I found this article pretty interesting… it seems to contradict the current cooking zeitgeist

    • Grass@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      Me too. There is always rice sludge on the lid of the rice cooker and dribbled down the sides if I don’t do at least one rinse. Definitely better texture too.

      The washing away of some(…) microplastics and arsenic sounds nice, and I’m not concerned over the loss of whatever trace minerals white rice would even have.

      • zeppo@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        White rice in the US is enriched with various vitamins, in a sad attempt to replace the nutrition stripped from milling away the outer part and bran. Better to just eat brown rice, though it also has more arsenic. Ah, isn’t modern food lovely.

        • witten@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          There are so many whole grains besides rice though. And in theory they aren’t arsenic-laden…

          • zeppo@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Sure. I just meant as far as rice goes. Quinoa is a good one, or amaranth, buckwheat or even corn.

    • Dakkaface@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I believe the article, in the very narrow thing it actually claims, which is that the starches that come off of rice in washing don’t matter much in how sticky the rice is. That’s mostly down to what kind of rice you’re using. Short grain is stickier, longer grains are not.

      I’m still 100% going to wash my rice because I don’t want to deal with the cleanup on that extra starch, it gets everywhere. And while I haven’t had bugs in my rice for a while, it happens sometimes.

      • Piecemakers@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        the starches that come off of rice in washing don’t matter much in how sticky the rice is.

        100% blatant bullshit, painfully obvious to everyone who’s ever cooked rice and tried to cut that specific corner.

    • hi_its_me@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 year ago

      The article does seem to accurately portray the findings of the peer reviewed research that it links to. Not saying that it’s infallible, but probably worth considering.

  • Addition@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    Don’t wash your rice for any kind of flavor reasons. Wash your rice because there might be bugs in it.

  • CryptidBestiary@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’ve eaten rice all my life and was taught to wash rice before cooking it. I’ve seen and eaten the starchiness that happens when not washing it and the difference is very noticeable. Rice was very gooey and starchy when not washed, versus a nice firm and chewy rice you would get from a restaurant when you do wash. Also washing it can clean out any bugs or dirt. It just made sense imo

  • rhythmisaprancer@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    These comments are interesting. I have never washed rice, nor even considered it. Now I want to try it out and see what difference I can experience!

  • newtraditionalists@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Interesting. Though anybody literate in the scientific method knows that one study doesn’t mean much. Whether it’s placebo or not, I notice a difference in the finished product when I wash rice, so I will continue to do so.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Finally. That’s what I got out of the article as well, but it also confirmed my bias

    • 8bitguy@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      TL; DR,

      Only if you’re concerned about removing dust, insects, little stones, bits of husk left from the rice hulling process, arsenic, and 20-40% of microplastics. The amount of those things is influenced by the region in which it’s produced. Stickiness reduction from washing is nominal due to there being two different types of starch. The kind on the surface is different than the variety inside the grain, which is what affects the stickiness.

      Not part of the article:

      If you’re interested in less sticky rice, try toasting it first. It’s a game changer.
      https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/toasted-rice-recipe-2104154

      I’ve never bothered rinsing, but probably will now because of microplastics and arsenic. I’ve never seen impurities like what are listed, but I only buy rice produced in California.

      • sadreality@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Arsenic is common knowledge tbh

        The new kid on the block is news to me tho…

        Fucking plastic in everything… Fuck ur planet peasants, we got mother fucking money to make.

  • donuts@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    This can’t be right. They must have something off with their method.

    You can even see murky, starchy white water drain out of the bowl the first couple of times you rinse and stir the uncooked rice. If that’s not starch then what is it? The water will come out visibly cleaner with each round of rinsing and stirring.

    Sure it could be placebo but I definitely feel that I can tell the difference between unwashed and washed rice.

    • tburkhol@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Argument goes that the easily removed starch is all very short chain polymers, where the stickyness is more due to medium chain and highly branched molecules. I would honestly not be surprised if some of the cloudy water was also talc or other inorganic anti-clumping agents.

      The type of rice you’re cooking is also very important.

  • MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Naah, just use it as is. In fact, throw some extra dirt in there and spit in it for good measure. It gives it character.

    • vector_zero@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I usually don’t wash my rice, but one specific type of jasmine rice I use does get a bit gummy if I don’t give it a good rinse. For other types of rice, I usually don’t notice a significant difference.

    • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Do you like eating…. Feces? Dirt? Dead bugs? Feces from dead bugs?

      It isn’t just about the arsenic or the quality.