Wonder of Wonders

I have always considered myself a pretty decent cook.  In reality, I'm a pretty decent collector of amazing recipes, since I can readily admit I'm not the best intuitive food inventor.

In that way, I'm envious of say, the rat from Pixar's Ratatouille - who can just smell and add and create something amazing.  But I can manage the techniques required to make something delicious from a well-written recipe, and I'm not intimidated by homemade breads, sauces, pie crusts, or seasonings and marinades for meats.  But there is one thing that intimidates me more than anything:


Rice.


I realize that most people consider rice one of the easiest things to make.  But whenever I try, the water always boils away before my rice is finished and I'm left with burnt rice singed to the bottom of my pan.  If I try to correct for the boil-away by adding more water, I end up with overly-soggy and soupy rice in water that never seems to evaporate at all.  On those rare occasions when I get it right and end up with something adequate, I'm left to muscle clean a pot that's covered in a goopey, ricey paste.  My rice cooker never fares any better (though to be fair, it's not one of the most expensive rice cookers out there.  I'm sure there are rice cookers that could cure even my penchant for rice woes).  As a result of my intimidation, I have always avoided meals that require rice.  I know it's cheap, healthy, and an easy way to boost many meals, but I've avoided it more than most food items.  No rice for me (or Dave, consequently).

When I returned from England, everything changed.  Dave introduced me to a new invention, a veritable wonder of wonders.  Whole grain Boil-in-Bag brown rice from Uncle Ben's.  Oh. my. goodness.  Boil a medium saucepan of water, add bag of rice, boil 10-12 minutes, remove bag, cut open and pour contents on your plate.  Fluff with fork and serve.  Ridiculously easy to cook and ridiculously easy to clean.  There are two servings in one bag.  I am in LOVE.  Granted, the box of rice is a bit more expensive than normal rice, but I have not ruined a serving of rice since discovery.  That alone makes the extra cents worth it.


Now, we have rice with everything.  Thank you, Uncle Ben's, for changing my life.

Comments

Dave said…
ps. I DO know how to make normal rice. This has just been quick and easy. It is still pretty cheap too. Turns out that you can double the cost of rice and still have it cost less than anything else around

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