Corn
A few tips and tricks when making polenta (corn meal mush):
Pour the polenta meal in a fine stream into the boiling water, stirring continuously with a whisk, so no lumps form. Then switch to a long handled wooden spoon. Continue stirring in the same direction as the polenta thickens. The longer you stir the better the polenta will be. The finished polenta should have the consistency of firm mashed potatoes. Add a little boiling water if the polenta gets too thick. The polenta is done when it peels easily off the sides of the pot.
Miscellaneous
When cooking a hot cereal, use skim milk as part or all of the liquid and you'll greatly improve the nutritional value.
How to cook grains:
Bring the liquid to a boil, add the grains, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer gently until the grains are tender and the liquid almost completely absorbed. Let the cooked grains stand for about 5 minutes prior to serving. Cooking times are approximate; grains tend to turn to mush if overcooked.
| Barley | 1 cup | 3 to 3 1/2 cups | 30 minutes |
| Brown rice | 1 cup | 2 cups | 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the variety |
| Buckwheat groats | 1 cup | 2 cups | 12 minutes |
| Millet | 1 cup (toasted) | 2 1/2 to 3 cups | 25 to 30 minutes |
| Quinoa | 1 cup (rinsed) | 2 to 2 1/2 cups | 15 minutes |
Hot whole-grain breakfast cereal: Rewarm about 3/4 cup cooked grain, pour over some milk and top with spices, sweetener, fruits and/or nuts of your choice.
| Grain Substitution |
| flour, white 1 C. |
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3/4 C. whole wheat flour
7/8 C. rice flour
1 C. corn flour
1 C. corn meal
1 1/2 C. rolled oats
3/4 C. buckwheat flour
1/2 C. barley flour
3/4 C. rye flour
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Oats
An excellent thickener for soup is a little oatmeal. It will add flavor and richness to almost any soup.
Rolled oats are whole oats that have been steamed and flattened.
Quick-cooking oats differ from regular—or old-fashioned—oats in that they’re cut into pieces before being steamed and are rolled into thinner flakes.
Rice
To keep rice fluffy: when taken off the burner to let stand covered 10 minutes, place a folded soft dishcloth or a paper towel over pot and under cover. The towel will absorb any liquid from falling back into the pot and prevent the rice from becoming mushy.
Milled white rices keep almost indefinitely on the shelf. Store opened rice in a tightly covered container. It's best to store brown rice and wild rice in the refrigerator since the oils can turn rancid.
Use up leftover rice in thrifty ways. Add to waffle or pancake batter, use in place of bread in meatloaf, make a rice pudding, use to stuff eggplant or zucchini, or add to soups or stews.
Add a teaspoon of lemon juice to each quart of water used to cook rice. The grains will stay white and separated.
To keep rice white when cooking in hard water, add 1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1 tablespoon vinegar to cooking water.
Although converted rice is more expensive than regular white rice, it has more nutrients. Brown rice, which hasn't been processed, is even more nutritious but it takes longer to cook.
Leftover cooked rice can be refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 6 months.
If you have trouble with gummy rice, cook it like spaghetti. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rice and boil until tender.
For more flavorful rice, substitute chicken broth, beef broth, consomme, or undiluted tomato juice for the water.
The doneness test for rice and other grains is like the test for pasta: al dente - tender but firm to the bite. At this point, each grain has a slightly resilient core and the cooking liquid has been absorbed.
You can reheat rice without overcooking it by heating it in a colander over a pan of boiling water, making sure the rice does not touch the water.
Wild rice is from a completely different botanical family than other forms of rice, and tends to be higher in Protein than its domesticated relatives. One half cup of wild rice has only 83 Calories plus plenty of Folate, Zinc, and a variety of other B Vitamins, and Minerals.
- How to get soy sauce evenly into fried rice:
- Instead of adding soy sauce to the cooked rice before frying, try replacing part of the water used for cooking the rice with the soy sauce to be used in the recipe. If you are using left over rice, sprinkle the soy sauce over the rice and rub it in with your hands. After using either of these two methods, you can now fry the rice.
| Problems Cooking Rice |
| If rice is too firm: |
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Rice may not have been cooked long enough.
Not enough liquid was added to the rice.
Pan was too large, causing evaporation.
Pan lid was loose, causing evaporation. |
| If rice is too mushy: |
|
Rice may have been overcooked.
Too much liquid was added to the rice.
|
| If rice is too sticky: |
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Rice may have been held too long before serving.
Rice was stirred during cooking.
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Types of Rice:
- Arborio:
- One of the Italian medium-grain rice's used to make risotto. Once grown only in Italy, Arborio has become so popular it is now being cultivated in California and Texas.
- Aromatic:
- A broad term for a group of mostly long-grain rice's with a pronounced nutty aroma. Basmati, Texmati, Wild Pecan and Jasmine are all aromatic rice's.
- Black:
- Rice with a black-colored bran layer, popular in Asian cuisine, that sometimes lightens to a deep purple when cooked. There are many varieties of black rice from China, Thailand and Indonesia.
- Brown:
- Rice that has not had its bran layer removed and therefore has a slight chewy texture and nutty taste. Long-, medium-, and short-grain brown and brown basmati are four popular varieties.
