Food - Drink
Why You Should Start Saving The Water You Use To Rinse Rice
By LAUREN CAHN
Whether you rinse rice for an extra fluffy texture or to remove trace amounts of dust and heavy metals, rinsing rice is an easy way to improve the quality of your finished product. However, rinsing rice not only has the power to enhance your meal, but the liquid leftover from rinsing also has multiple uses both inside and outside of the kitchen.
When you rinse rice, it removes the excess surface starch leaving you with a starchy liquid that has a plethora of uses, just make sure to use the water after your first or second rinse. The resulting starchy water is flavor neutral and can be used to thicken broths and soups, or alternatively, can be used to rinse fish in order to reduce the fishy smell.
Outside of cooking, rice water can be used as a cleaning solution, which might sound counterintuitive since starch is a sticky substance, but rice water is slightly abrasive and mildly acidic, making it excellent for cleaning. As a cleaning solution, rice water can be used to clean kitchen countertops, appliances, and even your dishes.
Lastly, lifestyle blogger Shannon Lush swears by rice water as a fabric conditioner and says it makes her sheets and pillowcases feel extra luxurious. If you would like to get creative with rice water, just remember to store it in the fridge where it should stay good for about a week, and if you want the maximum starch factor, try using sushi rice.