Cooking Brown Rice in the Rice Cooker

If we have rice with a meal, I never make white rice anymore.  I actually prefer the nutty taste and chewy texture of brown rice better.  It just happens to be processed free and more nutritious too - score!  Homemade rice is also really cheap and easier on our family budget than pre-cooked.  But, I always have had trouble making brown rice on the stove top and not having it be constantly watched, take a long time or turn out badly over or undercooked.  That's when I discovered you could cook it in your regular old rice cooker!  Talk about easy.  You pour in the rice and water, turn it on and walk away.  Cooking can't get any simpler.  It does take more time than white rice (I figure about 1 hour) and more water, so I start the rice first and then time the rest of my cooking so that my whole meal is done together.

Here are some rough estimates for water and rice ratios:

                                       Water                    Rice
White (long grain)         1 3/4 cups                  1 cup
Brown (long grain)          2 1/4 cups                 1 cup

For brown rice, you can see more water is needed.  Depending on your cooker you might need even up to 3 cups.  Start with less, and if your rice is undercooked, just add more water and restart the cooker.  Some people prefer to presoak their rice or rinse it before cooking.  I usually don't bother, but you can if you want.

Want more flavor?  Consider adding a bay leaf, cardamom pods or star anise - you would discard all of these after cooking.  They will infuse your rice with delicious and unique flavors.  Or use chicken broth or coconut milk in place of some or all of the cooking water.  Yum-O!  I hope you never shy away from making brown rice again.