Cooking @lemmy.world hi_its_me @lemmy.world 1y ago

Do You Need To Wash Rice Before Cooking? Here’s The Science

www.iflscience.com Do You Need To Wash Rice Before Cooking? Here’s The Science

Yes, but probably not for the reason you are thinking.

I found this article pretty interesting… it seems to contradict the current cooking zeitgeist

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I 100% don't believe this article.
- Me too. There is always rice sludge on the lid of the rice cooker and dribbled down the sides if I don't do at least one rinse. Definitely better texture too.
  
  The washing away of some(...) microplastics and arsenic sounds nice, and I'm not concerned over the loss of whatever trace minerals white rice would even have.
  
  White rice in the US is enriched with various vitamins, in a sad attempt to replace the nutrition stripped from milling away the outer part and bran. Better to just eat brown rice, though it also has more arsenic. Ah, isn’t modern food lovely.
- I believe the article, in the very narrow thing it actually claims, which is that the starches that come off of rice in washing don't matter much in how sticky the rice is. That's mostly down to what kind of rice you're using. Short grain is stickier, longer grains are not.
  
  I'm still 100% going to wash my rice because I don't want to deal with the cleanup on that extra starch, it gets everywhere. And while I haven't had bugs in my rice for a while, it happens sometimes.
  
  the starches that come off of rice in washing don't matter much in how sticky the rice is.
  
  100% blatant bullshit, painfully obvious to everyone who's ever cooked rice and tried to cut that specific corner.
- The article does seem to accurately portray the findings of the peer reviewed research that it links to. Not saying that it’s infallible, but probably worth considering.
Don't wash your rice for any kind of flavor reasons. Wash your rice because there might be bugs in it.
- Cook the bugs and eat them.
  
  Mmmmm crunchy
- Tbf, there's also bugs in your flour. And dirt in your salt and sugar.
  
  Arguably salt is dirt. You mine it out of the ground afterall (unless it's sea salt).
  
  It's almost like these are agricultural products that come from outside.
- We put our rice in the freezer for a day to kill any bugs
I've eaten rice all my life and was taught to wash rice before cooking it. I've seen and eaten the starchiness that happens when not washing it and the difference is very noticeable. Rice was very gooey and starchy when not washed, versus a nice firm and chewy rice you would get from a restaurant when you do wash. Also washing it can clean out any bugs or dirt. It just made sense imo
These comments are interesting. I have never washed rice, nor even considered it. Now I want to try it out and see what difference I can experience!
- Some places mandate added minerals, which will wash off on rinse. Check the packaging.
  Not that it's mission critical if you find washed rice better.
  
  My understanding has always been that the fortified grains have been treated so because they stripped out the nutrients earlier, like with bleached flour. I don't buy these products but I very well could be misinformed.
- Cyanide is bad
  
  You mean arsenic?
  
  aww but it tastes soo good
  
  Does that wash off? And I always thought (arsenic) was a regional issue. I think from rice grown in SE Asia?
tldr; no

(Yes if you’re a clean freak)
- Thanks deeply_moving_queef
  
  💨
- Finally. That’s what I got out of the article as well, but it also confirmed my bias
- TL; DR,
  
  Only if you're concerned about removing dust, insects, little stones, bits of husk left from the rice hulling process, arsenic, and 20-40% of microplastics. The amount of those things is influenced by the region in which it's produced. Stickiness reduction from washing is nominal due to there being two different types of starch. The kind on the surface is different than the variety inside the grain, which is what affects the stickiness.
  
  Not part of the article:
  
  If you're interested in less sticky rice, try toasting it first. It's a game changer.
  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/toasted-rice-recipe-2104154
  
  I've never bothered rinsing, but probably will now because of microplastics and arsenic. I've never seen impurities like what are listed, but I only buy rice produced in California.
Interesting. Though anybody literate in the scientific method knows that one study doesn't mean much. Whether it's placebo or not, I notice a difference in the finished product when I wash rice, so I will continue to do so.
Not reading because yes you should
This can't be right. They must have something off with their method.

You can even see murky, starchy white water drain out of the bowl the first couple of times you rinse and stir the uncooked rice. If that's not starch then what is it? The water will come out visibly cleaner with each round of rinsing and stirring.

Sure it could be placebo but I definitely feel that I can tell the difference between unwashed and washed rice.
- Argument goes that the easily removed starch is all very short chain polymers, where the stickyness is more due to medium chain and highly branched molecules. I would honestly not be surprised if some of the cloudy water was also talc or other inorganic anti-clumping agents.
  
  The type of rice you're cooking is also very important.
Unless you're using Minute Rice (which is already pre-washed before it goes in the box): Yes.
我不吃饭!

75 comments