Healthy whole grains get better, faster in the Cuisinart pressure cooker!

Cooking and living the whole grain life - here at high altitude (4,412 ft) in Reno - can be something of a challenge. One option is to have one of the fuzzy logic rice cookers, which Maven has used for years. But, as good as it is, it’s damn slow. Brown rice takes freaking forever. It’s not something you want to do at the last minute for unexpected company.

Enter the Cuisinart CPC-600 6-quart electric pressure cooker. This is what lucky foodies and cooks will find under the Christmas tree this year!

I’m running this baby through it’s paces here at Kitchen Maven - what I do for you, my readers! And, today I did whole wheat berries and brown rice.

Oh, baby. Fast. Simple. And incredible.

I had to practically force myself to put the damn spoon down! Put the finished grains into the fridge for later use. Waaaaa. But they were so yummy! Just toothsome enough, not really al dente actually. Tender but whole. Not mush. They both could’ve got right into some outstanding soups with sauteed veggies and meat (unless you’re vegan, of course).

The wheat berries took the longest - 33 minutes ( I added 3 minutes for the altitude), with a 10 minute Natural Pressure Release. In other words, you don’t quickly release the pressure by turning the valve. Just let it cool down naturally. Since I was actually busy doing my exercise for the day, I let them simmer for probably 20 minutes until I could take them out and photograph them.

I used one cup of rinsed wheat berries to 3-1/2 cups of water, with 1-1/2 teapoons of the Herbamare seasoning salt, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Incredible. When done, I kept uh, tasting. Just a bit more.

The same results with brown rice. Only the brown rice took 13 minutes. The book said 10, but again, this is Reno. I used the same High Pressure and the slow Natural Pressure Release method.

Now, I realize they are more ‘soupy’ than a rice cooker would do them. But it’s a simple matter to drain off the excess liquid (shame, since it’s soooo flavorful) and use either grain in a pilaf side dish or such. But the sheer speed makes these grains so accessible for a weeknight supper that it’s well worth an extra step. With a bit of practice, I think I can pair down the amount of water.

On my next experiment, I think I’ll saute (on the saute setting of the wonderful Cuisinart) some onion in grapeseed oil, with some Juliet Mae Garam Masala Indian spice, then add the brown rice, with a chicken or vegetable broth.

Oh, gosh. That sounds great.

At any rate, this pressure cooker makes healthy, inexpensive whole grains completely accessible to the modern, time crunched home cook. I got this Cuisinart Pressure Cooker online at Amazon for well under $100, with no shipping charges. Now that’s real economy.

-maven

Tips to add nutritional value to white rice

Being of the whole grains are better grains persuasion, I don’t often use white rice. But this evening, I was doing a simple stir fry of bay scallops with onion, red bell pepper and baby spinach leaves with some bottled sauce, and the white rice just sounded better- and would cook faster than brown. 

  

Here’s what I do: I add some other whole grains to the mix. Since I use one of the ‘Fuzzy Logic’ Rice Cookers, it’s all pretty automatic, but works simillarly enough to my old rice cooker for this purpose. You add X cups rice and/or other grains and then water or broth to the corresponding mark. Close lid. Push a button and wait for the dingaling. I keep the ratio to about 4 parts white rice to 1 part other grains.

I keep Quinoa and Amaranth on hand all the time. I add these to the white rice and don’t notice any discernible difference in looks, but a nicer, but subtle nutty flavor. These grains are often available in specialty markets or the natural foods aisle. They are also available in bulk bins more often these days.

One of the great things, doing it this way, is that even fussy kids aren’t going to notice the difference. Ah … Moms’. We’re a sneaky bunch.

Shown above: Red Quinoa. Also comes in different colors.

Shown below: Amaranth 

Another grain I’ll sometimes add is quick cooking barley, or barley flakes ( which I’ve blogged about on here before). All of these grains add protein, fiber and micronutrients that bring a wealth of nutrition. You’ll not be sacrficing anything for the look and texture of white rice.

I also commonly add low sodium chicken or vegetable broth for extra flavor.

Rice is so wonderfully flexible that it will adapt to almost anything, and sometimes white rice is the best choice even when you’re trying to go whole grain. It’s nice to know how to amp it up.

maven