- Pearl:
- A short-grain sticky rice, sometimes called sushi rice. It is grown across Asia, California and Arkansas.
- Red:
- Rice with a reddish-brown bran layer, a nutty taste and chewy consistency. Red rice is often marketed as Wehani (also called Russet), Bhutanese red rice and Thai red rice.
- Valencia:
- Valencia rice (sometimes sold as paella rice), is a large white oval grain. Grown in Spain, it is similar to Arborio. It's the rice used for paella, the Spanish dish that pairs rice with seafood, chicken, rabbit or chorizo and vegetables.
- Wild:
- Wild rice looks like rice but is actually an aquatic grass. Native to North America, today most wild rice is cultivated in man-made paddies from the northern Great Lakes to California
Wheat
How to get your family to eat whole wheat flour products:
Use wheat in recipes your family already likes, then it is not totally unfamiliar and you know the recipe is good. Try wheat in desserts first--who can turn down a cookie? Do not feel you must use 100 percent whole wheat. Half white and half whole wheat gives excellent results.
Substituting whole wheat flour into recipes:
Wheat flour is heavier than white flour and needs more leavening. In yeast breads, use more yeast and/or let it rise longer. In baking powder leavened products, increase baking powder by 1 tsp. for each 3 cups of whole-wheat flour. Recipes using baking soda need not be adjusted. In baked products using eggs, separate the eggs and beat the whites until stiff. Then fold in just before baking. For extra lightness, an extra separated egg may be added. Good for waffles and especially cakes.
Types Of Wheat:
- Hard Wheat:
- Includes hard winter wheats and hard spring wheats, which contain more gluten-producing proteins than soft wheat. Used for making bakery flours, bread flours and all-purpose flours.
- Soft Wheat:
- Low in gluten-producing proteins. Usually milled into cake, pastry or cake and pastry flours.
- Durum Wheat:
- Generally high in gluten-producing proteins. Used for making semolina and flours which are made into Indian flat bread, macaroni and other pastas.
Types Of Flour According To Use:
- White Flours - There are several types of white or plain flour, prepared by finely grinding the endosperm (inner portion) of wheat grain after the bran (outer coat) and the germ (seed embryo) have been removed.
- All Purpose, top patent, general purpose, or family flours
... are usually made from a blend of selected wheats. Lower in protein content than bread flours, they contain sufficient protein to make good quality yeast bread products, but not too much for good quick breads, cakes, muffins and cookies. (General all-purpose flour is suitable for breads, pastries, low-sugar cakes and gravies.)
Protein and ash typically run 11.00-11.80% (12.80-13.50% dry basis (db)) and 0.39-0.44% (0.45-0.51% db), respectively.
- Baker's Patent, 2nd Patent, bread flours
... are milled from blends of hard red wheats. They are fairly high in protein and slightly granular to the touch. Sold chiefly to bakers because it makes excellent bread using commercial bakery equipment, but generally has too much protein (gluten) for home use (difficult to mix and mold by hand). There are two basic types; (a) for the highly mechanized pan bread bakeries and (b) for hearth bread and similar products where extra "Strength" is needed. These flours are very good for pizza and flat bread applications.
Protein and ash are typically 11.70-13.20% (13.6-15.6% db) and 0.48-0.54% (0.56-0.63% db) respectively.
- Bakers clears, high gluten flours
... are milled from hard red wheats. These flours are much higher in protein and somewhat darker in colour than standard bread flours. Major uses are for speciality bread production such as rye breads, Italian hearth, crusty rolls and multi-grain breads.
Protein and ash are typically 13.30-15.00% (15.5-17.4% db) and 0.56-0.75% (0.65-0.82% db) respectively.
- Top patent, fancy patent, high ratio cake flour
... is milled exclusively from soft white wheats. Protein content is low and the granulation is so uniform and fine that the flour feels like satin. Used specifically in high-sugar (high ratio) and angel food cakes.
Protein and ash are typically 6.70-8.00% (7.8-9.3% db) and 0.35-0.39% (0.41-0.45% db) respectively.
- Pastry, 2nd patent, cake and pastry flour
... is made from soft wheats which are low in protein and are finely milled but not as fine as cake flour. Unsuitable for yeast breads but ideal for lower ratio cakes, pastries, cookies and quick breads.
Protein and ash are typically 9.00-10.60% (10.5-12.3% db) and 0.42-0.49% (0.49-0.57% db) respectively.
- Macaroni and alimentary pasta flours (semolina)
... are made from durum wheats, which have considerably different gluten characteristics than that of hard wheats. These flours are quite granular and are usually a bright yellow in colour.
Protein is typically 12.00% (13.6% db) and ash content 0.65-0.70% (0.76-0.81% db) respectively.
- Whole Wheat Flours. Regular and coarse whole wheat flours, also known as entire wheat flour, are prepared by grinding the entire wheat kernel. This flour contains at least 95% of the whole wheat berry.
Protein and ash content of whole wheat flours are typically 12.5-13.5% (14.5-15.7% db) and 1.20-1.40% (1.40-1.62% db) respectively.
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Cooking Hints and Tips
