Rice advice?

[daniwithtea]

One of the items on the menu for next weekend's catering event is brown rice. Any advice on making brown rice for 40? We're most likely going to bake it, because making that much rice on a stove top sounds like a recipe for disaster. What we're trying to decide is whether we can make it in advance, or if it needs to be made the morning of the event. I'm not thrilled with the idea of adding one more thing to the list for that morning, but I also can't imagine a way to reheat that much rice without something going wrong. Thoughts from the collective LJ brain?

Comments

[with-this-voice.livejournal.com]

I've never had much luck with cooking brown rice any other way than baking it, but I usuall add a half cup more of water than it calls for when I do large batches of it. I also do it in smaller batches even in the oven so that it is easier to care for. I remember reading somewhere once where you could do brown rice in an oven the night prior, but I don't remember how.

[okayokayigive.livejournal.com]

thanks! i talked to my dad, who recommended making it the day of, so i'm going to go with that.

[darkest-mind.livejournal.com]

I just had to comment because of the LJ Icon.. I've got to make you some shirts or something with that logo on it. If you become famous, I want my credit for that logo - preferrably in money!!

As for the rice, I have no clue as I screw up rice for 3 people. I have to hand it to you for attempting brown rice for 40.. good luck and let us all know how it goes!

[okayokayigive.livejournal.com]

i can't make rice to save my life, actually. fortunately, fuzzybutchkins is a rice goddess, so i'm counting on her for this particular aspect of the catering job.

as for the logo...eventually, when I get my programmable sewing machine (for quilting and other random things), i'm going to embroider it on hats and aprons and the like. for now, i'm thinking of going through cafepress.com.

and yes, of course, you get credit for the logo!! when the day comes that i start making money at this, that is... :)

[faeryguinevere.livejournal.com]

I love, love, love my rice cooker for brown rice - perfect every time. Any way you could borrow a couple of rice cookers from friends and do it in batches? Each one will make quite a lot - maybe 10-12 cups? So you'd maybe only need to do 3-4 batches total.

[okayokayigive.livejournal.com]

i thought of that, but a) i don't think i know anyone IRL who owns a rice cooker, and b) i don't have the time to pick them up if i did. it would definitely be an ideal solution, though. thanks!

[quiet-ness.livejournal.com]

Pressure canner is the first thing that comes to mind.

[okayokayigive.livejournal.com]

yet one more thing that my kitchen really, really needs and yet doesn't have. sigh.

[quiet-ness.livejournal.com]

I inherited my grandmother's when she died, so it has sentimental value. That said, be warned that the thing takes up an assload of space. I have to store it in a closet because it's too big to fit in the available cabinet space.

[okayokayigive.livejournal.com]

I am all too familiar with kitchen stuff taking up closet space. you know the double-door closet in the hallway that leads to the bathroom? it's stuffed floor-to-ceiling with catering serveware, glassware, and lots of small appliances. hell, there's even an extra set of dishes in the bedroom closet. and an entire corner of the living room has been taken over by new catering gear acquired for this event, like the 50-cup coffee maker, coffee decanters and warmers, and a box of 250 take-out containers with lids. that corner was previously home to our camping stuff (which is currently in the car), so i'm not sure where this is all going to go after thursday.

oh, and did i mention that both of our cars serve as additional storage space for catering stuff we can't fit in the house, like the chafing dish racks?

(i think i'm a bit stressed about this event....pressure cookers don't normally incite rants from me. sigh.)

[quiet-ness.livejournal.com]

Ah, I have two cookers (one's at Mom's house) and one canner. Bring on the rant...

On a not entirely unrelated note, the best way to do rice in a pressure cooker is to put two cups of water in the pressure cooker under the steamer insert. Then combine 1 part rice to 2 parts water in a bowl that will fit inside the cooker on top of the steamer insert. Bring to high pressure and cook 8 minutes for white rice, 20 minutes for brown. Release pressure naturally. This way, you don't get burnt rice at the bottom of the pressure cooker. But you probably already know that.