WTF rice??

[dannylion]

I think the microwave is a better choice for an attempted repair because it will turn the water to steam fairly quickly without drying the rice further. Adding a little water (just a few tablespoons) might create enough steam to hydrate the uncooked portion of the rice.

In any event, good luck. If all else fails, can you turn the concoction into soup or add it to soup?  It seems a shame to discard all the good flavors because some of the rice betrayed you.

[NoNamePerson]

Nothing to offer up here except that I am glad to see someone else has gremlins in their kitchen  

[Chocolate Lover]

I have not yet attempted the save, I'll let you know how it goes. I'm sure you can't sleep at night for wondering.

NNP!!!!! Come get your gremlin RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

[Robert not Bobby]

jambalaya

That sounds so exotic.

I do a pretty good Risotto...it is all about the stirring and consistency.

[teen persuasion]

Jul 21, 2015 11:41:56 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

I have not yet attempted the save, I'll let you know how it goes. I'm sure you can't sleep at night for wondering.

NNP!!!!! Come get your gremlin RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

I would think that the crunchy rice would absorb moisture from the rest of the ingredients while sitting in the fridge overnight.  I thought the problem was that you wanted to serve it immediately - if you can wait for it to equalize and reheat, it should no longer be crunchy.  In theory, anyway.

[tskeeter]

Jul 20, 2015 14:00:01 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

To answer a couple of questions: 

The pot: it has successfully completed this task several other times, the only difference being that the failures have happened since we moved. Both are electric stoves. 

Stirring/adding not last: what? You put it in the water, stir, let it boil... I stirred again before putting the lid on and walked away. 

I guess this recipe is a no go at our new location. (Which is on the same water and power as the old place)

CL, are you at a higher elevation after you moved?  As elevation increases, the temperature at which water boils decreases.  I live at about 5,000 feet and our water boils at 206 degrees, not 212.  That means that some items don't cook the same.  I've had problems getting certain varieties of beans to get tender before turning to mush.  Stovetop rice also tends to take much longer than directions and recipies call for and it tends to turn a little gluey.  The longer than normal cooking time also tends to require more water, as more of the water will boil away during the longer cooking period.

The best way I know to compensate is to use a pressure cooker.  The increased pressure increases the boiling point so starchy food cooks through before too much water evaporates and too much starch leaches from the food and into your cooking liquid.  For your jambalaya, once your rice is mostly cooked, I'd release the pressure, then add the ingedients that take only a short amount of time to cook and those ingredients that really only need to be warmed up.    

[Chocolate Lover]

Jul 21, 2015 11:53:57 GMT -5 teen persuasion said:

Jul 21, 2015 11:41:56 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

I have not yet attempted the save, I'll let you know how it goes. I'm sure you can't sleep at night for wondering.

NNP!!!!! Come get your gremlin RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

I would think that the crunchy rice would absorb moisture from the rest of the ingredients while sitting in the fridge overnight.  I thought the problem was that you wanted to serve it immediately - if you can wait for it to equalize and reheat, it should no longer be crunchy.  In theory, anyway.

That's not how it worked last time, unfortunately.

[Chocolate Lover]

Jul 21, 2015 11:55:08 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Jul 20, 2015 14:00:01 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

To answer a couple of questions: 

The pot: it has successfully completed this task several other times, the only difference being that the failures have happened since we moved. Both are electric stoves. 

Stirring/adding not last: what? You put it in the water, stir, let it boil... I stirred again before putting the lid on and walked away. 

I guess this recipe is a no go at our new location. (Which is on the same water and power as the old place)

CL, are you at a higher elevation after you moved?  As elevation increases, the temperature at which water boils decreases.  I live at about 5,000 feet and our water boils at 206 degrees, not 212.  That means that some items don't cook the same.  I've had problems getting certain varieties of beans to get tender before turning to mush.  Stovetop rice also tends to take much longer than directions and recipies call for and it tends to turn a little gluey.  The longer than normal cooking time also tends to require more water, as more of the water will boil away during the longer cooking period.

The best way I know to compensate is to use a pressure cooker.  The increased pressure increases the boiling point so starchy food cooks through before too much water evaporates and too much starch leaches from the food and into your cooking liquid   

I'm less than 2 miles from the old place. If anything, I'd be at a lower elevation but nothing of significance. 

[teen persuasion]

So you've tried it.  Sorry I'm not more help.

