Rice is Nice (steak is nicer)

My mother didn’t serve rice very often to our family. My father was a potato man; baked or mashed, and fried potatoes (slightly burned around the edges) on Saturdays. We rarely saw rice on the table—unless it came from a box labeled “Krispies.” Now that Eddie and I are retired we have happily rediscovered rice. It tastes good, is good for you, easy to make (after a few tries of sticky, gooey stuff), and versatile.

How to Cook Rice

Follow directions on the box. Rice cooked from scratch tastes better, has more vitamins than instant, and takes only 25 minutes. The last 20 minutes are spent doing nothing with the rice.

Use a big, heavy pot and follow measured amounts carefully.

1 cup raw rice, 1 ¼ cups water, ¼ teaspoon salt

Bring water and salt to boil. Stir in rice. When water is almost boiling again, reduce heat to low, cover, leaving a small crack for air to escape. White rice takes 15 minutes; brown rice takes 40 minutes. Check for tenderness, cover completely, and set aside for 5 minutes. Never stir—never sticky rice. A little butter or oil added to the water helps rice from sticking. One cup of raw rice serves 3 to 4.

Click below for some of my best rice receipes!

• Rice Pilaf
• Egyptian Tabikh (I can’t pronounce it either.)
• Hoppin’ John
• Red Beans And Rice
• Rice And Beans
• Ron’s Rice Bake
• Easy Red Beans ‘n’ Rice
• Cheese Rice
• Spanish Rice
• Rice and Onion Casserole

Now You Know

• Rice is the world's Number One food staple.
• It is grown on every continent except Antarctica
• Before rice was thrown at the departing bride and groom, symbolizing fertility and prosperity, it was thrown to ward off the evil spirits who were not invited to the wedding.