People who choose no-wash rice for home use are thought to be lazy
August 4, 2021
This is probably the consensus among rice merchants in Japan, rather than among rice growers , that unpolished rice is less tasty than regular polished rice .
So why is it sold in supermarkets?
(2)
Actually, we have a rice polisher that can polish rice without washing it, but the rice still doesn't taste as good. The polishing time is too long, so something is lost.
Why?
Unwashed rice was originally developed for restaurants that cook 1 sho of rice at a time, and where simply washing the rice would result in a significant water bill .
To achieve this,
1. Taking the time to remove the fine bran
2. High-pressure wash the surface
3. Spraying starch to absorb the bran
Such a method will be necessary.
Therefore, special rice polishing machines are required, which is a time-consuming process, and the rice temperature rises during the polishing process, which causes the rice to lose its flavor.
I think that users of pre-washed rice make their purchase decisions based primarily on the image of "convenience" that comes from the product name .
(3)
In the first place, rice polishing machines have evolved so much in modern times that there is no need to "polish" the rice.
In the old days, brown rice was pounded and polished using a pestle and mortar. This was extremely hard work, and Fukuzawa Yukichi apparently polished rice as a form of daily exercise. ( The pestle and mortar are still on display at the Fukuzawa Museum in Keio University.)
This left a rough, bran-filled surface, so it had to be washed by squeezing it hard, washing it with a bow, or literally " sharpening" it.
Otherwise, the rice would have had a lingering bran smell after cooking. The taste of the rice would have varied considerably depending on how it was washed. In other words, even with the same Yukichi brand rice, each household and restaurant had its own unique flavor.
Until the mid-Showa period, there must have been rice polishing masters.
Sorry to all you rinse-free rice users. Until the 1960s, it might have been worth choosing rinse-free rice for your household rice!
Times have changed, and the appearance of rice has become smoother and whiter.
Even so, there is still a tiny amount of bran remaining on the surface that can be seen under a microscope. Modern rice washing only removes this by rinsing it.
You know those rice-polishing sticks? Even if you have witch-like nails, or you're into nail art, or you don't even need to touch water, these are enough. Even if you can't cook, anyone can polish rice these days.
Then, when rinsing, make sure to check carefully to make sure there are no impurities such as rice husks or pebbles in it .
The average modern nuclear family cooks around three cups of rice at a time, right? And then you just rinse it, which takes about 30 to 60 seconds at most.
Huh? Even that is too much trouble? Well, people who use pre-washed rice don't seem to cook, after all.
Oh, the water isn't made from rice bran, it's dissolved starch. There's no need to rinse until the water is clear. The rice will crack if you rinse it too much.
On the other hand, for restaurants that use 1 sho rice cookers , even rinsing the rice is a lot of work, so when you consider the effort and water bills, unwashed rice is overwhelmingly recommended.
Furthermore, since the bran is eaten with germ-polished rice, it is like no-rinse rice. Since the germ is removed when you wash it, it is enough to just rinse it lightly.
This is probably the consensus among rice merchants in Japan, rather than among rice growers , that unpolished rice is less tasty than regular polished rice .
So why is it sold in supermarkets?
(2)
Actually, we have a rice polisher that can polish rice without washing it, but the rice still doesn't taste as good. The polishing time is too long, so something is lost.
Why?
Unwashed rice was originally developed for restaurants that cook 1 sho of rice at a time, and where simply washing the rice would result in a significant water bill .
To achieve this,
1. Taking the time to remove the fine bran
2. High-pressure wash the surface
3. Spraying starch to absorb the bran
Such a method will be necessary.
Therefore, special rice polishing machines are required, which is a time-consuming process, and the rice temperature rises during the polishing process, which causes the rice to lose its flavor.
I think that users of pre-washed rice make their purchase decisions based primarily on the image of "convenience" that comes from the product name .
(3)
In the first place, rice polishing machines have evolved so much in modern times that there is no need to "polish" the rice.
In the old days, brown rice was pounded and polished using a pestle and mortar. This was extremely hard work, and Fukuzawa Yukichi apparently polished rice as a form of daily exercise. ( The pestle and mortar are still on display at the Fukuzawa Museum in Keio University.)
This left a rough, bran-filled surface, so it had to be washed by squeezing it hard, washing it with a bow, or literally " sharpening" it.
Otherwise, the rice would have had a lingering bran smell after cooking. The taste of the rice would have varied considerably depending on how it was washed. In other words, even with the same Yukichi brand rice, each household and restaurant had its own unique flavor.
Until the mid-Showa period, there must have been rice polishing masters.
Sorry to all you rinse-free rice users. Until the 1960s, it might have been worth choosing rinse-free rice for your household rice!
Times have changed, and the appearance of rice has become smoother and whiter.
Even so, there is still a tiny amount of bran remaining on the surface that can be seen under a microscope. Modern rice washing only removes this by rinsing it.
You know those rice-polishing sticks? Even if you have witch-like nails, or you're into nail art, or you don't even need to touch water, these are enough. Even if you can't cook, anyone can polish rice these days.
Then, when rinsing, make sure to check carefully to make sure there are no impurities such as rice husks or pebbles in it .
The average modern nuclear family cooks around three cups of rice at a time, right? And then you just rinse it, which takes about 30 to 60 seconds at most.
Huh? Even that is too much trouble? Well, people who use pre-washed rice don't seem to cook, after all.
Oh, the water isn't made from rice bran, it's dissolved starch. There's no need to rinse until the water is clear. The rice will crack if you rinse it too much.
On the other hand, for restaurants that use 1 sho rice cookers , even rinsing the rice is a lot of work, so when you consider the effort and water bills, unwashed rice is overwhelmingly recommended.
Furthermore, since the bran is eaten with germ-polished rice, it is like no-rinse rice. Since the germ is removed when you wash it, it is enough to just rinse it lightly.