Does adding vinegar to rice while while boiling reduce stickyness or improve hardness?
I'm trying to make chinese fried rice, for which I chose long grain basmati rice. I wash the rice thoroughly before cooking. I'm able to get separate grains (non-mushy) .
But when I stir-fry or cook the rice, the grains tend to break easily, are probably too delicate and at times tend to get lumpy when I add tiny quantities of vinegar, soy etc while tossing.
I absolutely avoid sprinkling water onto the rice even though some recipes recommend it.
I was suggested adding vinegar while boiling the rice. Does it really help?
Best Answer
No, it does not.
I was pretty sure from the theory of it that it won't help. Acid makes cell walls harder, so you can use it e.g. when you are cooking potatoes. But in rice kernels, you have basically no cell walls to harden, everything is starch granules. So I saw no reason why it would work.
Theory is nice, but not always enough for writing answers. There can always be an effect I don't know about - just because the mechanism I am thinking of doesn't apply here, it doesn't mean there isn't a different one. But it so happens that I recently bought a package of rice from a new brand, and I hate it. It always cooks up mushy. So today, I decided to give it a try. I simply used the rice cooking program of the instant pot with the usually-mushy jasmine rice, and added citric acid. The rice had an obvious sour taste to it, but it was as soft and mushy as ever. I didn't see any difference in texture. Even though it's a single data point, I still feel confident enough to write the answer - you will not get any more hardness, and you will confuse the eaters with sour rice.
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Quick Answer about "Does adding vinegar to rice while while boiling reduce stickyness or improve hardness?"
No, it does not.What does adding vinegar do to rice?
Add a teaspoon of vinegar (apple cider or white vinegar both work) to the cooking liquid of your pot of rice. The acid of the vinegar is thought to break down more of the starches inside the rice, helping each grain of rice absorb more liquid (1). I find this particularly helpful in getting perfect, fluffy brown rice.Does vinegar soften rice?
Pro tip. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar to the boiling water before giving it a quick stir. The vinegar helps cut the starchiness of the rice without imparting any flavour.Do you add rice vinegar before or after cooking?
For best results add the sushi rice vinegar when the rice is still warm. But don't simply pour it over. Use the paddle to spread the vinegar over the rice. Then gently stir the rice like in the video.Can you add rice vinegar to cooked rice?
This is also helpful if you like your rice a little drier than and separate instead of wet and sticky. Adding vinegar may be the secret to perfectly fluffy steamed rice! The last reason is for those who are concerned with their sugar intake. In the study, the rice was served or prepared with other ingredients.How to Make Sushi Rice - The Quickest and EASY Sushi Rice!
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Answer 2
I am a Chinese. You said that you want to make Chinese fried rice. To cook fried rice in China, you need to use the steamed rice the day before. The steamed rice the day before is placed in the refrigerator. . And don’t put too much water when steaming the rice, so the rice is hard, the rice grains will not be damaged during the fried rice, and each grain is not sticky, and each grain of rice has a salty taste, which is very delicious
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