Brown Rice
 

Alright, this might sound a little funny. But, ive never eaten brown rice. Ive heard it is similair to whole grain pasta. Has nutrition + it isnt in anyway processed like white flour. So my question is, for the people that actually eat brown rice. Has anyone lost weight eating it.... and how much do you typically eat?

I prefer it for the taste, even before I lost weight. I like my grains flavorful and chewy :) I usually have about 1/2c (cooked) at a time, with stir-fried veggies. I had it regularly while losing (usually several times a week).

Maybe a better way to say it is that brown rice is a nuttier, chewier, tastier version of white rice. It has no relation to either whole grain pasta (except they are both less processed) or white flour. I eat brown rice rather than white rice, but I also keep my percentage of all carbohydrates on the low side. Brown rice fits nicely into a weight loss program as it fills you up and has a lower GI than white rice. Like Julie, I typically eat 1/3 - 1/2 cup serving.

+1

I know a lot of people like whole grain pasta. I think it tastes like gritty cardboard and dread eating it. There is no reason to dread brown rice.

As WaterRat said, chewier, slightly nutty-tasting version of white rice. Delish!

That said, there is some variation in varieties brown rice. The cheap brown rice I tend to find at the grocery store differs from white rice only in color. Tastes the same as white to me (so I buy wild rice mixes instead). The brown rice I get at PeiWei and similar restaurants is chewy, nutty heaven.

I love brown rice! I was able to lose just fine eating it and still eat it nowadays. My serving is 1/2 cup.

I love brown rice - it was and remains an important staple in my diet. I think it has a nuttier, better taste than white rice. I love to eat stir fries/curries over brown rice. I also like maple glazed salmon served over brown rice.

It's been over 5 years and I still measure rice before I cook it to make sure I eat a healthy portion (200 calories of rice is pretty small).

I ONLY eat brown rice...I like it better...a little organic butter and some salt and pepper...I got use to it.. I prefer it and wont eat anything else...

1/4 cup uncooked then? Yeah... I havent touched rice since I began my diet. Mostly coz I know how I use to eat it! But, it was always white rice. And now I know thats poison to my body. So hoping it would be different with brown rice. I use to love peanut sauce over rice! Yummi.

If you want to have the BEST brown rice ever, buy it from Massa Organics. Its a family farm in Northern California, and they sell their rice online. It's fantastic, I just ordered 10 pounds more!

http://www.massaorganics.com/

I'm another who prefers the taste over white rice (which I don't even like anymore). My mom switched to cooking with brown rice when I was still living at home, maybe about 10 years ago, so I got used to it and have used it ever since.

I know the most accurate way to measure it is before you cook it, but I usually cook big batches and freeze it, so I'm always measuring it when it's cooked - it depends on what I'm eating it with, and how many calories I can spare that day, but usually I eat 1/2 to 1 cup cooked.

I usually eat a cup of brown rice, but that counts as 2 carbs. I love it with peanut sauce! And either stir-fried or steamed veggies. DH makes it for us in big batches in the rice cooker and I eat the leftovers out of the refrigerator, measuring to make sure that I don't go overboard.

Hmm, as someone who began to grow interest in brown rice I was wondering : how did you guys cook it? In a rice cooker, in a stove or something?

I was planning to buy brown rice but the house only has one rice cooker (and they eat white rice) so I couldn't cook it there...I'm considering cooking it with the stove but won't that be a risotto? Would a brown rice risotto taste good?

I've got to warn you - I've only ever cooked ANY rice on the stove, so I can't compare it to other methods. I've seen people talk about cooking rice in the oven, which I'd like to try just for fun, but haven't gotten around to yet. And I've never used a rice cooker - for the once or twice a month I eat rice, I can't spare the counter space.

Brown rice takes longer to cook on the stove than white - about 45 minutes. I just bring the water to a boil (1 3/4 or 2 cups water per cup of rice), stir in the rice, turn down the heat to a very slow simmer, cover, and resist any temptation to lift the lid or stir until the time is up. :)

I'm not sure what the exact definition of a risotto is, but it seems to require 1) adding the liquid in small portions as you cook and 2) stirring frequently so that the starchy outside layers break apart and thicken the mixture. I've also always sauteed the rice in oil or butter first, and used part wine and part broth/stock as the cooking liquid, but I don't know if those are true of every recipe. That said, you definitely can make risotto with brown rice... I think short grain would work best, and I don't know if it would be quite as thick as with white.

I cook mine in the oven. It comes out perfectly every time, and I don't have to babysit it. There's never any crusty pieces on top or soggy ones on the bottom. I bake a batch every week, and I don't think I could go back to doing it on the stove.

I'm lazy... I buy Success boil-in-bag brown rice... Takes ten minutes to cook and it's sooo good.:^:

I like brown rice but it takes forever to cook. Actually thinking of getting a rice cooker for this reason. But, like others, it's all about portion. It is nuttier and more filling so the portion doesn't seem so bad. I have never tried the instant brown rice...hmmm something to look into :)

I am not a huge rice person--usually do quinoa but I recently purchased a bag.

My question is whether or not "parboiled" is just as good for you. I bought just Uncle Ben's or something. I wanted the parboiled to save cooking time. Anyone know if there is a difference? Should I look for a certain type or brand?

Cooking time on brown rice. Soak the rice for at least 8 hours in the same water you will cook it in so the absorption will be the same. Then it will take only as long to cook as white rice. Pre-soaking all sorts of dried grains and legumes will shorten the cooking time. This is the most energy efficient way to do it.

A non-stick rice cooker is one of the best kitchen tool investments you can make. cook everything in my rice cooker. I saute vegetables, have cooked hamburger, soup, beans, and of course rice.

