaurant. This rice is grown in California and is much superior to the par boiled 12 or 14 minute white rice found at Kroger. Raw rice will take from 25 to 30 minutes to cook on the stove.

When my friend's son went off to Georgia Tech this fall, I looked for the Panasonic rice cooker for him to take along. but they are definitely gone from the stores here. I turned to Consumer Reports for help and found that CR looked at only fancy electronic models ($50 and up), or inexpensive, simple models (no "keep warm" feature). According to CR, some of the inexpensive models, like the Salton RA3 and the Aroma ARC-703G work just fine. So we bought him the 6 cup Aroma (rice cooker only) that sells for about $20.