English please: Converted Rice vs. Long Grain

[Bang!Zoom!]

I bought just regular rice yesterday, and all the recipes call for "converted" rice.

 

What magic wand do I wave over my regular rice to make it work in the recipes?

 

Is it parboiling it first or what?

[LaxMom]

I always wonder what on earth it's been converted TO. :001_huh:

 

I always use just regular rice, cooked appropriately for the recipe. E.g. If it calls for cooked converted rice, I just cook the rice and carry on. If I'm adding the rice to soup, I cook it longer than called for in the recipe. Otherwise, I'm not sure you need to make adjustments, but I could be wrong.

[Blueridge]

I think that you should soak your regular white rice for 20 minutes or so to start it softening, since converted rice cooks a bit faster. Here is a neat rice comparison: http://www.ricegourmet.com/About_RiceTypes.htm

[Matryoshka]

I think that you should soak your regular white rice for 20 minutes or so to start it softening, since converted rice cooks a bit faster. Here is a neat rice comparison: http://www.ricegourmet.com/About_RiceTypes.htm

 

Those are funny recipes.

 

I always used Uncle Ben brand rice (because that's what my mom always used) before I switched to brown - I'm pretty sure that's "converted" rice, and the box said 20 minutes, and it always came out perfect. Interesting that the article said that the converted rice is both more nutritious, as well as more consistent in coming out nice.

 

Now I use organic long-grain brown rice from the bulk bin. I've never pre-soaked it a minute, no less twenty (as that article suggests) - but I do cook it longer, for 45 minutes, and again, always comes out great.

 

Although I rarely make rice at all now - 45 minutes is a bit long, so kasha (10 minutes) or quinoa (20 minutes) are more standard whole-grain fare here these days. Or sometimes I really cheat and use the frozen brown rice from TJ's (5 min in microwave) if I'm in a pinch and don't need much of it...

[Cosmos]

I bought just regular rice yesterday, and all the recipes call for "converted" rice.

 

What magic wand do I wave over my regular rice to make it work in the recipes?

 

Is it parboiling it first or what?

 

Where are you getting your recipes? I have dozens of cookbooks, and I don't recall ever seeing one that calls for converted rice.