Many cooks choose to save time by cooking large batches of food on the weekend and freezing individual portions for homemade frozen dinners that can be thawed and reheated for a quick weeknight meal. Rice lends itself perfectly to this technique, since it can take up to an hour to cook long-grain brown rice and it freezes well. In order to properly thaw it properly, you need to take some steps before you freeze it for the best results. You can reheat rice directly from the frozen state, but if you are using it for a cold application such as a salad or pudding, you can simply thaw the rice. Instructions for both are below.
Instructions
1. Measure out 1/2- to 3/4-cup portions of rice into each zip-top freezer bag. Squeeze out the excess air and seal. Place the bags into the freezer until ready to use.
2. Remove the number of bags from the freezer you need for a single meal. This will prevent you from thawing out too much rice. Repeatedly thawing and refreezing of any food will degrade its texture and taste.
3. Place the bags into the 2-quart bowl of cold water. Pour out the water every 10 to 15 minutes until the rice is completely thawed. The length of time will depend upon the number of portions of rice you are thawing. Warm or hot water will not cause the rice to thaw faster, but it will start to cook the rice on the outside of the bag, leaving the inside rice still chilled.
4. Put the bowl beneath the faucet and run cold water over the bags of rice to speed thawing. Do not use hot water, which will begin to cook the rice.
5. To cook the rice directly from the frozen state, place the bags of rice into a pot of boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes or until hot.
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