MY SECRETS

Rice reaches the consumer in boxes or packs wrapped in transparent material. The product sector, variety of rice and cooking instructions are specified on the packet. 
It is simple to store rice: it should be kept in a cool, ventilated place with a regular supply of oxygen. For culinary purposes, rice is divided into the following categories: common, semifine, fine and superfine:

·         common rice is recommended for making soups and desserts.

·         semifine rice is recommended for making starters, glazed rice, main rice dishes,  rice croquettes and Neapolitan rice-cakes.

·         fine rice is recommended for making risottos and side-dishes.

·         superfine rice, like the previous categories, is also recommended for risottos and side-dishes.

Helpings
The ideal amount per person varies between 50 g and 100 g. This naturally depends on what kind of dish you want to prepare. However, here is a useful guide for reference:
50 g per person for soups.
70 g per person for side-dishes or, as in the East or Great Britain, where rice is used in place of bread or crackers.
100 g per person for risottos or where rice constitutes the main course.

100 g of rice is equivalent to 350 calories.

COOKING

An outer layer of protein surrounds each grain which contains starch. The level of resistance to cooking depends on the intrinsic qualities of the species of rice and on the kind of processing which, if not carefully supervised, can result in a high percentage of broken caryopses.
However, the law prohibits a percentage higher than 5%.
These notions are fundamental in cooking. In fact, if one uses low-quality rice which does not conform to current laws, the cooking will not be uniform, with disastrous results.
The cooking of rice requires a large amount of water. By filtering through the microscopically small holes in the outer layer of protein, the water reaches the part of the grain where the amylaceous substance is hidden and modifies it, making it gelatinous. If untreated rice is stored for more than six months in a warehouse prior to processing, the grains become more “settled” and are more resistant to cooking. In India, where this property has been recognised for thousands of years, guests are offered dishes prepared with untreated rice which has been left to “mature” in a cool place.
However, the ratio between the amount of rice being cooked and the amount of water required is not always the same and depends on the recipe, the kind of rice and the amounts involved. 
To boil 100 g of rice, about half a litre of water is required.
Less water is required for making soups, which should be thick and creamy.
Finally, to make risottos, it is useful to have ready at least one third of a litre of stock for every 100 g of rice used. While on the subject, the classic risotto recipe cites 400 g of rice to one and a half litres of stock.

 How many minutes?
The cooking time depends on the kind of rice used, how it has been processed and the recipe.  A rice dish is regarded as cooked when 75% of the amylaceous substance contained within its grains has become gelatinous. This change can occur in between 13 and 20 minutes

As a rough guide, here are the average cooking times for rice boiled in plenty of water:

Common rice cooks in between 12 and 13 minutes.

Semifine rice cooks in between 13 and 15 minutes.

Fine rice cooks in between 14 and 16 minutes.

Superfine rice cooks in between 16 and 18 minutes.

For “al dente” rice, cooking times are slightly less.