Common Mistakes in Rice Washing and Cooking (Picture)
Rice is a staple food frequently consumed by the public. There are generally three cooking methods for rice: steaming, stewing, and draining. Experiments have confirmed that the vitamin and mineral content in drained rice is only 5% of that in steamed rice, or even less. Using a pressure cooker, rice cooker, or microwave to cook rice preserves the nutrients in the rice better. When cooking rice porridge, whether it's plain congee or bean/vegetable porridge, alkali should not be added. This is because porridge cooked with alkali can lose up to 96% of its vitamin B, and minerals are not easily absorbed. Alkali should also not be used when making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) or bean paste.
Rice should be washed with cold water, not running water or hot water. The amount of water and the number of washes should be minimized, just enough to remove the sand and dirt. Rice contains vitamins and inorganic salts, which are particularly soluble in water. If you wash the rice for too long and scrub it vigorously, the nutrients in the rice's surface layer will be completely lost! And the nutrients of rice are mainly in the surface layer. Simply put, to preserve the nutrients of rice, remember when washing: do not use running water or hot water, do not scrub or stir the rice vigorously, do not soak the rice, and use as little water as possible when washing.
After washing the rice, it must be put into the pot immediately. If the rice is soaked for a long time, a nutrient called riboflavin in the rice will be lost in large quantities, and proteins and fats will also be lost to some extent.
Rice is rich in essential nutrients for the human body and is one of the main staple foods for the Chinese people. To cook rice, you must first wash it to clean the sand and debris mixed in the grains. However, if the washing method is incorrect, the nutrients on the surface of the grains can easily be washed away with the water. Tests show that after kneading and washing rice grains once in water, the protein content will be lost by 4%, fat by 10%, and inorganic salts by 5%.
Rice contains vitamins and inorganic salts, which are particularly soluble in water. If you wash the rice for as long as you do—for five minutes—and scrub it so vigorously, all the nutrients on the surface of the rice will be lost! And the nutrients of rice are mainly in the surface layer. Simply put, if you want to preserve the nutrients of rice, remember when washing: do not use running water or hot water, do not scrub or stir the rice vigorously, do not soak the rice, and use as little water as possible when washing.
There's also a trick to cooking: after washing the rice, it must be put into the pot immediately. If the rice is soaked for a long time, a nutrient called riboflavin in the rice will be lost in large quantities, and proteins and fats will also be lost to some extent. So you should put it in the pot to cook right now.