3 things to note when washing rice and cooking it that you cannot ignore
Washing rice too thoroughly removes nutrients from the outer layer of the rice grain such as fiber, vitamins, iron, zinc... which are beneficial to the body.
A wrong habit when cooking rice of many families is to wash rice thoroughly and use cold water to cook. According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Tram, Institute of Crop Research and Development, rice provides carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, supplementing energy for the body. In particular, mainly B vitamins (B1, B3, B6) and fiber. In addition, rice also contains vitamin E, iron, zinc, and even omega 3.
These nutrients are most abundant in the outer layer of the rice grain. Therefore, if you scrub the rice too hard and drain all the cloudy water, you will lose the important nutrients of the rice grain. In addition, the bran layer around the rice grain contains a lot of cellulose, which helps promote the excretion of cholesterol, reducing the amount of harmful cholesterol in the blood.
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Vitamin B group is lost 70-95% during the milling and washing of rice. Photo:China |
Many people like to eat beautifully cooked white rice without knowing that the more refined the rice is, the less cellulose it contains. Then the rice is less likely to create a feeling of fullness, causing the amount of food taken into the body to increase, making it easy to become obese.
White rice is made from rice grains that have had the bran removed and then polished to prevent mold. This means that the best nutrients of the rice grains are no longer present. Consuming too much starch from white rice can lead to diabetes, edema, high blood pressure, etc.
According to Associate Professor Tram, another mistake when cooking rice is cooking with cold water. When using cold water, the rice grains swell, the nutrients expand and dissolve into the water.
Using boiling water to cook, the rice grains will be sticky, the outer layer of the rice grains will shrink to create a protective film, the grains will not crack or break, and the amount of vitamin B1 retained is 30% more than when cooked with cold water.
“You should not throw away the rice water because it will lose a large amount of nutrients again,” said the associate professor.
Notes when washing rice and cooking:
- Do not mill the rice too white. When washing rice, do not rub it too hard. Just wash the rice, stir gently, and drain the water to remove worms and sand.
- You should use boiling water to cook rice instead of using cold water.
- When the rice boils, turn down the heat and cover to keep the heat in, avoiding contact with air because this is a factor that further destroys the vitamins in the rice.
