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Rice / Types
    Types
    Forms
    Processing & By-products
Types

Long Grain Rice — Long, slender kernel, four times longer than it is wide. Cooked grains are separate, light and fluffy.
Medium Grain Rice — Kernel is two to three times longer than it is wide. Cooked grains are moist, tender and slightly clingy.

Short Grain Rice — Kernel is almost round. Cooked grains cling together.

Aromatic Rice — Brown or white rice with a natural aroma and flavor similar to that of roasted nuts or popcorn. The U.S. grows different types of aromatic rice. Some cook dry and separate and some cook moist and tender.

Sweet Rice — Rice with an opaque white grain. Cooked grains are very sticky.

Wild Rice — Not a rice at all, but the brown seed of an aquatic grass native to North America. Although expensive, it expands to about four times its original volume. It compliments wild game nicely and works well in rice blends and soups.
Forms

Rough (Paddy) Rice — Kernels still within the hull. Before rice can be packaged or cooked, the outer hull or husk must be removed.
Brown Rice — Kernels of rice which have had only the hull removed. Brown rice may be eaten as is or milled into regular-milled white rice. Cooked brown rice has a slightly chewy texture and a nut-like flavor. The light brown color of brown rice is caused by the presence of bran layers which are rich in minerals and vitamins, especially the B-complex group.
Parboiled Rice — Rough rice that has gone through a steam-pressure process before milling. This procedure gelatinizes the starch in the grain, and ensures a firmer, more separate grain. Parboiled rice is favored by consumers and chefs who desire an extra fluffy and separate cooked rice.
Precooked Rice — White or brown rice that has been completely cooked and dehydrated after milling. This process reduces the time required for cooking.
Regular-Milled White Rice — Rice that has had the hull and bran layers removed. It is sometimes referred to as milled rice, milled white rice, polished rice, or polished white rice. Most white rice is enriched, giving it a nutritional value similar to brown rice.

 

Processing & By-Products

The properties of rice -- nutrition, neutral flavor, non-allergenic, digestibility and functionality (extrusion, puffing, crisping, freezing and thawing) -- make it a highly desirable ingredient in processed foods. While rice stands apart from most grains because it is generally consumed in its kernel form, its properties are ideal components in the manufacturing of cereals, snack foods, baby foods, frozen dinners, sauce thickeners and other products. Each part of the rice grain has many uses:

  • RICE BRAN - The outer layer on brown rice. Rice bran, which gives brown rice its color and nutty flavor, is an excellent source of thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and fiber. It is used as an ingredient in cereals and mixes, and in vitamin concentrates. Non-food grades of rice bran are used to feed livestock.

  • RICE HULL - The outer covering of the rice kernel, sometimes called the husk. Though the hull is inedible, normally it is not discarded. Hulls are used as fuel in power plants and rice mills, as mulch, in abrasives and other products.

  • RICE BRAN OIL - Rice bran oil is a high quality cooking oil, which has been extracted from rice bran. Studies show it is effective in reducing cholesterol in the blood.

  • BREWERS RICE - The smallest size of broken rice fragments, generally less than 1/4 length of a whole kernel. It is used in the process of brewing beer and other fermented products.

  • RICE FLOUR - Rice flours are extruded to produce rice pasta, chips and other snacks, as well as breakfast cereals. It is nonallergenic so it is particularly valuable as a wheat flour substitute to persons who are allergic to gluten and wheat flour products.

  • ENRICHED RICE - Rice that has the nutrients replaced which were lost through the milling process.

  • BROKEN KERNELS - Kernels of rice which are less than 3/4 length of the whole kernels. Used to make various products including rice flour and pet food.