Instant rice in Hobart?

[Orion]

Can instant rice (the type that cooks in 5 minutes or so) be purchased in Hobart? If so, where?

[DonQx]

We haven't seen any for quite a long time, now dehydrating cooked rice, works well.

Let us know if you find a supplier.

a.

[corvus]

Backcountrty do a dehy rice that is OK

[couscousman]

hey, was just at aldi and they had microwaveable rice that takes only 90 secs in a microwave so should be able to boil it up pretty quick?? but not to sure as have not tested this yet...

[Macca81]

hey, was just at aldi and they had microwaveable rice that takes only 90 secs in a microwave so should be able to boil it up pretty quick?? but not to sure as have not tested this yet...

aldi? we dont have such a place in tas...

[couscousman]

its the german grocery story, they are all throughout victoria, tasmania and ACT... apparently (according to their website) not in tasmania as of yet.

[jose]

The microwaveable rice that takes only 90 secs in a microwave is in Tasmanian supermarkets. It is cooked rice that only needs re-heating so it is double the weight of raw or de-hydrated cooked rice. What you save on fuel you lose with the weight of the rice and its higher cost.

[Molly-]

In Tas we have rice in a packet? the one where you can just heat it up on your Trangia, etc, it has everything already in it already and is yummy. -not so light though.

Molly-

[whiskeylover]

You're quite right Molly.
Normal rice, once you have boiled it for a very short period of time can be turned off and left to cook (covered to absorb the water) - as long as you get the water content right and insulate the pot (e.g. wrap it in something that can handle the heat - i.e. not your polypropelene thermals - more like your woolen undershirt). As I am gluten free we have to eat a lot of rice and you don't want to use heaps of fuel unnecessarily. Uncle Ben's rice also cooks quickly and is not super heavy.

[Molly-]

ah!
i like taking rice, when i go hiking, but its a little heavy, i might try Uncle ben's - sounds interesting.

Molly-

[Nuts]

Basmati rice only seems to need a rolling boil and will then finish cooking set aside in the pot, perhaps a turn to send the top layer deeper. Never used a cosy or anything. Tried drying rice but didnt seem That much more efficient.

[Son of a Beach]

Basmati rice only seems to need a rolling boil and will then finish cooking set aside in the pot, perhaps a turn to send the top layer deeper. Never used a cosy or anything. Tried drying rice but didnt seem That much more efficient.

I think this works for most white rices (but I always use basmati, just because I like it better). I boil the rice for a few minutes, until I think that it might start to stick if I boil it any longer (4 or 5 minutes, I think?), and then turn off the stove and leave it sit with the lid still on for another 5 or 6 minutes. Works a treat.

1 cup of rice, and a little less than 2 cups of water feeds about 4 hungry people. Adjust amounts depending on the number of people, of course, but smaller amounts may cool down more quickly after the stove is off.

[Nuts]

Yer, Ive only used basmati for years, was thinking it was peculiar to that rice. We use big pots 2.5/3L which may help the 'cook on' effect.

[Orion]

We ended up taking some of the "instant" boil-in-a-bag rice from home. It isn't really instant as it takes ten minutes of cooking, about like pasta. But compared to regular rice it's noticably faster. It doesn't taste as good though. Dehydrated cooked rice is pretty good but preparing it in advance is more effort than I'm often willing to expend.

[Son of a Beach]

We ended up taking some of the "instant" boil-in-a-bag rice from home. It isn't really instant as it takes ten minutes of cooking, about like pasta. But compared to regular rice it's noticably faster. It doesn't taste as good though. Dehydrated cooked rice is pretty good but preparing it in advance is more effort than I'm often willing to expend.

I wouldn't call that faster. I cook my regular rice for about 5 minutes, and then let it sit for about another five minutes.

[Orion]

I wouldn't call that faster. I cook my regular rice for about 5 minutes, and then let it sit for about another five minutes.

That hasn't been my experience in the past. But maybe I'm wrong? I was curious, so I tried it at home. Two pots, one with the boil-in-a-bag rice, one with uncooked rice. Five minutes on the boil, five minutes rest with the lid on. This is at sea level and in a relatively warm room.

The "Success" brand rice (dried precooked parboiled) boil-in-a-bag rice was ready to eat.
The Thai Jasmine "Elephant" brand was still chewy. My guess is it needed another 5 minutes.

I do most of my outdoor cooking at 3000-4000m which exacerbates this difference. The last time I remember it taking over 20 minutes to cook rice, and I ended up with a sticky mess. But this was years ago. Maybe it isn't really as bad as I recall? I'll have to field test it again next time I'm out.

[Son of a Beach]

Hey, that's interesting. At home, I leave the rice on the stove with the element switched off, so this may help. Out bush, I boil it for a bit longer (until just before it starts to stick). I don't really time it properly, so maybe I'm underestimating how long I leave it sit. It may also be (as Nuts suggested) that the different varieties of rice behave differently.

Yes, that kind of altitude would make a lot of difference!