Make Your Own Meal Starters: Brown Rice

Rice is a versatile food and a very economical way to beef up any meal.  Some people won’t serve it because it takes so long to cook and others won’t make it because it can be difficult to get just right.  Whatever your excuse for not using rice to save money, here is a solution – super simple, make ahead rice.

First things first, if you’re using brown rice, you’ll want to soak it.  The night before you plan to make it, put 3 cups of brown rice, 6 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of whey into a pot and cover it.

The next morning, add 3 teaspoons of salt and bring the pot to a boil and then turn the flame down to simmer.  Cover and cook for about 50 minutes.  Check to see if it’s done by pushing some rice aside and see if there is any water left in the bottom of the pot.  If there is still water, recover and cook a little while longer until the water is gone.

When done, fluff the rice with a fork and let cool.  Divide the rice among five freezer bags, label them and put them into the freezer.

Defrost by running under cold water and then you can either put it into the microwave or heat it in a pan.

The Super Simple Cheater’s Method

If you find that you cook rice a lot, I HIGHLY recommend investing in a rice cooker.  I have a Black & Decker Rice Cooker Plus which not only cooks white and brown rice, but it also has a steaming basket.  That means I can throw veggies or thin fish fillets up top while the rice is cooking and it’s all done at the same time.  Invaluable!