World Wide
With a few tricks,
rice can be made surprisingly tastier.
Just as there are basics about how to cut and season food, there are also basic rules for how to cook rice.
Measure, wash, and put rice in the rice cooker.
Rice can be made surprisingly tastier by only slightly changing this usual process.
Method of storage
Seal it in tasty condition.
To tell the truth, rice has freshness in a similar manner to vegetables.
When exposed to air, it oxidizes and gradually loses its flavor.
Since the bag the rice comes packaged in when it is purchased has air holes in it, store it in an airtight container or airtight bag after purchase.
Write down the date it was polished so you can check how fresh the rice is later.
Three principles of storage
1. Purchase in small quantities
Since the flavor fades as the days go by, aim to buy an amount that can be finished in a month.
2. Seal when storing
Store rice in an airtight container or airtight bag to keep it fresh.
3. Store in a refrigerator
High-temperature and high-humidity environments can cause damage to rice.
In summer it goes without saying, but you are also recommended to store rice in the refrigerator even in winter, when heating is used inside the home.
How to measure rice
The keywords are “heap rice in a cup” and “level it off.”
Measuring rice carefully is often overlooked when cooking rice.
A slight change in the amount of rice can upset the water balance and cause the rice to become hard or soft.
Level off the heap in a cupful and measure the exact amount.
Scoop rice into a heap in a cup.
The amount of rice varies greatly depending on how it is leveled off.
The tip to measuring precisely is to first scoop rice into a heap in the measuring cup.
Then level it off gently with a leveling rod to get an accurate amount.
Measuring rice by adding into the cup, while shaking the cup, or squeezing the rice into the cup will increase the amount of rice and affect the taste of the cooked rice.
If you do not measure accurately, the amount of rice per cup will vary by 5 to 10 g <based on our internal investigation>.
Adding small amounts
Squeeze in
How to wash rice
“Gentle washing” is the key to good taste.
Thanks to advancements in rice polishing technology, rice today is clean and delicate with little bran. We therefore need to wash rice gently and quickly. By properly washing and adjusting the water volume, the rice will cook and be surprisingly tasty.
A.Rinsing
Pour a bowl-full of water into the inner cooking pan.
Stir a couple of times in large circles with plenty of water.
The key is to stir quickly.
Discard the water.
Repeat 1 to 3 in two sets.
One-point advice for rinsing!
Using a bowl is convenient because it allows you to pour a large volume of water at once.
*Do not wash rice or adjust the water volume using hot water (35°C or higher).
*Prepare a bowl of water for quick rice washing.
B. Washing
Discard the water and stir just the rice.
Hold the fingers of your hand in a vertical position and stir the rice 30 times (for approximately 15 seconds) at a speed that makes a swishing sound.
The trick is to stir along the inside of the inner cooking pan.
Then pour the large volume of water from the bowl.
Stir a couple of times in large circles and quickly discard the water.
Repeat 3 and 4 twice.
Repeat 1 to 4, depending on the number of cups.
*The guideline number of times it should be repeated varies depending on the number of cups.
Please check the following guideline.
Guideline number of times to repeat washing
- Less than 4 cups … 2 sets
- 4 to 7 cups … 3 sets
- 8 cups or more … 4 sets
One-point advice for rinsing!
Do not press down too hard with the palm of your hand, as this will cause the rice grains to be chipped or crushed, but stir with your fingers held vertically.
To finish
C. Rinsing
Pour a bowl-full of water into the inner cooking pan.
Stir a couple of times in large circles with plenty of water.
The key is to stir quickly.
Discard the water.
Repeat the rinsing in C for another 2 sets.
One-point advice for rinsing!
Using a bowl is convenient because it allows you to pour a large volume of water at once.
*Do not wash rice or adjust the water volume using hot water (35°C or higher).
*Prepare a bowl of water for quick rice washing.
Tasty rice can be cooked by carrying out Steps A through C quickly.
Additional recommendations for cooking tasty rice!
The amount of water used to cook the rice is also important.
Shake to level the rice.
Place the inner cooking pan on a flat surface and adjust the water volume while observing the water level lines on both sides.
The rice gathers in the center when you rotate the inner cooking pan a little.
Then shake the inner cooking pan gently to level the rice and put it in the rice cooker.
If the position of the water level line differs depending on the rice cooking menu, match to the line for each menu.
If you carefully select the water you use, you can cook the rice to be even tastier.
The water for the first rinsing and the water used to cook rice are important
The water for the first rinsing and the water used for cooking rice are so important that they can be considered the key to tasty rice.
Rice will taste better if you use mineral water or purified water suitable for cooking rice at the timing when the rice absorbs water readily.
The rice becomes plump if you mix and loosen it as soon as it is cooked.
It releases the excess moisture.
Turn the rice by a quarter amount each time along the wall of the inner cooking pan. Hold the rice scoop vertically and loosen the rice by cutting through the lumps.
Loosening the rice allows excess moisture to escape and makes the entire rice uniform and plump.
If it is left without being loosened after cooking, the rice at the bottom will become crushed under the weight of the rice above. You are therefore recommended to loosen the rice immediately after cooking.