Putting It Together
Cooking Skills: Rice 1
Chapter 9 · Putting It Together
Skill goal
Plan, batch-cook and store rice safely, and turn it into different meals through the week.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Rice is one of the best foods to cook in batches: it is cheap, it keeps well when stored properly, and it turns into a different meal each day. This chapter pulls the course together. You will plan a batch, cool and store it safely, then build meals from it across the week.
| Habit | Why |
|---|---|
| Cook a batch, then cool it fast | Gives you cold rice for frying and bowls, and keeps it safe |
| Label with the date and time | You won't have to guess how old it is |
| Portion before chilling | Small amounts cool faster, and you reheat only what you need |
| Freeze what you won't use in 24 hours | Freezing stops the clock; defrost in the fridge |
| Reheat once, steaming hot | Heat kills the growing bacteria (but not the toxin that formed if rice was left warm) |
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
The batch-cook plan
Cooking four portions of rice is barely more work than one, and cold rice is exactly what fried rice and rice bowls want. The skill is in the cooling.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 300 g long-grain or basmati rice (makes about 4 portions)
- 3 litres water
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 airtight containers, labelled with the date and time
- 1 clean baking tray or two large plates
- Rinse the rice and boil it in the salted water for 9 to 10 minutes, as in chapter 2. Drain well.
- Cool it fast. Spread the rice in a thin layer on the baking tray so the steam escapes. Leave it for no more than 30 minutes.
- Divide into the four containers (about 175 g each), seal and put them in the fridge within 1 hour of cooking. Write the time on the lid.
- Keep two in the fridge for the next day. Freeze the other two straight away, flat if possible.
- To reheat, spoon on a splash of water, cover, and heat until it is steaming hot all through (2 to 3 minutes in the microwave, or a few minutes in a covered pan). Defrost frozen rice in the fridge first. Eat reheated rice once only.
The rules in one line
Cool within the hour. Fridge for no more than 24 hours. Reheat once, steaming hot throughout. Defrosted rice must be reheated straight away.
Level 2 · Bowl one
Rice bowl: egg and greens
A bowl is just rice plus three or four toppings, balanced for colour, crunch and sauce. Reheat the rice first, steaming hot.
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 175 g cold cooked rice, reheated (about 60 g dry)
- 1 medium egg, soft-boiled for 6 minutes
- 60 g frozen edamame beans or peas, boiled 3 minutes
- 5 cm cucumber, sliced
- 1 tsp reduced-salt soy sauce
- ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Reheat the rice with a splash of water until steaming hot. Boil the egg for 6 minutes, cool under cold water and peel; boil the edamame or peas for 3 minutes and drain.
- Pile the rice in a bowl. Arrange the egg (halved), beans and cucumber on top.
- Drizzle over the soy sauce and sesame oil and scatter with sesame seeds.
Level 2 · Bowl two
Rice bowl: spiced chickpeas
Spiced chickpeas fried until they are crisp at the edges give the bowl protein and fibre.
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 175 g cold cooked rice, reheated
- 120 g tinned chickpeas, drained
- 1 tsp oil
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Reheat the rice until steaming hot.
- Heat the oil in a small pan, add the chickpeas, cumin and paprika, and fry for 5 minutes until lightly crisp.
- Pile the rice in a bowl, spoon over the chickpeas and chopped tomato, then add the yoghurt and lemon juice.
Level 3 · Bowl three
Rice bowl: chicken, avocado and lime
Thinly sliced chicken cooks in minutes. If you use leftover cooked chicken, make sure it is steaming hot all through, or serve it cold from the fridge.
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 175 g cold cooked rice, reheated
- 100 g chicken breast, sliced thinly (or leftover cooked chicken)
- 1 tsp oil
- ½ ripe avocado, sliced
- 1 tomato, chopped
- ½ lime, juice only
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
- Reheat the rice until steaming hot.
- Fry the chicken in the oil over a medium-high heat for 5 to 6 minutes, turning, until golden with no pink inside.
- Pile the rice in a bowl and top with the chicken, avocado and tomato. Squeeze over the lime juice and add the coriander.
