Dinner party and rice

Yes, I’m having one. Friday night, four good friends are coming over for dinner.

I’m cooking. ME.

I know what I’m making, but I’m not posting it because some of those friends might read about it on here. Then it wouldn’t be a surprise.

This is just the first of many such occasions I hope to engender right here in, as one of my friends calls it, the J-Nest.

You can be sure I’ll tell you all about the deliciousness and the ambiance later. But, for now, let’s finish up the rice issue. Here’s the best way to make white rice. What kind, you ask? At the J-Nest, usually basmati.

First, put some olive oil in a saucepan on low to medium heat. Add however much rice you want to cook. Figure that it will double in volume, more or less, when it’s done.

In the beginning, it looks like this:

Notice how most of the grains are still translucent. Not all of them, because the oil was pretty hot when I put the rice in and the camera was in the living room of the J-Nest, so, by the time I walked back into the kitchen, some of the grains had already become opaque.

Cook, stirring constantly. If you want it to turn out really well, cook over low heat as the grains of rice gently turn opaque. This will take seventytenish minutes.

However, if you’re making rice for the dog because the really big raw meaty bone you gave him two nights ago gave him rip-roaring runs, turn it up to medium. Play Angry Birds on your iPhone and stir until it looks like this:

Most of the grains are an opaque white. Some are still translucent, but some are starting to brown. This kind of shoddy cooking work will not past muster at my dinner party, I tell you, but it’s just fine for the dog. It will take fivetyseven minutes on medium.

Now put in some warm water. How much, you ask? Well, that depends. For a cup of rice, I use about a cup and a half of water. But the more rice you use, the less extra water you need. For two cups of rice, I’d use two cups and a little bit more, not quite a quarter cup. For THREE cups of rice, I’d use three cups of water. I was going to say I’d use three cups of water and then spit in the pot, but that was more gross than funny, so I didn’t say it.

Add saltynopeps. Unless it’s for the dog. Then don’t add anything except water. Or, if you’re me, add saltynopeps, anyway, because you’re too distracted by Angry Birds. Then worry for a while if salt in the dog’s food is lethal. Don’t worry enough to make the rice all over again, though.

Bring to a boil, then turn down to a very low simmer. The lowest you can muster on your own personal stove.

(Seriously, this picture is overkill. Like you wouldn’t know a simmer when you saw one. )

Now comes the mysterious and amazing part. Wrap the lid in a towel before you put it on the pot. The red arrow points to the handle on the lid.

Fold the extra towel on top of the lid so it doesn’t drape down NEAR THE OPEN FLAME AND CATCH FIRE. IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNINGS SHOULD ALWAYS BE IN ALL CAPS. POSSIBLY EVEN BOLDED AND ITALICIZED CAPS. FOLD THE TOWEL SO YOU DON’T BURN YOUR FLIPPING HOUSE DOWN.)

Set a timer for 20 minutes. When it goes off, turn the heat off under the pan. Yer rice is done. You can leave it for tentyfifteen minutes, and it’ll stay warm without overcooking.