is there a trick to cooking rice at high altitude? I'm serious here.

[Lost4words]

we live at about 8000 feet above sea level, cant get any kind of rice to turn out any sugestions?

Have tried changing brand, time and temp to no avail! Even bought a rice steamer appliance, followed directions and walla, gravel bits.

:shrug: :wtf:

[jpgray]

1. There comes a point where rice/pasta just won't cook, if I remember

Dry rice and dry pasta won't work very well. I believe there are various kinds of asian noodles that may work better.

[Lost4words]

3. But wait, there are mountains all over the pac rim, yes/no

[Rabrrrrrr]

29. Yes, there are mountains all over the pacific rim, but the people on 'em

aren't rice eaters.

Try a pressure cooker

Or, usea thermometer when you're cooking, since the boiling point is lower, go well beyond the boil, and make the water hits the 212 degree zone. I don't know for sure if that will work, but I should think that it would.

[Kolesar]

2. Buy a pressure cooker?

Add extra water?

My trick if my rice is getting prematurely dried out and undercooked is to boil another 1/4 -1/2 cup of water in the microwave and dump it in the saucepan. Good luck.

[Lost4words]

6. I'll try that, I was hoping for a "for sure this will do it" but Thanks

Ill try your suggestion

[Old and In the Way]

4. Pressure cooker?

If I remember correctly, water boils at lower temp at higher altitude than at SL. Higher altitude means lower pressure.

[Florida_Geek]

5. where do you live that is 8000

above sea level ??

[Lost4words]

11. New Mexico, in the Sandia Mountains for the past year

[mourningdove92]

7. Have you tried cooking the rice in the oven?

Really, it works great. I believe you use the same proportions, but will look it up to be sure. Put in a well sealed covered dish. If memory serves me right, it takes about an hour.

[Lost4words]

16. Interesting Idea, will try this also, Thanks!

[ConcernedCanuk]

8. Need a pressure cooker - water "boils" at much lower temperature

.
.
.

at high altitudes

Pressure cooker raises the boiling point of water 3 degrees for each pound of pressure

Most pressure cookers will take at least 15 pounds of pressure, that will increase the boiling point by 45 degrees

Enjoy your rice !

[sweetheart]

14. pressure cooker's the trick

i've had rice at 15,000 feet in india with a pressure cooker.

Everyone has pressure cookers above a mile high... good luck.

[Lost4words]

15. Cool or rather, hot, I'll look for a Pressure cooker

[Feanorcurufinwe]

9. Because water boils at a lower temperature

you need to use more water and cook for longer. 8000 is pretty high though... have you tried 'instant' rice?


Here's a webpage I found:

Q. How do you make the perfect rice? I live at 5,000 feet and am not sure how to make it. Also what kind do you use and what cooks the best in high altitude?

A. Because water boils at a lower temperature at higher elevations, any food cooked in it receives less heat than it would at sea level. To compensate, you need to cook boiled foods longer, and because the water boils away faster, increase the amount of water, as well. Water boils at 203°F (95°C) at 5,000 feet. Any type of rice will cook fine at higher elevations as long as cooking time and liquid amounts are adequate.

Expect rice to take about 5 minutes longer to cook where you are and increase the amount of water by a few tablespoons. For example, a cup of long-grain white rice is usually prepared with 1-3/4 cups of water and cooked for 15 to 18 minutes at sea level. At 5,000 feet, you’ll want to increase the water to 2 cups and cooking time to about 20 minutes. If, after 20 minutes, you find water lingering at the bottom of the pan, replace the lid and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. On the other hand, if you find the rice has absorbed all the water and is still too al dente, or not quite done, add a few tablespoons of water, replace the lid and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes.
http://www.ochef.com/82.htm

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

10. First of all is it regular or brown rice?

If it is regular rice add an extra 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water and use a pressure cooker.

If it is brown rice, the it should be doublw the water to the rice, even a bit more and I cook brown rice a full hour.

I've used pressure cookers for rice when up in Big Bear which is about 8k feet and it turned out well.

[Lost4words]

19. Thanks nothingshocksmeanymore, you know motown

and how to make high rice. :hi:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

20. And if it's Big Bear, I'm coming up to have some...you guys

are getting a good dusting this weekend!

