AboutExpert Expertise My cooking style leans towards Mediterranean, with an emphasis on gourmet, party fare, and vegetarian cuisine. I am a food journalist, I’ve written and edited several cookbooks, and I develop and teach cooking classes.
Experience I have developed recipes for specialty food manufacturers, conducted many seminars on cooking and ethnic foods, and have taught customized cooking classes. I have also owned a gift shop, a floral design business, and a catering business.
I’m the author of Con Amore, a contemporary novel about food, love, and life – Italian style. It includes a brief history of Italy, the foods of each region, and a variety of recipes – many that are vegetarian or easily adaptable to the vegetarian diet. I am the author of Herbed-Wine Cuisine and several other books on a variety of topics.
I publish a quarterly e-newsletter, Simply Elegant, which provides information on food, decorating, and entertaining. I also publish a monthly e-newsletter, Tutto Italiano, about everything Italian. Visit my Web site, www.jtmancuso.com, to learn more.
Expert: Expert Date: 8/5/2007 Subject: Crock pot cooking
Question Well, no harm in asling: I use an old electric crock pot with a high and low setting to typically cook a crockpot full of brown rice at once for use during the week. I have varied the setting times, but invariably, the rice at the top is mushy, and near the bottom all but uncooked. I usually cook short grain brown rice, but just tried brown Basmati for a change and it was the worst ever. result-wise. What would you suggest? Eliminate the use of the high setting altogether? pre soaking? Help,thanks
Answer Cooking rice in a crockpot can be tricky, and that may be why rice cookers have become so popular. I do not use either – just a stainless steel pot with a cover.
If you have the instruction manual and/or recipe booklet that came with the crockpot, it may contain specific instructions for cooking rice. If you do not have any paperwork for the crockpot, you may be able to find information about it on the manufacturer’s Web site.
Based on what you wrote, though, it may be one or a combination of several circumstances. A crockpot full of rice is too much rice. Condensation is forming on the cover and dripping onto the rice, seeping down only so far, but not to the bottom. So, the rice on top will continue to absorb the moisture while the rice on the bottom will cook without it.
Cook smaller quantities of rice, no more than 2 cups, and add a little extra water than what is called for. (When I cook rice – especially brown rice – I always add a little extra water.) Try cooking at low temperature first, and make a note of how long it took to cook. Also, lifting the lid reduces the heat in the crockpot and can have a significant affect on the cooking process.
In addition to cooking too much rice at one time, the temperature settings or heating element of the crockpot may have changed over time. If you cooked rice before and it came out fine or if you notice changes in other recipes you prepare, you may need to retire this crockpot.
