Ask Gina

I have been trying to cook long grain brown rice (instead of the quick kind) and it keeps turning our “crunchy” instead of soft. I have followed directions on the package and for my steamer/cooker, but each time it comes out the same. Can you give me directions on how to cook long grain brown rice so that it comes out fluffy and soft?

Long grain brown rice will never be quite as fluffy and soft as white rice because the bran is intact. But it does have a lovely texture and nutty flavor when fully cooked.

It sounds like the trouble you are having is that the rice is being cooked too fast or at too high of a temperature and the water is evaporating before getting absorbed into the rice. A quick fix is to just add a bit more water to the mostly cooked pan or steamer of rice and let it cook a little longer until the desired result is achieved.

If cooking the rice on the stovetop,  wait until the rice and water have come to a boil and then cover the pot and lower the flame to the lowest setting possible. After this allow the rice to simmer until tender. You could also try doing the  whole thing in the oven in a covered dish. This ensures that the rice will be cooked slowly and have plenty of time to absorb all the water it needs. This also makes certain that there is little chance of the rice getting burned. This method takes a little longer, but if you factor in that you may not need to scrub a scorched pot afterwards, it could be worth the extra 15 minutes.