The rice solution

[McCarlos]

Hello folks this is my first post here and I'm so grateful to have stumbled upon this wonderful news about eating properly.
Thank you so very much Dr. McDougall
My question is; Are we suppose to be throwing out the rice water when we cook rice? Short of Steaming rice this is the outcome of cooked rice. Are we losing all kinds of starch by doing so? Should steaming rice be our only choice then?
I mean isn't it starch that we are needing?
TIA

[Lyndzie]

Do you cook your rice “pasta style”?

[McCarlos]

I do both ways of cooking rice. When I "pasta style" I feel I am throwing away perfectly good Starch.
This is what I need to know - wether we should be throwing out that starch water in favor of having fluffy rice.

[Daydream]

McCarlos, welcome to the forum!

I cook my rice "pasta style" to get rid of the arsenic so I do throw away the rice water. Do what gives you the most peace of mind.

[debknott]

Mary McDougall is the first one I ever heard advocating cooking rice in the pasta style, so I'm sure the McDougalls believe that cooking it that way is just fine.

I also prefer it cooked that way because I don't like my rice to stick together too much.

[McCarlos]

for now I'm mainly using rice/potatoes in a soup setting or stew, this way I can take advantage of the starch that is released by the starch in the water soup/stew. This the most palatable solution for me, very quick and less wasteful.

[EvanG]

The amount of starch on the outside of the rice that is absorbed into the water is very small. What remains is still mostly starch. So, it is fine if you want to recover the small amount of starch that is left in the water after boiling potatoes, rice, or pasta. But, if you throw that small amount of starch away, what you are left with is still mostly starch. In other words, you do not lose much to the water.

[kimba]

How do you cook rice pasta style?

[debknott]

kimba,

It's really easy to cook rice this way. You just use a way larger pot than you would usually use for rice, put three or four times more water than your rice recipe calls for in the pot and get it boiling. Put in however much rice you would normally use, and let it boil freely, uncovered, giving it an occasional stir to make sure none is sticking. I normally make brown rice, and when done this way it is done in 25 - 30 minutes. Taste some to tell when it's done. I think white rice only takes 10 or 15 minutes, I don't remember for sure, but you can test taste and decide when it's just right. I love rice cooked this way. Hope you like it to.

Deborah

[kimba]

Hmm... I'll have to give this a try. Never heard of cooking it this way. I have jasmine rice in my kitchen, I like that one about the best. Thanks so much.