brown rice

[beckyjean]

for the freezerbag cooking, when it calls for white rice (minute rice) may you substitute minute brown rice instead, and then would it need more time in the cozy, since it cooks in 10 minutes (according to package) when minute white rice cooks in 5. should i cook the brown rice, even tho its minute rice, first, and then dehydrate it instead?
has anyone used minute brown rice for freezerbag cooking?
thanks much

[take-a-knee]

I use it all the time, one to one ratio, it doesn't get mushy like the white rice. I just had some for lunch with creme peas (I freezer bag cook it at home). I'm anxious to try it with some of Sabar's recipes and also with Harmony House lentils but haven't ordered any yet.

[beckyjean]

I use it all the time, one to one ratio, it doesn't get mushy like the white rice. I just had some for lunch with creme peas (I freezer bag cook it at home). I'm anxious to try it with some of Sabar's recipes and also with Harmony House lentils but haven't ordered any yet.
so how long do you need to wait until it is done? is it longer than 10 minutes then?

[take-a-knee]

so how long do you need to wait until it is done? is it longer than 10 minutes then?

I usually eat mine after 15min in the cozy, like I said it is still sort of chewy but I like it that way. My cozy is made from reflectix (bubble wrap).

[beckyjean]

thanks so much.. ( i use the same cozy also :))

[sarbar]

Give it 15 minutes. :)

[beckyjean]

Give it 15 minutes. :)
i knew you'd come thru:D

[sarbar]

I should have added.....brown rice always seems chewy to me - be it instant or home cooked :D I'd say it is just brown rice is why it is chewy.

I have gone to dehydrating my own rices now so I can have Jasmine and others. Worth the work! (So much more taste!)

[minnesotasmith]

If you get the instant version, much of the nutritive content (other than protein, which changes little) has been removed. Brown rice is also much quicker to go rancid than is polished, or white, rice, due to its desirable unsaturated oils in its hull, the part removed by polishing to white rice. However, brown rice IS much slower to cook than polished rice.

Note that while rice has relatively low protein content, it has more lysine, a desirable amino acid often in short supply at meals otherwise adequate in protein content, than is in many other plant products. Its protein content is also more digestable than in many other cereals. Lastly, rice is less likely to cause allergic reactions than are many other foods.

Note that rinsing polished rice before cooking tends to remove desirable nutrients added in processing.

Rice has its dietary drawbacks, primarily low protein content and (especially for white rice) being more of an insulin-bomb than are coarsely-ground whole grains like wheat, corn, and oats. Still, in moderation, it is not an unreasonable part of diets in general, or as a trail food.

==============================

Several possible approaches to dealing with these differences advantageously:

1) Soak brown rice earlier in the day for a few hours to speed its cooking. Putting some in a Nalgene with water at lunchtime for use at dinner is how I'd do it.

2) Grind it up finely in a device designed for handling dried beans (most blenders won't work; neither will garlic presses, potato mashers, or nut choppers). Do this a minimum length of time pre-hike.

3) Keep it sealed in an airtight container with Oxygen absorbers (perhaps even in the freezer as well) until ready to take on a hike or mail as part of a mail drop.

4) Begin cooking it earlier than other components, especially high-vitamin-content vegetables.

5) Combine it at meals with legumes, meat, or milk products when possible.

A quick summary of some aspects of rice as food from a very reputable site:

http://waltonfeed.com/self/rice.html

[beckyjean]

i have never heard of jasmine rice..
would i be better off cooking some long grain wild rice.. or "jasmine" rice, and dehydrating that instead? (taste.. etc?)
is there any tricks to dehydrating rice? any tips?

[minnesotasmith]

It is technically not a rice at all. It takes forever to cook (45+ minutes), but aside from IMO being much-better-tasting than brown rice, it is also a nutritional bonanza. Unfortunately, it is also usually terribly expensive outside of areas in which it is grown (Northern third of Minnesota and Wisconsin, primarily).

