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When I was in Korea, I watched people load their rice cookers without measuring anything. They poured in some rice, then laid their hand flat on top and poured water in until it covered a certain point on their hand, I don't think quite up to the wrist. It always worked perfectly, and I thought it was fascinating. Does anyone out here use this method, or at least know how it works, and where that point on your hand should be? Is it just trial and error?
Mary Beth
Mary Beth
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Minneapolis
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Re: Measuring rice for cooker
Sat, January 21, 2006 - 1:26 PMmy maternal grannny taught me the same method.
i think the water level is supposed to cover the entire hand or something.
ratio of rice to water i use always is:
1 cup rice: 1-1/2 cup water
*same ratio with any other measuring instrument like a bowl or whatever.
.... i do not use a rice cooker at all.
^.^s -
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Re: Measuring rice for cooker
Sat, January 21, 2006 - 1:55 PMI like to use a rice cooker, partly to keep my stovetop open for other cooking, and because I can get the rice cooked and leave it sit in the cooker until I need it, not worry about it. It also does it right every time - I have not had any disasters on the stove top, but it always seems like a possibility.
I might experiment with this, now I am curious. My cooker has a container for measuring out the rice, and markings for the water lines, between that and your ratios, maybe I will see how it all works out when I stick my hand in there. It would be nice not to have to even
think about measuring. And fun to impress my friends and family with my 'secret method'. -
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Re: Measuring rice for cooker
Sat, January 21, 2006 - 1:57 PMthis method WORKS..... that was how my granny cooked rice for plenty many years!
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Re: Measuring rice for cooker
Sat, January 21, 2006 - 4:01 PMI've always used the hand method and never had bad batch of rice from a cooker, although I've burned several pans using the stove top because I'd forget to check it.
Lay your hand flat on top of the rice until the water covers the knuckles or if you like your rice wetter or dryer adjust the water a tiny bit accordingly.
You can just pour the water out if you have too much.
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Re: Measuring rice for cooker
Sat, January 21, 2006 - 8:11 PMThis is the way my mother taught me how to cook rice (sans the rice cooker). I learned on a stove top. This method works well with a rice cooker too.
This was her process:
-First and foremost - always RINSE your rice 2 - 3 times!
-Drain
-Lay your hand flat on the rice and bend your wrist
-When you bend your wrist a few creases will appear where your hand meets your wrist
-Cover rice with COLD water until the water reaches the FIRST crease of your hand (not the crease on your wrist, that would be too much water)
That's it! I've heard another method where you cover the rice with water up to the first knuckle of your pinky. I haven't tried this, but it sounds about right too.
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Re: Measuring rice for cooker
Sun, January 22, 2006 - 7:58 AMThanks for the replies! I admit I have not always washed the rice, depending where I got it, even though I know you are supposed to, for final moisture content. I am going to start trying this, I think I will start with washing the rice, and going to the first crease, that sounds like what I saw people doing. If that is too wet, I will back off to covering the knuckles. This will be great for not messing around with measuring any more, and having amounts of rice that do not exactly equal x cups! I imagine with the pinky knuckle method, you are just sticking your pinky in and resting it on top of the rice? That seems like it could be easier to mess up, accidentally burrowing your finger into the rice a little bit, and not using enough water as a result...
Thanks again!!
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Re: Measuring rice for cooker
Sun, January 22, 2006 - 9:48 AMWell, I have big hand so I'd have to modify that method, I think I go by intuition at this point, or maybe I do stick my finger in it.
Is there anything better than that first whiff of steam and that first scoop of fresh, hot rice?
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Re: Measuring rice for cooker
Sun, January 22, 2006 - 3:48 PMthere is no hard or fast rule because different grains and varieties of rice have different amounts of gluten or starchyness, some grains come out waxy fully cooked and others come out sticky...all have different rates and amounts of water absorption.
Really, I find that experimentation is the key, I'd use more water for instance with a basmati rice grain than I would for a hong kong broken rice grain where the ratio of rice to water in the cooker can be 1 to 1 instead of 1 to 1 1/2.
Rice is cheap enough to have some accidents, buy one kind of rice at a time by the bag and find the perfect mixture for each variety based on your own expirmentation. Ultimately the failed experiments will be worth the final product of consistenly yummy rice in every variety for as long as your memory lasts of all those hard won experiments. -
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Re: Measuring rice for cooker
Tue, January 31, 2006 - 6:35 AMOK, first run, used Kokuho Rose New variety short grain 'sushi rice'. I measured 3 of the 'cups' that came with my cooker, rinsed the rice, put it in the pan, and then poured water to cover a little past my knuckles. This brought the lever up to almost the 4 cup line on the cooker, which would be more than I would have used if I were just following the measurements, so I stopped there and cooked. When it was finished, it was a tiny bit hard in the middle, so I added a small amount of water and closed the lid again, and in 10 mn it was perfect. I should have gone to the first crease on my wrist for that one. This is the kind of rice I use most often, since I can get it in a nice size bag, easily available, but I will also try regular long grain, basmati, and jasmine, since I use those too. -
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Re: Measuring rice for cooker
Thu, February 2, 2006 - 4:04 PMActually, what I've heard for hand measuring is this: using your index finger, dip it straight down to resting at the top level of the rice. The water should come roughly up to the midpoint between the tip of the index finger to the first knuckle. (Seems neater and less messy than immersing your whole hand...)
I've tested this out to see if it correlates with my usual measuring system on my cooker (which takes usually a 1:1 ratio of rice to water)--i.e. I've tried sticking my finger in after I've poured in what is the right amount of water, and true to form, the water level does come up to the midpoint between my tip and the knuckle.
Have you done that, tried measuring in reverse? Put in the amount of water that you know to be right and see where it measures up for your hand/finger. Then once you know where the water level should be for your hand, you can then go by that. -
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Re: Measuring rice for cooker
Thu, February 2, 2006 - 6:37 PMWell, I was going to pursue that line, but then I remembered hearing that different rices had different requirements - I think I saw it on Good Eats - so I kind of went at it backwards, and ended up putting more water in than I would have done by measuring, and had to add a little more. Which in fact matches my earlier experiences with that type of rice, it would be a little hard at the center the first day, then reheating I added water, and it caught up. Your method sounds like the 'first knuckle of the little finger' mentioned earlier - I was worried that I would end up borrowing my finger in without noticing, but you are right, it would be neater. But, after watching people use their whole hand way back when, it brought back nice memories to do it that way myself.
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Re: Measuring rice for cooker
Mon, February 6, 2006 - 12:40 PMi use my finger..just belwo the joint...
does rice real nice..
