My dollar store rice turned into glue last night

I tried making a big batch of the cheap white rice from Dollar Tree for meal prep and it came out like a solid brick. Had to toss the whole pot and eat toast for dinner. Has anyone figured out which store brand rice actually cooks right?

2 comments

2 Comments

stella_foster1mo ago

...and honestly I think it's the rinsing that makes the difference with that cheap rice. I used to skip it because I figured what's the point with budget stuff, but then I started rinsing it until the water ran clear and it came out way better. The other thing that helped me was using exactly the right amount of water, not just winging it like I usually do... like for every cup of rice I use about 1 and 3/4 cups of water instead of the usual 2. Also letting it sit covered for a good 10 minutes after it's done cooking lets the steam finish the job without turning into paste. My last batch of the Great Value stuff actually held up fine in the fridge for a few days after I did that.

west.claire1mo ago

And you're totally right about the 1 3/4 cups water trick. I started doing the same after reading it somewhere and it's crazy how much that little change keeps the grains separate instead of getting sticky. Also if you add a teaspoon of oil or butter to the water before cooking it helps the rice not clump together as much when it's reheated later.