Should rice be washed thoroughly before cooking?

Many people believe that washing rice too thoroughly will remove nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, iron, and zinc that are beneficial to the body. If you do not wash rice, you will not be able to clean the dirt in the rice.

In fact, rice contains a lot of calcium, vitamins, and minerals. Therefore, you should not wash or rub too hard to lose the important nutrients of the rice grains.

However, washing rice helps you remove microplastic particles in rice due to the transportation, packaging, and storage process. Washing rice also removes dirt, sand, and gravel mixed in the rice. Rice contains inorganic arsenic, although in very small amounts, which can be removed by washing rice.

In addition, the nutritional value of rice depends on the variety, soil conditions, climate, and cultivation, not just the way it is washed.

Studies have shown that just 30 seconds of washing rice can remove many harmful substances. Washing rice before cooking will make the rice stickier when cooked.

Notes when washing rice and cooking:

- Do not mill the rice too white. When washing rice, do not rub it too hard. Just wash the rice, stir gently, and drain the water to remove worms and sand.

- You should use boiling water to cook rice instead of using cold water.

- When the rice boils, turn down the heat and cover to keep the heat in, avoiding contact with air because this is a factor that further destroys the vitamins in the rice.

DOCTOR NGUYEN HUY HOANG (Vietnam - Russia High Pressure Oxygen Center, Ministry of National Defense)

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/co-nen-vo-gao-ky-truoc-khi-nau-ar873293.html