Crunchy Rice

[papa_x10]

Hi, I don't know how to bake rice in a covered pyrex cassorle dish that was pregreased without the rice that is at top edge being too hard to chew. Do you know how to solve this problem ? Have a great day ! Papa

[Suzanne]

Are you using enough water? For regular white or brown rice, the standard is 2 cups water to each cup of rice. But you might be able to add a little more water (up to 1/2 cup) if it still comes out too dry.

And how long are you baking? Standard is 15 to 17 minutes after you first bring it to a boil on the stove top. (You can do that with Pyrex baking dishes, I believe.)

If you're okay on both of those, maybe the cover isn't as tight as you think, and too much water is evaporating. Try covering the dish tightly with foil instead.

Hope this helps.

[papa_x10]

Suzanne, thanks for the fast response. As it happens I was trying two new recipes and both required frying the rice with seasoning and oil before putting the rice in a cassarole dish and cooking the rice in liquid in the oven at 350 deg. for 45-50 minutes minutes. I will take your advice and add the liquid to the pot and bring it to a boil before I put it in the greased dish to finish the cooking. But I don't know what I will gain from transferring it at that point. I may as well continuing cooking it on the stove. I can successfully cook rice with either method: A ( on the stove with a lid on low heat, after it starts to boil) or B( on the stove with out a lid, on Med. Hi until the water is almost all absorbed and then turning off the heat and letting it finish with a lid on) A problem occurs on the stove when I add ground meat. The rice on top does not fully cook. Thats why I was trying the oven method. But the rice around the rim was too crunchy((over cooked). The rest of the rice was perfect. Have a Great Day. Papa

[bluezebra]

Try covering the surface of your dish with aluminum foil until the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Many recipes for rice style casseroles actually want the surface to have a browned and crunchy ring of rice. I don't know if I would categorize them as being hard and unchewable but they are crunchy and chewy!

[Suzanne]

FYI: Oven baking rice (or baking anything, for that matter) is supposed to ensure even heat penetrating the food from all around. You could accomplish the same thing with rice if you can stir it from time to time.

Starting it on the stovetop brings the liquid up to boiling faster than would happen if you did it all in the oven.

Papa -- post more so that you reach the threshold for posting links. Then you can post a link to the recipes you were using, if they are online.