One more suggestion if I might for fun flavor..Trader Joe's makes a ponzu sauce that is JUST DELICIOUS and adds a nice spice to brown rice...use it AFTER cooking the rice..like soy sauce :D

[Lost4words]

25. You must be a skier NSMA!

I water skied once,............

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

28. Former snowboarder

Can't do it anymore..back surgery put me out of surfing and snowboarding commission...but I still like to innertube on hills!

BTW'''gorgeous area of a gorgeous state ..I LOVE NEw MExico!

[Lost4words]

21. Here is a real question can brown rice be used in place of white

on recipies that call for white? And what about the long grain short grain thing?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

27. It depends...

For instance if a vermicelli mix calls for long grain rice, I would stick with the long grain rice because it won't come out good. The vermicelli will fall apart by the time the brown rice cooks.

Similarly if it is a meat/rice combo as some southern chicken and rice combos are (don't know if you are vegetarian) then it will call to add the chicken fully cooked to the rice (whoch means cooking it an additional 20 minutes...if I were doing that with a brown rice dish, I would add the rice for the last half hour which is kind of a "rice sin" because then you will have to stir it in and you shouldn't stir rice as it will cause it to cook unevenly and interrupt cooking all the kernels fully.

My advice in a situation like that would be to cook the meat and the rice separately and then use a drop of butter or oil to them saute them together being careful not to scorch the rice.

If you have a particular recipe in mind, let me know and I'll add more.

[Loco_moco]

12. Here's some links...

...hope they're helpful...

http://www.ochef.com/82.htm

http://www.ochef.com/544.htm

http://www.gofallon.com/cookingtips.htm

http://floydhill.org/Documents/HighAltitudeCookingTips.htm


good luck and happy cooking!

peace;
rob

[LastKnight]

13. youll need a preassure cooker...

i dont wanna sound like a know-it-all, but:

simple physics dictates that maximum water temperature is dependant on preassure, water wont get hotter than its boiling point(for a given preassure), no matter how much you turn the burner up. so long story short, you must increase the preassure. if you want a more in-depth explanation pm me or something.

-LK

[Lost4words]

18. this has been my most sucessful thread ever WOW, who knew

Thanks All :loveya:

[Robb]

17. Hey, I live at 8K and am the master of rice!

1) Read rice directions, go over a little on water; if it says, for example, 1 cup rice to 1 cup water, add another quarter cup of water.

2) Dump rice and water together in pot, cover and turn on high.

3) Listen for the boil. When the boil comes, either turn to serious low (if you've got a good low setting) or right off. Leave the lid on.

4) Set timer for 20 minutes. Walk away.

5) When timer goes off, remove lid and fluff with fork! :D

Where you at? I'm near Telluride, CO at 8,100 or so.

(On edit): Hey cool, I lived over near Las Vegas, NM for awhile. Pretty country!

[Lost4words]

23. Thanks Robb, I always thought I would end up in Colorado.

:toast:

[SOteric]

24. What he said, - and

Try cooking it in smaller batches and in a smaller pot. Seriously. It makes a difference.

[donco6]

26. What he said

Jefferson, CO - 9000 ft. Works like a charm.

I do add a tsp of salt - makes the water boil at a higher temp.

[philosophie_en_rose]

22. Rice Cooker.

I would suggest looking at rice cookers at target or online. You can cook rice over the stove, but it's a hassle.



$14.99 at Amazon.com

This is the kind that I had in college, when I was too poor to buy a good one. The secret is to unplug the machine as soon as the rice is done and to periodically dry the lid so that water doesn't rain upon the rice.


About $60.00

This kind has a water collection cup and can be left on all day. Very easy and durable. Everyone I know has one like this. They last for years and are extremely easy to use. (Put rice and water in bowl. Close lid. Voila.)

[Rabrrrrrr]

30. Or grab yourself a fuzzy logic rice cooker, like a Zojirushi

I mean, if you're totally cranking keen on eating rice a lot, it's worth the $150 or so for a totally bitchin' Zojirushi - it has fuzzy logic, not a timer, which can tell when the rice is done, and you can tell it just how done you want it. Also comes with a timer to set to start cooking at, say, 4 pm, so you have rice ready wehen you get home. :-)

I got mine from Amazon, and I will never trade it for anything.

And I bet that even at 8000 feet, so long as you add extra water, it will be able to cook perfect rice for you, since it's computerized.

:-)