Process to make Instant Rice
There are several processes to make instant rice, but the one most commonly used starts much like the home cooking process. Rice is blanched in hot water, steamed, and then rinsed. Then the rice is then dried in a hot oven drier. The degree of cooking and degree of puffing in the drier determine the final cook time for the instant rice. When the rice is cooked again by the consumer, the water migrates faster through the kernel because the starch has been gelatinized and there are many small cracks and fissures in the kernel. Quality of the final cooked rice is affected by the instantizing process. The faster the rice cooks, the lower the quality. Instant rice that cooks in 10 minutes is very close to the real thing. Instant rice that cooks in 5 minutes has a much poorer texture than rice cooked in a home rice cooker.
Usage of Instant Rice
- While Regular white rice takes about 15 minutes to cook, Parboil Rice takes about 18 minutes to cook, the only rice which can be ready in a little as 3 minutes is the Instant rice.
- Instant rice is most commonly used by the industry to make quick meals for consumers. It is typically mixed with seasoning and may be mixed with instant beans or vegetables.
- It is sometimes used as a component ingredient in products such as eggrolls or enchiladas.
- It is used in burgers with boiled leftover vegetables.
- It is good for quick cooking when life gets too busy and one wants to have a quick rice dish.