[tskeeter]

Jul 21, 2015 11:57:48 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

Jul 21, 2015 11:55:08 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

CL, are you at a higher elevation after you moved?  As elevation increases, the temperature at which water boils decreases.  I live at about 5,000 feet and our water boils at 206 degrees, not 212.  That means that some items don't cook the same.  I've had problems getting certain varieties of beans to get tender before turning to mush.  Stovetop rice also tends to take much longer than directions and recipies call for and it tends to turn a little gluey.  The longer than normal cooking time also tends to require more water, as more of the water will boil away during the longer cooking period.

The best way I know to compensate is to use a pressure cooker.  The increased pressure increases the boiling point so starchy food cooks through before too much water evaporates and too much starch leaches from the food and into your cooking liquid   

I'm less than 2 miles from the old place. If anything, I'd be at a lower elevation but nothing of significance. 

In that case, I'd say you're not getting enough cooking liquid in with your rice.  Increase the liquid by 1/8 - 1/4 cup and see how it goes.

If you've used this brand a lot, I'd wonder if it's possible that the manufacturer is having prblems controlling the amount of rice in the package and some packages have too much rice for the amount of water that is called for.  If you suspect that's the cause, you might look for a brand that has more well controlled manufacturing processes.

If you're not using a packaged product, I wonder how fresh the rice is.  Even when it is stored in a plastic bag, moisture will tranfer through the plastic.  If the rice ha been around for a while, it may be drier than you're used to.  

[Wisconsin Beth]

I suck at cooking rice.  To the point where I cook quinoa, barley, etc. instead.  I don't know WHY I can't cook rice when I can cook other grains. 

[Chocolate Lover]

Jul 21, 2015 12:03:36 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Jul 21, 2015 11:57:48 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

I'm less than 2 miles from the old place. If anything, I'd be at a lower elevation but nothing of significance. 

In that case, I'd say you're not getting enough cooking liquid in with your rice.  Increase the liquid by 1/8 - 1/4 cup and see how it goes.

If you've used this brand a lot, I'd wonder if it's possible that the manufacturer is having prblems controlling the amount of rice in the package and some packages have too much rice for the amount of water that is called for.  If you suspect that's the cause, you might look for a brand that has more well controlled manufacturing processes.

If you're not using a packaged product, I wonder how fresh the rice is.  Even when it is stored in a plastic bag, moisture will tranfer through the plastic.  If the rice ha been around for a while, it may be drier than you're used to.  

The most annoying thing for me is that it hasn't changed since the mulitple times I've made it and it came out fine. It's not a packaged product, it's from scratch. The brand is most likely the same but the amount of time between attempts tells me it was definitely 2 separate packages of rice. I'm stumped on the why, and hope the microwave rehab helps me salvage it so I can eat it instead of throwing it out. 

[tskeeter]

Jul 21, 2015 13:44:08 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

Jul 21, 2015 12:03:36 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

In that case, I'd say you're not getting enough cooking liquid in with your rice.  Increase the liquid by 1/8 - 1/4 cup and see how it goes.

If you've used this brand a lot, I'd wonder if it's possible that the manufacturer is having prblems controlling the amount of rice in the package and some packages have too much rice for the amount of water that is called for.  If you suspect that's the cause, you might look for a brand that has more well controlled manufacturing processes.

If you're not using a packaged product, I wonder how fresh the rice is.  Even when it is stored in a plastic bag, moisture will tranfer through the plastic.  If the rice ha been around for a while, it may be drier than you're used to.  

The most annoying thing for me is that it hasn't changed since the mulitple times I've made it and it came out fine. It's not a packaged product, it's from scratch. The brand is most likely the same but the amount of time between attempts tells me it was definitely 2 separate packages of rice. I'm stumped on the why, and hope the microwave rehab helps me salvage it so I can eat it instead of throwing it out. 

Could it be that the rice was laying on the shelf at the store for a long time, drying out?  Was your old place close to a high volume store with lots of customers whose diet includes a lot of rice, while your new store is lowr volume with a different customer demographic?

[Chocolate Lover]

Jul 21, 2015 13:49:00 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Jul 21, 2015 13:44:08 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

The most annoying thing for me is that it hasn't changed since the mulitple times I've made it and it came out fine. It's not a packaged product, it's from scratch. The brand is most likely the same but the amount of time between attempts tells me it was definitely 2 separate packages of rice. I'm stumped on the why, and hope the microwave rehab helps me salvage it so I can eat it instead of throwing it out. 

Could it be that the rice was laying on the shelf at the store for a long time, drying out?  Was your old place close to a high volume store with lots of customers whose diet includes a lot of rice, while your new store is lowr volume with a different customer demographic?

Same store. Same everything, except living quarters. It's a high volume store too. 

