Mistakes to Avoid When Washing Rice for Cooking
Rice is a staple food frequently consumed by the public. There are generally three cooking methods for rice: steaming, stewing, and draining. Experiments have shown 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 congee with rice, whether it's plain congee, bean congee, or vegetable congee, alkali should not be added. This is 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 or bean paste filling.
Wash rice 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, both of which are very soluble in water. If you wash the rice for too long and scrub it vigorously, all the nutrients from the surface of the rice will be lost! And the nutrients of rice are mainly on the surface. Simply put, to preserve the nutrients of rice, remember when washing: do not use running water or hot water, do not scrub or stir vigorously, do not soak the rice, and use as little water as possible.
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. When cooking rice, you first need to wash it to clean out any sand and debris mixed in between the grains. However, if the washing method is incorrect, the nutrients on the surface of the rice grains can be completely washed away with the water. Tests have shown that after one wash and rub in water, the protein content in rice grains is reduced 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 hard, all the nutrients from the surface of the rice will be lost! And the nutrients of rice are mainly on the surface. 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 vigorously, do not soak the rice, and use as little water as possible.
There's also a right way to cook: 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.