How to Cook Long Grain Rice in Rice Cooker?

Long grain rice is one of the most popular rice types worldwide. There are many different varieties available, including white rice and brown rice. You make some amazing dishes with this kind of rice. Some of the varieties even have a distinct, nutty flavor. If you are looking for rice recipes, then long grain rice is a great starting point.

And if you can do it in a rice cooker, it is even easier and saves you some time.

So, here is how to cook long grain rice in rice cooker and more.

What is Long Rice?

Long rice is rice that has a rice grain length longer than

There are many different varieties available, including white rice and brown rice. You make some amazing dishes with this kind of rice. Some variations have a distinct, nutty flavor. If you are looking for rice recipes, long-grain rice is a great starting point thanks to 100s of different cookdowns from around the world as well as its versatility in both savory and sweet dishes. And if you can do it in a rice cooker, it is even easier and saves you some time.

In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about making long grain rice in a rice cooker.

Types of long-grain rice

There are many types of rice that can claim to be long grain rice. Some are popular and some are not so much. Here is a list of them that can be helpful for you when you are choosing the brand of rice.

• Jasmine rice
• Basmati rice
• Brown rice
• Arbor rice
• Doongara rice

You might find many other types of the same rice in the market. However, all of them have a long-grain variety. Among these Jasmine and Basmati are the best. Cooking Basmati in a rice cooker might be a little tricky but cooking Jasmine is a breeze.

How to cook long grain rice in a rice cooker?

Now, we will discuss how to cook rice in a rice cooker. The exact process may vary slightly depending on the rice you are using and your rice cooker model (I am discussing about Zojirushi rice cooker).

Here is what you need to get ready before the cooking process

• Long grain rice – one cup. You can also use brown or white long-grain rice.
• Water – one and a half cups (I usually add one cup of water for white rice and an extra half cup for brown rice). I recommend using filtered or mineral water because the taste will be better than cooking with tap/well water.
• A rice cooker  – This is pretty obvious, right? You need rice cooker to cook rice.
• A bowl  – You can use a normal bowl or any other container that is oven safe, but you need something in which your rice will be cooked without overflowing. If it has handles, even better because they make it easier for you to handle the rice later on.

The prep work

Before we start cooking long grain rice in a rice cooker, we need to do some prep work.

• Add rice and water – Put rice and water together into your rice cooker bowl/container. If you are using brown rice, then it needs more time than white long grain rice so add at least 20 minutes of cooking time before the end of the cooking cycle for that kind of rice.
• Rinse rice – Drain all the water from rice and rinse it with fresh, filtered or mineral water. This step is very important to get rid of dust particles that might have been stuck on rice grains while harvesting.
• Soak rice – Put a wet towel over your bowl/container containing rice and cover it tightly for at least 20 minutes. This step will make rice softer and it also helps to get rid of excess starch on rice grains, making it easier for you to digest the rice later on.
• Drain rice – After at least 20 minutes (depending on rice type), drain all water from rice and spread it evenly over a large plate/tray with raised edges. This rice is now ready to be cooked.

Cooking process in a rice cooker

After following all the steps above, you should have rice soaked and drained properly on a plate/tray. Now it’s time for cooking (retrieve your rice cooker bowl if you put that aside). Put the rice back into your rice cooker bowl along with water as per the rice/water ratio that you have decided to use.

• If you are using brown rice, add 30 minutes of cooking time before the end of your usual rice cooker cycle. For white long-grain rice, 20 minutes should be good enough because it will not take too much extra time for this kind of rice.
• After these preset times, the rice cooker should automatically switch to the keep warm mode. If it does not happen or you want the rice to be cooked for a longer time, then press the Keep Warm button manually yourself.

The final step is optional depending on your rice type and how well done you prefer your rice to me. As you can see from the time taken above, there are no hard and fast rules about how much rice should be cooked for how long. It all depends on personal preferences.

FAQs

Q: Is a rice cooker better than cooking rice in a pot?

Yes, rice cooker is always tastier and it can be made quicker (depending on the quality of your rice cooker) because most rice cookers have an automatic timer. You just need to put all ingredients into the bowl before starting to cook rice and leave it in the rice cooker.

Q: What type of rice is best for cooking in a rice cooker?

Basmati or Jasmine will produce the best results every time because they contain less starch than other types of rice so you can get rice that is separate and fluffy every time. But you will also need a high-quality rice cooker. Tiger rice cooker would be one of the best.

Q: Does long grain rice need more water in rice cooker?

The most important part of cooking long grain rice is soaking right before cooking so that it can cook through with or without added extra water. If you have not soaked your rice before putting it in the cooker, then add about twice as much water to cover the amount of rice being used. If you have already soaked your rice then there should be enough moisture in the rice itself – just add a little more than half a cup if you want to be on the safe side, but adding less is also OK.

Q: Can a rice cooker be used to cook rice for curry?

Yes, rice cooked in a rice cooker can be very useful when cooking Indian food such as chicken tikka masala or lamb rogan josh because you might not have enough pots/utensils to make these dishes at the same time.

Q: What do I do if I put too much water in my rice cooker?

Most rice cookers have an automatic water level detector so there’s no need to worry about rice becoming too wet. For many models that don’t, you can dry out rice by cooking rice for longer or adding less rice/water mixture. The end result will be slightly chewy rice if the moisture level is low but most long-grain rice consumers won’t care about this detail enough to mind the change in consistency.

Conclusion

There are many different types of rice cookers on the market, and they can vary greatly in price. We hope this article has helped you figure out which type is best for your needs. Always use a rice cooker for cooking rice. Because it is not only time saving it is also environmentally friendly and far more efficient.