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Every time I cook brown rice (in a traditional pot, or in my new rice cooker), large bubbles form and spill over the sides. How can I prevent this?

I found this question, but wasn't able to draw useful advice from the answers.

As a side note, I don't think I used too much water - the rice was cooked exactly how I like it in the rice cooker, and there was no water left over. Also, the brown rice was purchased in bulk from a health food store, and was not soaked or rinsed ahead of time.

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I've never had my rice boil over when using my rice cooker -- are you sure you're using the right amounts of rice and water? (2:1 for water:rice usually) – Daenyth Oct 28 '10 at 19:49

7 Answers

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I usually cook my rice in a microwave safe bowl which I place inside a wider glass bowl. That way when the water inevitably overflows it is caught in the glass bowl, and doesn't make a mess.

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I really like the convenience of the rice cooker, though, and would rather avoid the mess in the first place than making it easier to clean up. – Dov Oct 28 '10 at 12:44
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Is it not possible to turn the gas down a notch when it starts overflowing?

As another option, you can use a pot with higher sides.

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Often it's hard to patiently watch it and catch it right when it starts boiling - you could either use a timer to remind yourself, or turn the heat partway down when it's partway to boiling. – Jefromi♦ Oct 28 '10 at 13:24
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I actually add boiling water from the kettle. So no watching and waiting. – Carmi Oct 28 '10 at 15:19
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the reason why it's boiling over is because it's getting too hot.

either tilt the lid of the pot a little bit so that some of the steam can escape (reducing the pressure, and thereby reducing the temperature) or (as another suggested) turning the heat down a little bit.

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Won't that cause the rice to cook at a different rate, though? I thought it's the pressure that really cooks it. Also, with the rice cooker, which I'm fond of using, I can't turn the heat down. – Dov Oct 28 '10 at 14:42
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I cook a lot of rice and whether I'm doing brown rice or white rice, the formula is basically the same. I don't have a rice cooker, so I have to do everything on the stove. For whatever amount of rice, I put just enough water in so my pointer finger is touching the top of the rice and the water is at my first knuckle. I boil the water on high and then as soon as it starts to boil, I turn the stove down to low. I have an electric stove where the element is a solid, so it retains heat frustratingly well. My solution for that is to move the pot partially off the element, so it's not getting as much of an intense heat when it should be on low.

The pot I use also has a whole for steam to escape, so you can simulate that with a skewer or chopstick propping it open. White rice is generally done in about 10-15 minutes, brown rice a fair bit longer.

Essentially the main key is to drop the temperature of the stove sooner/quicker.

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up vote 11 down vote

You've stated that you're not washing the rice. That's the reason this is happening.

Water boils over because of starch. Many types of rice (brown rice included) can be very starchy, and this could conceivably cause the water to boil over depending on the amount of rice/water and the size of the pan (or rice cooker).

Washing the rice also helps to prevent the grains from sticking together, so you would want to do this anyway (unless you are actually trying to make sticky rice).

It's very simple to wash the rice; just keep adding and straining out cold water until the water runs clear. You'll probably be surprised at how much starch actually washes off. If you do this, your water should stop boiling over - regardless of temperature.

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What is the nutritional impact of doing this, though? I hadn't been washing the rice so as to keep all its nutrients intact. – Dov Oct 28 '10 at 16:19
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@Dov: Not much? It's just loose starch. The bulk of the starch is still inside the grain and besides, starch is not known as one of the most nutritious things to eat. I really would not worry about the nutritional impact; presumably if you're eating rice, most of your nutrition is already coming from whatever the rice is served with. – Aaronut♦ Oct 28 '10 at 16:32
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@Dov the other impact of not washing your rice before cooking it is that often, rice is dirty. Dried-on-the-side-of-the-highway dirty. – Dan Davies Brackett Oct 28 '10 at 18:55
@DDaviesBrackett: Ah, never thought of that... – Dov Oct 28 '10 at 19:04
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Did you tried to dip the edge of the pan with butter?

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This does not provide an answer to the question. To critique or request clarification from an author, leave a comment below their post. – KatieK Oct 5 '12 at 16:37
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Use a bigger pan, less water and turn the heat down a little.

Use one rice to two water, boil until the bubbles are on the top of the rice, put on a lid, turn off the heat and leave for ten minutes.

After ten minutes, fluff it with a fork and you'll have perfect rice.

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