Should rice be washed before cooking?

Washing raw rice with water before transferring it to the pot in which it will be cooked is a mandatory step for thousands of people around the world. In countries such as Pakistan, India or Iran, basmati rice, one of the varieties of this grain, is usually washed 3 to 5 times before cooking. In other countries, such as Thailand, China, the Philippines and Japan, they wash rice between two and three times. (can read: This is the oldest shoe in Europe)

But is it necessary to wash the rice before putting it in the pot? Many scientific studies published in recent years have addressed this question from different aspects. What does he lose and what does he gain by washing it? Does it really affect the texture?

The first thing to be clear is that many researches have found that washing rice for 5 to 10 minutes can remove 60 to 80% of the fat stuck to the surface of raw rice. A study published in 2016 noted, “Washing is thought to be a practical means of reducing free fatty acids and flavor development in cooked rice due to lipid oxidation.” (You may be interested in: There is concern about budget cuts for the Colombian Geological Service)

Another proven benefit of washing rice before cooking is the elimination of plastic in store-bought plastic or paper bags of this grain.

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In a study published a few years ago in the journal Hazardous Materials Magazine, A group of Australian researchers noted that “washing rice with water significantly reduces plastic pollution.” (You can also read: This is the first evidence of the existence of a rotating black hole discovered by astronomers)

Their work cited previous research that estimated the amount of plastic ingested through rice consumption in Australia at 3.7mg in a 100g serving if not washed. The concentration of plastics decreased to 2.8 mg in a serving of the same weight when the rice was washed.

It has also been shown that washing rice before cooking it also helps reduce concentrations of elements whose human consumption poses a major health risk. study published In 2018, it found that “washing significantly reduced concentrations of cadmium, arsenic, and lead” in rice. (You may be interested in: Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company won’t be able to offer space travel right now, so what happened?)

However, washing these grains before cooking has also been found to result in the loss of essential nutrients such as B vitamins, iron and zinc, leading to lower nutritional quality, a pair of scientists wrote 13 years ago.

Finally, more recent studies have addressed whether washing rice changes its texture, a widespread perception among those who cook. But, as a group of researchers found two years ago, the texture of rice does not change after washing it. (You can also read: Black dust and debris: What they found in the capsule that collected asteroid samples)

With all this, it is important to know that experts continue to recommend washing rice to obtain all the benefits found in this practice.