Washing rice before cooking is essential: do you know why? Today we’ll explain the benefits of this practice.
A seemingly simple gesture, often performed almost out of habit, precedes the cooking of one of the world’s most consumed foods: rice. But why is it so important to wash rice grains before boiling them? Washing rice, even if many people don’t know it, is a crucial step for achieving optimal results in terms of consistency, cleanliness, and potential food safety: here’s why.
Why Wash Rice Before Cooking It?
Washing rice before cooking isn’t something many people do, while it’s more common with other grains like barley, or pseudo-grains like quinoa. Rice, however, needs to be washed for several reasons, primarily related to its preparation and the quality of the final product. Here’s a detailed look at why this is a crucial step, not to be underestimated.
Remove surface starch. During processing and transportation, rice grains release a thin layer of starch on their surface. If left unremoved, this starch dissolves during cooking, making the rice sticky and chewy instead of having separate, fluffy grains. Washing the rice helps remove some of this excess starch; if you need to remove a smaller amount, you should lightly toast it, as you would with risotto rice.
Remove impurities and residues. Even if rice is processed, it may contain small impurities such as dust, fragments of broken grains, bran, or even small insects or pebbles. Washing helps rinse away these residues, ensuring a cleaner and safer dish to eat.
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