16.2 Kinds of rice

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The rice shelf can be sorted by how much of the grain the mill leaves on, and by what the rice is for.

• White rice has had the husk, the bran and the germ milled off. It is less nutritious than brown rice, but it keeps longer and cooks faster. You can buy it with short, medium or long grains.
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• Brown rice is the least processed. Only the outer husk is gone, so the bran and germ, with their nutrients, stay on. It is nutty, chewy and better for you than white rice, and it also comes in all three grain lengths.
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• Sweet brown rice is a short-grain brown rice full of starch. It cooks very soft and sticky and is popular in Asian cooking.
• Black rice is rich in iron, vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. Cooking turns it purple.
• Aromatic rices give off a perfumed smell as they cook. Basmati from India and jasmine from Thailand are the best known; Texmati is grown in Texas, and Wehani and pecan wild rice in Louisiana.
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• Risotto rice: Arborio is a starchy white rice with a medium-short grain, and the easiest risotto rice to find. Carnaroli, Vialone Nano and Baldo are others. Stirring risotto without a break makes the rice let go of starch, and that starch thickens the dish.
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• Sticky rice, also called glutinous rice, has short grains and is used for Asian specialities. In spite of its name it has no gluten in it.
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• Wild rice is the seed of a grass and not a true rice, though it often turns up in rice blends and pilaf mixes. It tastes nutty and has a chewy bite.
• Instant rice, or quick rice, is cooked, dried and then packed. It is fast, but it does not have the flavor or texture of regular rice.