The next time you’re trying to come up with a new tasty meal idea, why not consider rice? It works perfectly as its own dish or served as a beautiful side for meat, poultry, or seafood. There are lots of great recipes to try, and you don’t need to be an expert chef to pull them off. One of the best things about cooking rice is that it’s incredibly forgiving. As long as you get the water levels right, you’ll have a yummy final product every time. Rice is a lot more versatile than you might think, and it gives you a wonderful opportunity to incorporate exciting flavors. Let’s take a look at five of the best ways you can experience rice for your next dinner.

Mexican Rice

This is a wonderful spicy version of rice that goes with anything from roast chicken to pork chops. You don’t have to limit your many to Mexican food, this tasty blend of rice is a hot and healthy choice loaded with flavor. You can incorporate a wide variety of fresh vegetables, and of course chili peppers are part of the equation to. You can make it mild or blow the roof off your mouth with a super-hot version.

Risotto – this is the most time-consuming rice dish to prepare, but it’s worth it when you can pull it off perfectly. The process of adding liquid, letting it evaporate, and adding more, insures you get maximum flavor. You need to plan properly and give yourself enough time to bring your risotto recipe to completion. But it gets easier with each experience, and you’ll quickly settle into a familiar pattern. When you can handle a basic risotto, you can make it even more exciting with the addition of mushrooms, fresh herbs, or lobster!

Sushi  Rice

For the Japanese, making sushi rice is an art form. You might not be able to reach the levels of a professional master, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t give it a shot at home. Sushi rice takes a certain level of proficiency to prepare, but it’s definitely something you can learn. And when you’re able to prepare a nice big batch of sushi rice, the sky’s the limit as to what you can do next. You can set up your own personal sushi bar with fresh fish to give yourself a comprehensive Japanese dinner.

Leftover Fried Rice Bonanza – if you have a fridge full of old leftovers and you’re not sure what to do with them, this occasion calls for fried rice. The great thing about fried rice is you can add almost anything and it will taste completely new. You can turn leftover meatloaf and grilled vegetables into a celebration of flavor with the addition of scrambled eggs, green onions, and a few fresh shrimp. Your kids won’t be able to tell that their eating leftovers at all – and it’s a secret you can keep to yourself.

Steamed Rice – let’s not forget what you can do with ordinary steamed rice. It’s a wholesome side dish that helps to balance the pallet if you’re eating salty foods. It goes perfectly with Chinese cuisine, but you can just as easily top it off with lamb chops or BBQ ribs. And since it’s steamed, it’s one of the healthiest options out there that will help to keep the pounds off. Whenever it comes to rice, don’t forget about the most traditional basic form possible. And if you’re looking to put an interesting twist on it, try making the bowl of congee. This authentication dish is a wonderful twist on porridge that mixes soup and rice beautifully.

You can check out allthingsrice.com for more ideas of incorporating rice into your daily menu. There are many fun options that allow you to get great results while expressing your own creativity. When used properly, you can brighten up any meal with the addition of a unique rice creation.

When it comes to buying produce at the grocery store, you could end up going crazy trying to determine if you’re picking a fresh piece of food. Not every piece of produce has the same tell-tale signs to alert you as to whether or not it’s ripe. You need to know how what to look for to determine if your produce is ready. Use the following tips to help.

Asparagus

Dark green asparagus that has a consistent color all around is the best type of asparagus to purchase because it will have the best flavor. It’s also a good idea to purchase thinner asparagus, as the thin stems cook quicker and become more tender. Asparagus can be kept in a container or resealable bag, and it is best used within three days of purchasing.

Broccoli

You want to choose broccoli that feels heavy and has firm stalks. Tight, green florets are also a sign that the broccoli is fresh. If you notice any brown or yellow on the broccoli, it’s a good idea to avoid it.

Cauliflower

Though you may not see it often, cauliflower actually comes in more than one color. No matter which color of cauliflower you eat, you will receive the same nutritional value—and all of them taste exactly the same. Choose a cauliflower that feels heavy and whose leaves are fresh and green. If you notice any discoloration, move on.

Corn on the Cob

When you buy corn on the cob, you need to look at each ear individually. Make sure that the ear feels full in your hand. You also want to look at the silk of the corn. If it is golden, and if there are a lot of them, this will let you know that you’re getting a good ear of corn. The husks of the corn should also be green, not brown.

Peppers

Whether you’re purchasing green, red, chile, poblano or any other type of pepper, you need to make sure that they have a bright color. Make sure that the peppers have a smooth texture and that there are no soft spots. If you buy peppers that match these characteristics, you can save them in the vegetable compartment of your fridge for up to one week.

Potatoes

When it comes to choosing potatoes, you want to stay away from those that have started to sprout. These potatoes are older, and sprouted potatoes lose their taste. If you have a potato at home that recently started to sprout, you can still eat it that day, as they don’t tend to lose flavor until the sprouts have grown significantly.

Tomatoes

Small and oddly shaped tomatoes are perfectly fine to purchase. When choosing tomatoes, you want to steer clear of those that are too soft or even mushy to the touch. Roma tomatoes tend to last longer than any other type of tomato, so these can be purchased well in advance of you needing them. Tomatoes that have a strange shape or color to them could be heirloom tomatoes. This means that this family of tomato has been growing for at least 50 years, and they tend to be juicier and tastier than any other tomato.

Use these tips in the produce section of your grocery store to ensure that you’re bringing home the freshest produce possible.

Amanda Parker is a writer and grocer.  She likes to write about recipes and produce.  Amanda also enjoys sharing her quick meal ideas.

