About Brown Rice and How to Cook Perfect Rice
Here is a no-fail method to cook perfect brown rice every time.
The difference between brown rice and white rice is not just color!
What’s the Difference Between Brown Rice and White Rice?
White rice is brown rice that has been processed (refined). This milling and polishing process turns the brown rice to white and alters the nutritional value of the rice.
This refining process destroys:
- 67% of the vitamin B3
- 80% of the vitamin B1
- 90% of the vitamin B6
- 60% of the iron
- most of the dietary fiber
- most of the essential fatty acids
Is Brown Rice Better for Weight Loss?
Brown rice is high in nutrients – especially fiber. These facts alone make it very helpful for weight loss.
Brown rice delivers a slow release of energy without the blood sugar spikes you may experience with white rice.
What’s more, one little cup of brown rice gives you a whopping 80% of your daily needs for manganese. What’s so great about that? Well, manganese is a nutrient that helps regulate blood sugar and metabolism – super helpful if you are trying to lose weight.
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Smart Rice
Manganese-rich brown rice may also help you think better since manganese is an essential nutrient for brain function.
How Much Uncooked Rice Equals How Much Cooked Rice?
Depending on the type of rice and the method of cooking, one cup of dry rice can equal from two to four cups cooked. Using this cooking method, one cup of long grain brown rice will yield almost four cups of cooked rice.
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How Should I Store Brown Rice?
Because brown rice contains natural and healthy oils, this grain can go rancid quickly. I recommend storing rice in a cool place for short amounts of time or in the frig or freezer for long term storage.
How Do I Cook Brown Rice?
To cook perfect brown rice is a skill that can be challenging to master. But there’s a secret. Here is a no-fail method for cooking long-grain brown rice. It’s the method I use, and it gives me beautiful, fluffy rice every time.
In this method, the rice is dextrinized (lightly browned) before cooking. Yes, this is an extra step, but dextrinizing rice before cooking it makes it easier to digest and helps the nutrients in the rice to be more available. It also results in beautiful fluffy cooked rice.
I dextrinize a large amount of rice ahead of time and store it in a container in my frig so it’s ready whenever I need it.
Recipes Using Brown Rice
Two of my favorite ways to eat rice are in this Broccoli Rice Burger,
and in this Avocado Cilantro Lime Rice.
Check out my other yummy recipes that use brown rice.
This super nutritious, gluten-free grain has a lot going for it. Here are my top 10 reasons for loving rice.
Enjoy!
Perfectly-Cooked Fluffy Brown Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked, long-grain brown rice
- 3 7/8 cups water - or vegetable stock or broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Distribute rice evenly on a large, dry baking sheet. (I use approximately 2 cups of rice for a 13″x 9″ baking sheet.Rice should be in a thin layer.)
- Bake at 300°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. (Baking time will vary depending on the type of baking pan used. Dark colored metal pans brown faster than light colored glass ones.)
- When rice is done baking, bring water (or vegetable stock or broth) to boil in a large covered pan with a wide bottom.
- Add rice, cover, return to boil, and then reduce heat. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. (Cooking time will vary depending on how hot your stove burner is.)
- Remove lid and fluff rice with fork.
Notes
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Thanks. Good info.
Great post.
As a beginner home cook, it’s always a hit and miss when I cook brown rice, but I love this recipe! Thank you for posting this recipe! Five stars!!!
Great to hear, Sarah. Thanks you for the 5-star rating! 🙂
Hi Jennifer,
I don’t have a measuring cup of 7/8th. Is that also 3/4 cup? Or 2/3 cup? I have both of those….
7/8 cup is the halfway mark between 3/4 and 1 cup. If you don’t have a 7/8 cup measure, you can accurately measure 7/8 cup by using 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons.
I have made brown rice for years and it never comes out nice. I just tried your way of doing it and it is perfect! It’s a bit more work but definitely worth it. Can’t wait to try making the cauliflower rice patties with it tomorrow!
I am so happy to hear that, Laura!! I can relate to less-than-perfect-rice experiences. I was so grateful to learn this way of making rice that I now keep a large bag of dextrinized rice in the frig so I have it on hand when I need it.
Thanks so much for your comment. 🙂
So you just brown the rice in the oven and then keep it in the fridge? How long does it keep that way? I’m making your cheese sauce right now. Smells delicious! I plan on having it with some veggies and brown rice. 🙂
Yes, you can brown several batches at a time. Although you have to make sure you don’t put the rice too thick on the baking sheet – keep it in a thin layer.
I’m not sure how long it will keep in the frig (we always use it up quickly). I would guess at least 6 months – probably longer.