Also a cheap, non-fancy rice cooker can be used to cook brown rice. The way to cook brown rice is to put half of the water needed to cook the brown rice for one cycle of cooking (the amount to cook white rice). The press down button will pop up when it is done. Press the button down for another cycle and add the second haf of water.

So white rice takes one cycle, and brown rice takes 2.

I'd never eat par-boiled rice.

I also prefer to eat a "good" rice like Basmati, or Jasmine. The rice they sell as common rice tastes awful-- like cardboard. You change your mind about loving or hating rice after tasting the wonderful fragrance of a good rice type.

I saw this thread and just bounced in. I used to have a terrible time cooking brown rice. My white rice was always perfection, but brown either turned out like ground rock or mush...till I also started baking it.

boil 2.5 cups of water. In a glass pan, spray with some olive oil pam, add 1.5 cups of brown rice, pour the boiling water over it, add a pinch of salt if you want and cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for exactly one hour...it'll be perfect

[QUOTE=giselley;2908428]I'd never eat par-boiled rice.

QUOTE]

And your reason being??? I have cooked the Uncle Ben's and it tastes okay.

ETA: After doing a little bit of reading today, I have discovered that the parboiling actually causes some of the nutrients in the husk (the husk that gives brown rice it's color) to be absorbed by the rice itself--thus increasing the nutritional benefits. I actually feel pretty good about my purchase now. But alas, I know it is fun to be a whole foods snob. ;)

Par boiled rice is a processed food. It is like "instant potato flakes" Yuk. It might as well be canned food. The rice they use is horrible-- it's that tasteless rice. Like I said, I like specific types of rice. They taste much better.

It is so simple to cook rice that I would not bother to make it "easier." I don't see the point.

I thought this was a Whole foods thread. Food that has been processed is not whole food.

Well, to be fair, it only improves the nutritional benefit of parboiled WHITE rice, by driving the nutrients into the grain before the hull is removed. But, I suspect parboiled brown rice is pretty much the same as uncooked in terms of nutrients, so if you like the taste and texture, go for it!

I used to think I liked it, until I started using the uncooked - I notice a difference. I'd rather just cook a huge batch of the normal stuff and freeze it, so it only takes 2 minutes of microwave time to have my rice ready to eat.

I second the soaking of brown rice.
I buy brown basmati and soak for only 30 minutes, then use just slightly less water then the instructions say and boil on the stove covered for 20 minutes. Then let sit. If I am cooking only one serving, it takes about 10 minutes the I let sit for 5.

I love the brown basmati. And just as a note about basmati, even if you make the white version, you should soak it. It helps to lengthen the grain.

But to the OP's question, I would not say I lost weight eating brown rice. But I eat it sometimes and like it. If your looking to get away from processed foods, brown is better then white.
Give it a few goes, if you are used to the flavor of refines foods, it does take a few tries to retrain your taste buds, but the good thing is that once you do, you will be very happy with the new flavors.

I lost 190 pounds with brown rice as one of my staple complex carbs. I usually eat 2-3 ounces of it at a time. I cook mine in a rice cooker that I picked up at Target for about $50. Sweet potatoes (4 oz. raw = 110 calories) are also a great choice.

I've recently discovered Brown Rice pasta. It is so much better than regular pasta too! However I noticed it has a little Saturated Fat in it and I was confused. I have also tried Quinoa pasta too, and it is also very good. I'm trying to switch over to whole grain pasta and hate whole wheat.

As for cooking Brown Rice, does it work okay in a rice cooker? I bought the Instant Brown rice but it wasn't anywhere near as good as the rice you get at Pei Wei or P.F. Changs. (that was the first time I ever had brown rice was at P.F. Changs.) I want to make rice that tastes like that! They probably add fat to it or something......I have looked on the website for Pei Wei though and the calories aren't too bad if you eat half of what is on your plate anyway.

I'd love to find some gourmet brown rice recipes!

Brown rice cooks up wonderfully in the rice cooker. It's so easy -- measure out your rice and water (2 cups water for every 1 cup of rice) into the cooker pot. I sprinkle in about 1/2 t of olive oil. Plug it in, flip the switch and walk away for awhile.

I usually make extra so I have it in the fridge for a few days, but it's best fresh. I especially like short grain brown rices and the Lundberg brown rice mixes. The health food store by me also has a bulk brown rice mix which has lentils and beans in it, which I cook in my rice cooker too.

My rice cooker also has a steaming basket, which my kids love to make Chinese dumplings in.

I have just started eating brown rice with my dinners. 1/2 c cooked. I use to eat potatoes every night but instead I eat brown rice now. I put the littlest bit of light soy sauce on it. (soy sauce on broccoli is good to!). I cooked it on the stove and it was still a bit hard. I heard cooking it in the over in awesome, but I really just think I need to buy a rice cooker, lol.

Uncle Ben's brown rice, cheap rice steamer, plain. YUM

I already posted this recipe for Alton Brown's Baked Brown Rice under Food Talk and Fabulous Finds > Recipes > Breads and Grains

But I thought I would share it again here under Whole Foods Lifestyle

Baked Brown Rice

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups brown rice, medium or short grain (I use long grain. It's fine.)
* 2 1/2 cups water
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (olive oil works great.)
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Bring the water, butter, and salt just to a boil in a kettle or covered saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.

The original recipe is at the Food Network website.

love brown rice! but any type of rice isnt excellent .. i usually substitute it with my sushi or any case i find myself eating rice.

I have to say I love using the Alton Brown recipe! I use veggie or chicken stock instead of the water and usually leave out the butter altogether. The cook time is the only downside but worth it.