A week of rice meals
One way to use rice every day without getting bored. Swap any day, but keep the order that suits the rice: fresh rice first, day-old rice for frying, and never reheat the same rice twice.
| Day | Meal | Which rice |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Cook the batch (chapter 9); eat one portion as a pilaf or plain with grilled fish | Fresh |
| Tuesday | Egg fried rice or vegetable fried rice | Day-old rice from Monday |
| Wednesday | Spiced chickpea bowl | Defrosted portion, reheated once |
| Thursday | Mushroom risotto | Fresh (risotto rice) |
| Friday | Chicken and vegetable fried rice | A fresh, cooled batch |
| Saturday | Coconut rice with a curry or grilled fish | Fresh (jasmine) |
| Sunday | Baked rice pudding | Fresh (pudding rice) |
Experiments
Experiment
Cooling methods
See which way of cooling rice is fastest.
- Cook 300 g of rice and divide it into three equal lots.
- Spread one thinly on a tray, pack the second into a deep container, and put the third in a shallow bowl standing in a bigger bowl of cold water.
- Check every 10 minutes (with a thermometer, or by feel) until each is no longer warm. Write down the times.
Look for: The thin layer on the tray cools fastest and the deep container slowest. A deep, packed container keeps the middle warm for much longer than you think.
Experiment
Reheated or freshly cooked
Can you taste the difference?
- Cook rice, then split it. Eat half straight away.
- Cool the other half properly, refrigerate, and reheat the next day with a splash of water until steaming hot.
- Compare the texture and taste.
Look for: Reheated rice is a little firmer and drier, but with a splash of water it comes back well. For fried rice and bowls it's actually better.
Experiment
Your own rice bowl
Design a bowl you'd make again.
- Choose a rice, a protein, two vegetables and a sauce, using the bowl recipes as a guide.
- Make it, taste it, and change one thing.
- Write your final version into your house recipes.
Look for: A balance of soft and crunchy, hot and cool, and something fresh (herbs, lemon or lime) to finish.
Your skills
| Skill | Chapter | I can do it |
|---|---|---|
| Choose a rice for the dish | 1 | ☐ |
| Boil rice and steam it dry | 2 | ☐ |
| Cool, store and reheat rice safely | 2 and 9 | ☐ |
| Absorption rice (hob, oven, microwave) | 3 | ☐ |
| Cook brown rice and mixed grains | 4 | ☐ |
| Toast rice for a pilaf and flavour it | 5 | ☐ |
| Fry rice at a high heat | 6 | ☐ |
| Make risotto | 7 | ☐ |
| Rice pudding and sweet rice | 8 | ☐ |
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batch-cook plan | ||||
| Egg and greens bowl | ||||
| Spiced chickpea bowl | ||||
| Chicken, avocado and lime bowl | ||||
| Cooling methods | ||||
| Reheated vs freshly cooked | ||||
| My own rice bowl |
My house recipes
| My house recipe | Rice and method | Flavours and extras | How long | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| My everyday rice | ||||
| My rice side dish | ||||
| My rice bowl | ||||
| My fried rice | ||||
| My treat |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Frozen rice is dry or hard | Frozen uncovered, or reheated too briefly | Splash with water, cover and reheat until steaming hot |
| Reheated rice is hard | Not enough moisture | Add a splash of water and cover while heating |
| Rice is cold in the middle | Reheated in a large lump | Break it up and spread it out, then stir halfway |
| Rice smells off | Kept too long or cooled too slowly | Throw it away; don't taste it |
| Bowl is dull | Everything is the same texture | Add something crunchy and something fresh |
Food safety: the whole course in one box
Cool cooked rice within 1 hour. Fridge it in a sealed container and eat it within 24 hours. Reheat once, until steaming hot all the way through. If it has been left out, or you aren't sure, throw it away.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can cook, cool, portion and store a batch of rice safely.
- I can reheat rice so it is steaming hot all the way through.
- I can build a rice bowl from rice, protein, vegetables and a sauce.
- I can plan a week of meals around rice without waste.
- I have written down my own house recipes.
Next chapter
That's the end of Cooking Skills: Rice 1. A possible Rice 2 could cover sushi and onigiri, paella, biryani and jollof. The next course in the series is up to you.