Hope you enjoyed the cheese sauce : )
February 12, 2018
I love your recipes ! Only I dextrinize mine in a large iron skillet ‘TIL brown, one cup brown rice to 3 cups water,salt and a tight lid, 45 min. Stir, ‘n eat ! Marilyn Michals Wilson.
How do you reheat rice
Great question, Brenda. Here’s how I reheat my rice:
1. Place a small amount of water in a saucepan. (The amount depends on how much rice you want to reheat. I use about 3 tablespoons of water per 2 cups of rice.)
2. Cover and bring the water to a boil.
3. Immediately add rice and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
4. Heat until rice is hot and the water is absorbed. (The amount of time depends on the quantity of rice and how high your heat is. For 2 cups of rice, it takes about 3 minutes on medium-high).
I do my brown rice in a slow cooker, usually 2 cups rice and 3.5 – 4 cups water. I love it this way. I prefer the short grain brown rice so it comes out a little sticky, but that’s howI like it. It is so simple.
I’ve been making the rice for 2 weeks now and it’s wonderful! I find I have to add more water because the first two times the rice was not fully cooked on the top.I have NEVER liked brown rice and now I love it! Thanks, Jennifer!
That makes me so happy, Naomi! Thank you for your comment. 🙂
Wow! I just made a huge batch of this in preparation for some pineapple fried rice….it came out perfectly! Now I will cool it and make the fried rice tomorrow. I will use this method from now on!
That’s what we like to hear! 🙂 Thanks for your comment, Angela. 🙂
Found this while searching for how much uncooked rice makes 4 cups cooked as I have a fried rice recipe I want to try, need to know if I did something wrong, I followed this recipe which says it makes roughly 4 cups cooked, but I wound up with nearly 8 cups cooked? How’d I go so wrong? Lol
Actually, the recipe says that it yields 8 cups, so you ended up with the right amount : )
Perhaps the text in the post is what you read. It says, “Using this cooking method, one cup of long grain brown rice will yield almost four cups of cooked rice.” And the recipe uses 2 cups of rice, so it yields about 8 cups cooked.”
I hope that helps. In the meantime, here are some recipes for all that extra rice:
https://jenniferskitchen.com/category/recipes/rice
Hi Jennifer,
A very informative article.I will definitely add dextrinization to cooking my next batch of brown basmati rice (it’s the only kind I use). However, I’ve never had any success with the stovetop cooking method you suggest. My rice always seems to burn to the bottom of the pot rather than simmering uniformly. That wastes some and adds an off flavor to the rest.
My solution has been to cook my rice in a pressure cooker. It has completely eliminated the burning and cuts down on the cooking time as well.
Please let me know if I should modify my cooking time with dexterized rice as compared to not. If so, how much difference in time do you suggest? I’d also welcome your thoughts on the idea of using a pressure cooker as well.
Hi George,
Thank you for your comment. That’s interesting that you are having problems with your rice burning on the bottom. I’ve never experienced that, even when I forgot it was on the stove and cooked it for 5 or 10 minutes longer than it was supposed to cook. I can imagine how frustrating that would be!
I’m assuming you’re using a large pan with a thick and wide bottom, covering it, and cooking it over very low heat (simmer).
Unfortunately, I don’t have experience cooking rice in a pressure cooker (I suppose, since this method works so well for me, I’ve never had a reason to try rice in a pressure cooker). I’m guessing it would require the same amount of time as rice that has not been destrinized. Let us know if you try it! 🙂
Best wishes to you!
Jennifer
Hi again,
Is the dexterization process also appropriate for quinoa?
I made my brown rice as per your tips and it turned out the best. Nothing stuck to my pan/skillet. Perfect. Thank you.
Thank you for this wonderful cooking method. I love eating brown rice but my experience with cooking it has been hit and miss. I am excited about trying this.
I hope you enjoy, Tammy! 🙂
Hi Jennifer,
Can you tell me how much water you use if you only want to cook one cup of brown rice? I know I could just take the 3 and 7/8 and divide by 2 but sometimes the ratios are different when you cook different amounts.
Thank you!
HI Evelyn,
Two cups of water should be just right for one cup of rice. That said, it does depend a little bit on the shape of your pan, the intensity of the heat, how tight fitting your lid is, etc. All these factors affect how much water is lost in the cooking process.
Thank you! I look forward to trying this method today!
Do you still dextrinize the rice if using an instant pot to cook it?
I do, because it makes the rice more nourishing and easier to digest.
Since I use cast-iron pots over a gas flame and can’t get a flame low enough, I either use a flame-tamer under the pot, or let it brown and crisp into a crust on the bottom. As long as it’s not actually burned black, the crust is delicious broken up and stirred into the rice; this is called many things in many different cuisines, tahdig in Iran, soccarat in Spain, guoba in China.
Sounds delish, Susan. Thanks for the tip!