Rice is a cereal with an ancient and very interesting history: originally from the Far East, in ancient times it spread to the West, where it has conquered a major role in the human diet over the years.
Nowadays, rice is present all over the world, with all of its varieties and types: from the most known ones, Carnaroli and Arborio, both ideal for making risotto, to the most exotic ones: Basmati and Black, perfect for salads and accompanying fish dishes.
Each type of rice, besides its characteristic shape and color, has its own different properties and flavors that lend themselves well to the creation of both simple and elaborated recipes.
Throughout its history, rice has passed through the years, adapting itself to the innovations and habits of different cultures, up to the new cooking methods, for instance, the microwave oven.
The microwave oven is now a well-known household appliance in every home around the world and allows cooking a variety of foods in a very short time.
Using a suitable container, with the proper lid to retain heat and moisture, it is possible to steam rice in a microwave oven. This cooking method is ideal for preparing dishes with a light flavor, and the types that best adapt are brown rice and Basmati rice, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t prepare plain white rice in the microwave oven.
As for most foods, it is essential to use a container made of suitable material, such as ceramic and terracotta, Pyrex or microwave-safe plastic.
Microwave cooking method and its advantages
Microwave rice is a very simple preparation that will save you a lot of time in cooking. From time to time it happens that you are on a break for lunch, and when you are counting every minute, using the microwave to first prepare the rice for your meals actually allows you to save precious time.
Besides that, you’ll find some other advantages of cooking rice with this method, such as:
- No risk of water pouring out of the pot and all over the hob.
- No steam in the kitchen.
- You won’t have to clean so much every time you make rice!
- Last, but not least: the taste, aroma and texture of the rice are undoubtedly the same.
So, to answer the first question: it is more than just OK to cook white rice in a microwave oven. Moms and grandmas often say that when you learn how to cook rice, you can get married, because it’s a dish not so easy to make well.
If you want to try some recipes with this easy yet wonderful method, take a look at minuterice.com/recipes/microwave-egg-fried-rice/ we are sure you will love it!
So, don’t be afraid and microwave it, we assure you it will be really easy and you will be genuinely surprised with the results!
A simple but delicious recipe to start cooking rice in a microwave oven
As we said before making microwave rice is extremely easy, to show you it is true, here you’ll see this simple microwave rice recipe, all you need to make it is:
- 1 cup of white rice.
- 2 ½ cups of water.
- 1 splash of olive oil.
- A pinch of salt.
For the preparation, just follow these instructions step-by-step:
- You will start by placing the rice in a microwave bowl along with the water and oil.
- Line the bowl with paper film and make holes in it by pricking with a fork.
- Put the rice in the microwave and set it for 6 minutes at 800 W. It is important to note that each microwave is different, but do not worry, once you dare to cook more with yours, you will find the precise setting and all your dishes will be perfect.
- Then take the bowl carefully out of the microwave and uncover it slowly. Remove the rice and add salt and some aromatic herbs if desired. You can add a pinch of concentrated broth powder or garlic, for example.
- Once this is done, cover and put in the micro again. Program lowering the temperature to 600 W for 8 minutes.
- After this time, take out the bowl, carefully uncover it again and you will already have great microwave rice to enjoy.