Cooking tiny portions of rice: possible?

[CoffeeMum]

I tend to freeze little portions for my toddler, and serve with either pasta or cous cous as they are easy to cook in small quantities. However, he loves rice, and i would love to offer this too, but i don't know how to cook the small amount required

Surely the pan would boil dry or something, if i cooked it the usual way? And i would make lots and reheat, but isn't that the classic way to get food poisoning? Don't really want to go down the boil in a bag/sachet route - not for food snob reasons, but it'd get a bit pricey i think!

Thanks

don't see why not

maybe use an egg pan, or whatever your smallest pan is?

then use 1 measure rice plus 2 measures water in usual way

i do 11 minutes on low heat then 11 minutes with heat off left to steam - i know everyone has their own foolproof rice recipe but the steaming means less chance of it burning

You can cook and freeze rice. So you could freeze small portions. Just let it defrost in the fridge - if you microwave defrost it turns to mush!

But Weegiemum - isn't it dodgy to reheat cooked rice? Am i just talking nonsense? - i genuinely thought it was a huge cause of food poisoning.

You only get food poisoning if you don't cool it rapidly after cooking. So cook the rice, then run cold water through the sieve until it is really cold, allow to drain for 5 minutes, then decant into freezer bags in portions, lay flat and smooth into an even layer and freeze. You can then microwave it to hot in a minute

Ah ha! That sounds like a good reliable set of instructions CMOT - thank you. I presume this is tried and tested?

Thanks everyone for your replies DS will be very happy with his rice!

I cook batches and freeze but also cook small portions measuring an espresso cup of rice with two of water in a small pan.

Reheated rice and food poisoning info from FSA

"It's true that you could get food poisoning from eating reheated rice. But it's not actually the reheating that's the problem ? it's the way the rice has been stored before reheating.

Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, bacteria that can cause food poisoning. When the rice is cooked, the spores can survive. Then, if the rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores will germinate into bacteria. These bacteria will multiply and may produce toxins (poisons) that cause vomiting or diarrhoea. Reheating the rice won't get rid of these toxins.

So, the longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that bacteria, or the toxins they produce, could stop the rice being safe to eat.

It's best to serve rice when it has just been cooked. If that isn't possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour) and keep it in the fridge for no more than one day until reheating.

Remember that when you reheat any food, you should always check that it's steaming hot all the way through, and avoid reheating more than once. "

I do it for ds2. I use a small non-stick milk pan (fortunately have a lid that fits perfectly from my normal pan set).

I put in 25g of rice with 50 ml of water. Bring to boil, turn down to lowest setting on the hob, put the lid on.
Simmer for 10 mins. Turn heat off and leave to sit for 5 mins.
All the water is absorbed and the rice doesn't burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.

DeirdreB thanks for the very useful link - that tells me all i need to know about the food poisoning aspect, but also makes me slightly twitchy! Maybe i should just cook it fresh each time - so many of you seem to, maybe it's not as much of a hassle as I suspected.

MrsJohnDeere - they sound like good foolproof instructions, i think i will give that method a whirl.

Thank you everyone!

I used to cook about 10 portions at once, cool rapidly and freeze. We've never had food poisoning (I put this down to my dcs having very strong immune systems due to my slatternly housekeeping habits!

I've been doing it this way for years - I like brown rice, but can't be doing with waiting for it to cook each time. Also I like rice for lunch, so just want a small portion.

My theory is I wouldn't freeze and reheat meat that had been left for over a hour at room temp - that would be asking for trouble - and apply the same to rice.

You can buy frozen pre cooked rice, and they wouldn't be allowed to sell that if it was unsafe ?

Ah, didn't realise you'd posted this twice. Have just answered on the other thread...

If it's basmati then cook it in plenty of water for 8 minutes, strain and put it back in the pan with the lid on for 10 minutes. Obviously not on the heat for the last 10 minutes.

'tis the best way to cook rice IMVHO. Always lovely and fluffy.

I have never cooked rice in the approved manner of two parts water to one part rice instead I cook it in exactly the same way as pasta, putting it in some boiling water, simmering until cooked then draining in a sieve.

Could you do this instead?

Microwave it.

Use a small container with a lid. One part rice, two parts water. High heat till you see bubbles (won't be like boiling water on the hob, you'll just see lots of small bubbles). Medium heat with the lid on loosely for a few more minutes till cooked.

Smallest amount I've done is one cup of rice, which is just enough for me. Takes about 8 min on high and 12 min on medium in my microwave. With a bit of trial and error you'll be able to work out timing for smaller amounts.

CMOT- thanks for method! My dc are really going to appreciate it.