To wash the rice before cooking or not? That’s what the science says

Photo: Carlosrojas20/Getty Images

for cooking It’s a skill that not everyone possesses, but it is something necessary to survive and enjoy nutritious and delicious meals.

However, not having this skill should not be seen as the end of the world, as anyone can learn the art of cooking, even those who think they already know everything. but how is that? Actually, when diving into this beingWe can discover new things and solve old doubts we had.

The classic example is the surrounding controversy Wash the rice or not. This question has divided opinions over the years, but more recently Sciences I decided to investigate and provide an effective response to solve this dilemma.

After all, wash the rice or not?

The reason many people wash rice is with the thought that it will reach the desired point without any errors or failures if this step is followed.

However, science has conclusively shown that this is unfounded. In fact, when washing rice, we remove a large part of the rice starch present in cereals.

So, we are actually doing a disservice to its preparation process when we wash it. But, of course, we are talking about that everyday common rice, not rice JohannIt is the famous Japanese rice.

Another common belief is that you need to wash the grains to remove impurities from the food. correct! It must also be said that the bacteria in the rice are eliminated during the cooking process due to the high heat.

Therefore, there is no need to worry about bacterial contamination if the rice is cooked.

Can I wash the rice if I want to?

Let’s take it easy. Before we decide to completely abandon the practice of rice washing, it’s worth pointing out why it’s still recommended by science: there is Microplastics.

These particles are not visible to the naked eye, but they can be removed in the washing process. Approximately 20% of the microplastics in rice are removed when we wash it before cooking.

Another reason to consider washing rice is to remove arsenic, a substance that can cause health problems when eaten in excess. That is, washing the rice is not completely useless, as it can help reduce its levels arsenic present in cereals.

On the other hand, washing the rice can also remove some of the nutrients from the grain. So this was a personal decision for each one.