Unique Ways To Cook Rice – Bamboo Cooked Rice

Bamboo cooked rice is one way of cooking rice. In addition to traditional cooking pots or modern rice cookers, you can also use bamboo materials. There are lots of benefits to cooking rice in bamboo. One of them is the taste. Bamboo infuses a lot of flavor into the rice grains, thereby making them tastier. Additionally, your rice comes out more fragrant. If you are having an Asian-style lunch or dinner and want to impress your guests, you should seriously consider cooking rice in bamboo.  It’s really not that hard to do.

Here are some unique methods of using bamboo to cook rice:

Using a bamboo steamer to cook rice

Get a bamboo steamer. If you don’t already have one, you can easily find this in stores that sell steamers or rice cookers. If you can’t find it anywhere in local stores, check out asian grocery stores or online shops. They are used mainly for steaming dumplings.

Prepare your rice first. Pour desired amount of rice into a bowl. Pour water over it and leave it there for a few hours or overnight. It should help soften the rice grains a bit and help get rid of the starch and any dirt. The next day, rinse the rice and get rid of the water.

Prepare your bamboo steamer. Using vegetable oil and a brush, brush the inside of the bamboo steamer with the vegetable oil to prevent the rice from sticking to it. It is also important that you use cheesecloth, dampen it a bit and cover the bottom part of the steamer to prevent water from seeping out.

Now get a large pot or pan which you will put the steamer in. Put it on the stove. Fill it up with water. Place the steamer inside the pot.  Pour the rice into it. Close the steamer with the lid. Allow the stove to heat up the water and steam the rice. Let the water boil for about 30 minutes. After that, your rice should be done.

Cooking rice inside of bamboo

As you probably know, bamboo is hollow.  Cooking rice inside of the bamboo is one traditional style of cooking known as lemang in Malay.  To do this you will need both bamboo and some bamboo leaves. First clean the outside of the bamboo with a damp cloth to get rid of any dirt.

Next, split the bamboo in half length wise. Put bamboo leaves inside, pressing them to the sides of the hollowed area of the bamboo. Tie the two halves of the bamboo back together with twine and pour in rice and sufficient water. You can now either steam the rice filled bamboo or cook it over a fire.

Amy Fountain is an avid cook who likes to create original dishes for her family. She also has her own tabletop fountains and home décor art store where you can get nice finds for your household.

When most people think about rice, they usually think of plain white rice that’s been steamed in a pot or a rice cooker.  But rice is actually used for a variety of purposes other than cooking and eating.  While doing more with rice isn’t all that common in the States, it’s actually used for a lot of different reasons in Asian countries like China and Japan.  In places like these, it’s an important part of culture with deep roots in longstanding heritage that remains strong to this day. The next time you’re sitting at a dinner table in front of a simple bowl of rice, you might not see it the same way. Here are some interesting ways that rice is used that don’t involve steaming or boiling for the purposes of eating.

Pickling

Not a lot of people are aware that there are different layers in rice grains and that each of these layers can be used for different purposes.  For example, there is an inner layer to rice that is oily and moist and it can be extracted to produce rice bran, otherwise known as nuka in Japan.  Pickling vegetables is very popular in Japanese cuisine and rice bran is the main ingredient in this process.  While vinegar is normally used in the American pickling process it’s not as available in Japan which is why bran is used instead.  The most popular vegetables to undergo pickling are daikon, cucumber, eggplant, and radish.

Rice Alcohol

While grapes are normally used in the creation of American and European wines, rice is actually used more frequently in Asian countries.  Again, this is due in large part to the fact that rice is more readily available in Asian nations while grapes have to be imported from Europe, Latin America, and the States.  Rice wine is made by simply fermenting rice starch into sugars.  Some of the most popular rice wines include sake from Japan, soju from Korea, choujiu from China. In North America, rice wine is commonly used in cooking, and it resulted in some wonderful culinary creations where East meets West.

Rice Milk Alternative

It used to be that people who were lactose intolerant had to avoid foods that had any hint of dairy.  This meant that cereals, baked goods, milkshakes, and a whole bunch of other delicious foods were out of bounds for a lot of people.  However, with new alternative diets becoming that much more popular there are now things that can substitute diary, such as rice milk.  The great thing about this type of milk is that there is no lactose in it and it has no cholesterol.  It’s a great alternative to those who are allergic to milk or soy or wheat products.

Arts and crafts

Rice can be used in arts and crafts just like dried macaroni and pasta are.  One of the most popular ways to use this grain in Asian countries is rice drawing.  In Japan and China, there is an art form that involves writing one’s name on a simple grain of white rice.  It’s a delicate process that takes years to master and the decorated grains are placed onto bracelets and necklaces.  In some cases full drawings and pictures are placed onto grains of rice and the only way to see these images is through a magnifying glass.

While you might not be up for pickling or making your own wine, rice is still one of the finest foods around to experiment with. If you’ve only been enjoying steamed white rice up until now, it’s time to look for new recipes and exciting tastes. One simple search on the internet will turn up a wide array of delectable rice dishes for you to try your own kitchen. You don’t have to be an expert or have an expensive rice cooker to make these dishes come to life.  And when done properly, you can revitalize traditional dishes and meals in a way your family will love.

While it might seem simple, cooking rice is an art form in itself. You can visit allthingsrice.com for information about how to do with the best way. Whether you use a new-age rice cooker or a traditional stovetop method, it’s more than just simple mechanics. You have to get a feel for the process and once you do, that’s when you bring your rice dishes to a whole new level.