Wild rice comes in two general types. One is a homogenous black, which I understand is normally cultivated in farmed boggy land. There is also a heterogenous-colored (but mostly brownish tan) type that is wild-gathered, harder to find, but what a real gourmet for the stuff would want.

It commonly needs substantial to massive amounts of rinsing prior to cooking to remove all the silt and fine sand, which would be inconvenient on the trail, potable water being more of a PITA to come up with in quantity than earlier while still at home. This huge amount of washing is especially needed for the broken (but cheaper) wild rice.

It is also seriously chewy, to the point that if you have dental problems/wear dentures, you'd likely be happier not eating much of it or very often. (If you can eat large chunks of steak without cutting it up into bites first, you'll have no problem with wild rice IMO.)

Note that wild rice "blends" that are less than 10% actual wild rice are not uncommon on grocery store shelves (Uncle Ben's has had one for a long time.)

I would skip the blends as essentially expensive polished rice with an undeserved name.

To use on the trail, I'd suggest parts or all of these approaches:

1) Wash it thoroughly at home, and gently redry it in the oven (jerky drying temps good) before sealing it in trail packaging.

2) Treat it as brown rice, with presoaking it/grinding it while dry ahead of time (not years ahead of time)/allowing for a LONG cooking time/cooking it alone first till nearly or completely done.

3) Cook it ahead of time, pouring off NO cookwater (contains some of the vitamins) and freeze-dry it.

[sarbar]

i have never heard of jasmine rice..
would i be better off cooking some long grain wild rice.. or "jasmine" rice, and dehydrating that instead? (taste.. etc?)
is there any tricks to dehydrating rice? any tips?
I think I posted it here but I am not sure...so if you go to my Dehydrating 101 page you will see everything you should need to get drying :)
http://www.freezerbagcooking.com/dehydrating.htm

Btw, Jasmine rice is for me my favorite rice! It is from Thailand. Fragrant, great tasting and easier to find these days. Basmati rice is another favorite - an Indian rice that is grown in states like Texas now.

[Cookerhiker]

I never use white rice. I don't use Minute brown rice but rather Success brown rice which comes in a bag/pouch. When placing the pouch in the water at the outset i.e. not waiting for the boil, the total cook time is 5-6 minutes. I then add a sauce mix (Alfredo or tomato or something else) for flavoring, simmering for another minute or two.

[berninbush]

Basmati rice is another favorite - an Indian rice that is grown in states like Texas now.

I've seen this for sale under the brand name "Texmati." How is Basmati different from other kinds of rice? Does it have more nutrition?

[Appalachian Tater]

It is technically not a rice at all.

All grains, including rice, so-called "wild rice", oats, wheat, barley, etc., are seeds of grasses, the family Poaceae. But I'm not a botanist. Maybe someone who is can clarify.

[sarbar]

I've seen this for sale under the brand name "Texmati." How is Basmati different from other kinds of rice? Does it have more nutrition?
Different taste and texture. It is a firmer rice, the individual grains really stand apart, so very light in texture. It is also longer than some rices.

It is really good with curries over it!

[browneider]

It is technically not a rice at all. It takes forever to cook (45+ minutes), but aside from IMO being much-better-tasting than brown rice, it is also a nutritional bonanza. Unfortunately, it is also usually terribly expensive outside of areas in which it is grown (Northern third of Minnesota and Wisconsin, primarily).

Wild rice comes in two general types. One is a homogenous black, which I understand is normally cultivated in farmed boggy land. There is also a heterogenous-colored (but mostly brownish tan) type that is wild-gathered, harder to find, but what a real gourmet for the stuff would want.

The brownish rice is lake grown, hand harvested, hand parched. It will cook in about 20 minutes like white rice. I have brought it to a boil on a camp stove and set it aside in a cozy to finish. Perfection on the trail.

Another option is to cook wild rice, paddy rice or lake grown, at home, dehydrate it and just rehydrate on the trail.