[lexxy703]

I like the boil in bag rice from Uncle Bens.  I've never had a problem.  I've never cooked real rice.  It sounds like PITA.

[dannylion]

Real rice is easy to cook.  I learned how to cook rice from one of my Chinese instructors. 

Start with a medium-sized heavy pot and 1 cup of rice (I use medium grain as it has a stickier, firmer quality than long-grain, but it doesn't matter which) and add 1-1/2 to 2 cups of cold liquid (I use less because I like sticker rice).  Bring just to a boil (don't let it boil for a long time), stir the rice thoroughly, then lower the heat to a low simmer and cover.  Leave it alone on simmer (don't peek--that lets the steam out) for 15 minutes.  It should be fine. 

[tskeeter]

Jul 21, 2015 13:51:58 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

Jul 21, 2015 13:49:00 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Could it be that the rice was laying on the shelf at the store for a long time, drying out?  Was your old place close to a high volume store with lots of customers whose diet includes a lot of rice, while your new store is lowr volume with a different customer demographic?

Same store. Same everything, except living quarters. It's a high volume store too. 

Hmm - got me.  I'm out of ideas.  The only thing that is obvious is that some of the rice didn't absorb enough moisture to get tender.  I'm thinking it's not quite enough cooking liquid.  Just why, I dont know.  But I'd give the next batch a try with more liquid and cook off any excess.

[yogiii]

Waaaiiit ... the amount of humidity in the air?  You did do a thorough barometer check before cooking right? 

[NoNamePerson]

Jul 21, 2015 17:55:57 GMT -5 yogiii said:

Waaaiiit ... the amount of humidity in the air?  You did do a thorough barometer check before cooking right? 

The humity is so high here we could just put pot of water with the WTF rice on patio and it would cook. Did you try that method CL?    Sorry, that just came to my culinary mind   . 

[973beachbum]

The only time I ever had this problem cooking rice, was when the uncooked rice it was out and someone put it in the microwave to get it off the counter.  We still do that with some food to keep critters from coming in the house to get at them.   So DH puts his coffee in the microwave to heat it up not looking inside and nukes his coffee for a minute.  When he pulled it out he realized the uncooked rice was also in there.  When I tried to cook the rice it never got tender and I kept adding water. 

He then told me that maybe it was being nuked that did it.  I don't know my how some of the rice could have been cooked like that to make it uncookable exactly but maybe part of the bag was face up in the sun or something and it is that part on top in the sun that isn't cooking properly. 

I guess the only way to find out would be to test it.  Buy a new bag and try cooking it to see if it works.  Although personally it would just be rice and water with no extras in it for me.  I can't stand the thought of food wasting like that.

One person at my second job came in to return some shrimp she had bought.  She said they smelled funny and she was pissed because they were really expensive.  She has bought 2 lbs of U10 shrimp.  She complained that all our shrimp smelled fresh like the ocean.  She wanted them to smell shrimpy.   I almost cried when I threw them out.

[NoNamePerson]

Oh, oh, oh I've been meaning to ask. Where do you find this WTF rice? I looked and looked yesterday. I went to Target, Winn Dixie, Publix and Fresh Market. No one has heard of it   

[myrrh]

OMG this thread is cracking me up.

CL you need to share your recipe and we can all try it and see if we get crunchy rice.

[Wisconsin Beth]

And did you try to fix the rice last night?  And if so, did it help any? 

[dannylion]

You get WTF rice at Whole Foods, of course. (Whole Foods' middle name is Tiberius.  Its parents were big Star Trek fans).

[Chocolate Lover]

Jul 21, 2015 17:59:32 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Jul 21, 2015 17:55:57 GMT -5 yogiii said:

Waaaiiit ... the amount of humidity in the air?  You did do a thorough barometer check before cooking right? 

The humity is so high here we could just put pot of water with the WTF rice on patio and it would cook. Did you try that method CL?    Sorry, that just came to my culinary mind   . 

  Ain't that the truth?!  

dannylion gets    for the Whole Foods thing. 

Recipe  I left out the cooked pork part, didn't have any.

[Chocolate Lover]

Jul 22, 2015 10:15:07 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

And did you try to fix the rice last night?  And if so, did it help any? 

I got voted down and there were chicken enchiladas last night. I swear, I'll try it tonight!

[NoNamePerson]

Jul 22, 2015 10:35:03 GMT -5 dannylion said:

You get WTF rice at Whole Foods, of course. (Whole Foods' middle name is Tiberius.  Its parents were big Star Trek fans).

Well damn. Our Whole Foods isn't open yet so that explains it. Have to wait until sometime in Aug together this WTF rice.