I'd like to eat more brown rice but it takes forever to cook ( ok 30-35 minutes). Is there a hack?

[BlueBlueGreenBlue]

like batch cooking it and freezing?

Any suggestions appreciated.

Bulk cook in instant pot/rice cooker and freeze

I saw that post and thought... only since I've started weight loss injections! Before that 1 pouch = 1 portion!

I usually buy Tilda although am trying out Nice Rice at the moment. Yes 17 min plus 3 resting .

I use a rice cooker (that also does slow cooking, yogurt etc). It does take a long time - 50 mins or so. But it’s just turn it on and let it do its thing. Brown rice is perfectly done, and the machine keeps it warm so as long as you’ve remembered to put it on timing is not crucial. So much nicer than boiled in a pan, and no waste either.

Microwaving instead of hob knocks the time down to about 15 mins

Rice cooker. Though I don’t like using the quick cook mode if I can avoid it. better to cook you rice slowly even if it is white rice, but at least it is hands off.

I freeze ahead. Cook a shed load, cool rapidly by spreading out on a baking tray, portion into bags and freeze flat, then they are reheated in a minute or two depending on size

Just bung it on the hob, do another job that needs doing (empty dishwasher, paor the socks, wipe down the sills, fronts of cooker/fridge, etc). That deals with the 10 to 15 minutes extra it takes and you have done something constructive.

If you put anything in plastic in the microwave your food will be contaminated to the hilt with microplastics. I'm shocked people still heat food inside plastic containers.

Brown rice only takes about 20 minutes if you cook it in the right size pan for the amount you're making. Eg. Small pan for 1 cup, with lid on, medium heat.

If you are set on the microwave pouches, at least empty them out into a ceramic container before putting in the microwave.

Rice cooker is the way we do it, can be stuck on a while before dinner and just does its own thing, stops once the rice is cooked and can keep it warm for several hours. It's a good fit for us because one of us is generally WFH and we have a small child so we're in the house for a while around dinner time most nights - when I was single and office based I'd use the microwave packets for convenience.

My rice cooker is really good but takes 10 million years to cook even white rice. However, it has a timer, so we just put the rice in before we go to work, set the timer to finish when we get home at dinner time, and leave it. We also sometimes mix white and brown rice together so our children won't notice, cook it on the brown rice setting, and it cooks perfectly even with the blend of different kinds of rice.

I’m quite depressed at how many single-use plastic pouches are being used. That and the plastic contamination when the rice is reheated are reasons to just cook it in a pan or rice cooker where possible. I cook brown rice in big batches and freeze in portions.

I soak it for 1-2hrs in cold water, replaced the water and cook - it cooks quite quickly. This is simple basic brown rice (which I'm finding harder to find these days) - not the more expensive brown basmati rice.

The pack is two portions though...

My mum used to feed their dogs brown rice (with carrots!) and brought it to the boil first thing in the morning then turned the heat off and left it with the lid on until evening. It was always cooked beautifully!

For those of you who use a pressure cooker what ratio of rice to water and how long?

Freezing rice changes its texture so isn’t as nice. I would pre soak and then just accept it takes longer but taste loads better than processed rice.

Edited to say like a pp I also boil and then leave to stand and it will cook itself over a long period.

How to cook brown rice in a pressure cooker | Recipes Made Easy

Micro rice has added extras/oil

boil in the bag rice takes 25 mins

Good point

or empty into a saucepan and add a splash of water

Soak it and cook in instant pot. Probably takes the same amount of time but is hands off and perfect results

I soak all rice before cooking, usually prep at lunchtime and then by teatime it just needs a rinse until the water runs clear, and then cooks in about half the time, if that.

But why? It's so horrid though.

I buy packet brown basmati rice. Cheapest is from Sainsbury's I think. It takes 25 minutes of boiling for Tilda so thebwnefy saved offsets some of the cost.

Wholemeal rice in pouches is horrid IMO, I love the jasmine white rice but not the wholemeal. We get brown basmati and cook it for 20/25 minutes. Same amount of time as a pork chop or chicken thigh so works out fine.