A text-book of cooking

To Clean Rice. — To wash rice, put it in a strainer and allow the water from a faucet to run through the strainer. Rub the rice between the hands. RICE * (cooked over boiling water) 3 cupfuls boiling water 1 teaspoonful salt 1 cupful rice Follow the General Rules for Cooking Cereals (p. 39) ; when the rice is added to the boiling water, stir it to prevent adhering to the pan. Cook over hot water, i.e. in a double boiler, until the grains are soft (usually about 45 minutes). The above ingredients may be placed in a steamer (see Fig. 23) and cooked in steam until the rice grains are tender. It is then called Steamed Rice. Rice is most palatable combined with various fruits. 1 Unpolished rice is the more desirable, because polished rice is deficient in mineral matter. Unpolished rice, however, requires longer cooking. It may be soaked in water before cooking. CEREALS: RICE 43 BOILED RICE 3 quarts bailing water 2 teaspoonfuls salt I cupful rice Add the salt to the boiling water. When the water boils rapidly, add the rice slowly, so that the water does not stop boiling. Boil rapidly for 20 minutes or until the grains are soft. Turn into a colander or strainer to drain. Rinse with hot water, drain well, then sprinkle with salt. Save the water from the Boiled Rice for the experiment below and for preparing Tomato or Cheese Sauce for class work. When the rice is boiling, decide whether or not it should be covered tightly. Fig. 17. — A cupful of rice before and after boiling; the large utensil required to boil it ; the water drained from it. Experiment 17 : The Difference in Nutritive Value of Boiled Rice and Rice Cooked over Boiling Water. — Pour a little of the water from the boiled rice into a test tube. Cool the rice water and test it with iodine for starch. Is any of the starch from rice cooked over boiling water wasted ? Which method of cooking rice leaves more nourishment in the cooked product ? TOMATO SAUCE (made with rice water) Water in which 1 cupful rice (measured before cooking) was boiled. 1 cupful tomato pulp or 3 fresh tomatoes 2 slices onion J teaspoonful paprika 2 teaspoonfuls salt J cupful grated cheese 2 tablespoonfuls butter Evaporate the rice water to one pint. Add the tomatoes and onion and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the onion from the mixture. Add the remainder of the ingredients and stir until the cheese and butter are melted. Serve hot over cooked rice. CHEESE SAUCE (made with rice water) Omit the tomatoes and onion from the above recipe ; increase the quantity of cheese. Evaporate the rice water to one pint. Add 1 cupful of grated cheese, the seasonings and butter (given above). Stir until the cheese and butter are melted. Serve hot over cooked rice. How is rice tested for sufficient cooking ? Why does rice take a shorter time to cook than most of the wheat and oat foods ? (See Cereals, p. 39.) Note the difference in the quantity of water used for boiled rice and for rice cooked over boiling water. Note that the saucepan is used for cooking one and the double boiler for cooking the other. From this explain the reason for the difference in the quantity of water used. Which method of cooking rice takes longer ? Explain the difference in the length of time of cooking. Measure the rice after cooking. How much has it increased in bulk? CEREALS AND THE FIRELESS COOKER 45 If one desired 2 cupfuls of cooked rice, how much uncooked rice should be used ? Compare the individual grains of rice cooked in boiling water and rice cooked over boiling water, — are the grains separated or pasted together ? Explain the difference in appearance. What ingredients do cereals contain that make it possible to mold them (see Experiment 14, p. 37) ? Which is the better for molding, — boiled rice or rice cooked over boiling water ? Why ?