Kids & Company Blog

Raving for Rice!

Did you know there are over 40,000 varieties of rice? There’s also tons of lingo when it comes to rice: white, brown, wild, short grain, long grain rice and so much more! With so many options it can be difficult to choose which type to buy for certain dishes or which ones are healthiest for our families.

Rice is milled in a similar way to wheat. When you are buying white rice, you are getting grains with the outer husk, bran and germ removed. The problem with white rice is that the parts containing the most nutrients are removed. However, white rice stays fresh for longer because it doesn’t have the oil containing outer layers that make rice go bad. You can find white rice in short, medium and long grain varieties. This type of rice is good for recipes which require a neutral base or when you need a fast meal!

Brown rice has been processed very minimally and only has the outer husk removed. You are then left with the remaining parts of the rice which are fibrous and high in vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin B6. Black and red rice are also whole grain varieties that are just different colours! Brown rice does take much longer to cook than white rice because the tough outer layers must soften. This type of rice usually has a chewier texture when cooked and stronger flavour than white rice.

Parboiled rice is a happy medium between white and brown rice. This type of rice has the same portions of the grain removed as white rice. However, before these nutritious layers are removed, the rice undergoes the parboiling process which pushes most of the nutrients into the grain so they remain after processing. The resulting grains have similar taste and texture to white rice but contain much more nutrients!

Aside from what the name suggests, wild rice is not a rice but actually a grass! Though it is not actually rice, it is cooked and consumed much in the same way as many types of rice. Wild rice is often sold in blends with other types of rice. This is because it has quite a chewy texture and is also very expensive compared to normal white or brown rice. Wild rice has a very high nutrient content with high amounts of protein, fibre and vitamins and low in fat!

There are also many types of specialty rice that you can buy. Some of these include arborio rice, sticky rice, jasmine and basmati rice. Arborio is most often used in risotto which is a creamy rice dish prepared with parmesan cheese. Sticky rice is most popular in Asian dishes like sushi and has a very gummy texture. Jasmine and basmati rice originate in Thailand and India respectively and are classified as aromatic rice for their strong aroma when cooked!

Now that you know the lingo – let’s get cooking! Rice is a delicious and easy side dish or base for many meals! At the Kidco Kitchen we love Brilliant Brown Rice with out Bright Beef and Broccoli. We enjoy rice so much we even made it into a sweet, creamy rice pudding for our fall menu! Check out our website for more great recipes!

From our kitchen to yours…… Enjoy!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @kidcochildcare and on Instagram @cheflisaruscica!

Cheers,

Chef Lisa Ruscica

Chief Food Ambassador

Posted on: Wednesday November 29th, 2017

Posted by: Lisa Ruscica