Common Mistakes in Cooking Rice
Rice is a staple food frequently consumed by the public. There are generally three methods for cooking rice: steaming, simmering, and rinsing and then boiling. Experiments have confirmed that the vitamin and mineral content in "rinsed and boiled 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 congee (rice porridge), whether it's plain congee, bean congee, or vegetable congee, you should not add alkali. Because the vitamin B loss rate in congee cooked with alkali can be as high as 96%, and minerals are not easily absorbed. Alkali should also not be added when making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) or bean paste filling.
When washing rice, use cold water, not running water or hot water. The amount of water and the number of times you wash should be minimized, just enough to remove sand and dirt. Rice contains vitamins and inorganic salts, both of which are very soluble in water. If you wash the rice for too long and scrub it vigorously, the nutrients on the surface of the rice will be completely lost! And the nutrients in rice are mainly on the surface. Simply put, to preserve the nutrients in 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 for cooking. If the rice is soaked for a long time, a nutrient called riboflavin in the rice will be lost in large quantities, and proteins, fats, etc., will also be lost to some extent.
Rice is rich in essential nutrients for the human body and is one of the staple foods for the Chinese people. When cooking rice, you first need to wash it to clean the sand and debris mixed in between the grains. However, if the washing method is incorrect, it is easy for the nutrients on the surface of the rice grains to be washed away with the water. Tests have shown that after one wash and rub in water, the protein content in rice grains will decrease by 4%, fat by 10%, and inorganic salts by 5%.
Rice contains vitamins and inorganic salts, both of which are very 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 in rice are mainly on the surface. Simply put, if you want to preserve the nutrients in 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 right way to cook it: 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, fats, etc., will also be lost to some extent. So you should put it in the pot to cook right now.