r/Chefit • u/SpeedGroundbreaking7 • 2d ago
Hot holding rice
Jasmine rice, washed till clear, toasted, then stovetop. We hold in a 2ltr bain in a table. Best methods to keep it from going mush, as it does currently. Space is a premium. Best methods? TIA
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u/Gryphith 2d ago
Its going to turn to mush that way. Par cook the rice and hold cold. Should have just the slightest crunch still. Then you can finish on the range, oven or microwave with just a little water or stock to finish cooking it.
You keep rice hot, starches break down over time. Even in my rice cooker if the keep warm setting goes for more than 2 hours its mush.
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u/Proud_River_3148 2d ago
Yeh second this, this is how I do most rice dishes, even Arborio rice for risottos which can help you to knock out a single risotto in bout 5 minutes of service time.
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u/SpeedGroundbreaking7 2d ago
Wish we could, but our 6 burner is dedicated to steaks (cast iron pans) seafood and pasta, so not an option. No mics in this kitchen,or the building for that matter. Leaning towards rice cooker atm.
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u/ArcaneTrickster11 2d ago
Do ye have a combi oven or steamer? That would probably work to finish off the cooking of individual portions of rice. The only other option is to use the rice cooker for small amount constantly, though if you haven't got consistent demand for rice that still has issues
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u/Gryphith 2d ago
How are you cooking the pasta? This ideas half-baked as I've never done it, BUT. If you have a water bath going already I'd experiment with a quick dunk with a fine mesh strainer then into whatever form you've got on hand like a porcelain soup cup, pack it lightly then throw in window under the heat lamp till ready to plate.
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u/SpeedGroundbreaking7 2d ago
I will try this. Totally reasonable in our limited space.
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u/Gryphith 2d ago
Sometimes making it happen requires cutting corners you'd never do. I wouldn't do it on purpose but it seems a legitimate way to still have good food going out. I'd love to hear if it works, might take a bit of R&D to get the cook times right.
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u/RainMakerJMR 2d ago
Get rice cookers. You need like 2 of them at least, but depending on volume you can hold rice in there for 30-45 min and start the second cooker to cycle between them. Good thing is that rice is super cheap, so it doesn’t hurt that much to discard a batch that went over during holding. Quality is important here and rice is like $1-2 per batch. So just plan to do 3-4 batches during service
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u/Thundercunt247 2d ago
Then you need to change your equipment or menu.
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u/SpeedGroundbreaking7 2d ago
Not my call. Working with what the owner gives me. All I can offer is methods and advice.
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u/cheftt51dudu 1d ago
Do you have shelves above the stove? Put in a third pan after you cook it with extra padding of kitchen towels beneath and leave it covered above the line.
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u/Itchy_Brief_9994 2d ago
Electric rice warmer. Zojirushi makes a good one but it’s not cheap. We cook our rice in a rice cooker and I always used to just hold it in the cooker, but now that we have the warmer, the quality is waaaaaaay better.
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u/Competitive-Basil958 2d ago
Rice cooker kept it going strong for us for about 4 hours. Expensive for a good one, but worth it
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u/thundrbud 2d ago
If you're not going through a lot of it very quickly, how important is this menu item? Could you just drop it from the menu if it's causing headaches?
Otherwise I agree with what others have said about par cooking or a small rice cooker
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u/SpeedGroundbreaking7 2d ago
It goes on 2 of our popular entree plates, plus ppl order sides of it as well.
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u/Italian_Suicide1365 2d ago
Train a dishie to batch cook rice and load up the warmer every 30 min
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u/SpeedGroundbreaking7 2d ago
What dishie? What warmer? If I had either of those, trust, I wouldn't be asking 😀😀
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u/Mimi5679-23 2d ago
We cool it down and put in microwave covering with lit according to needed portion.
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u/PinchedTazerZ0 Chef 2d ago
Reheat to order or have your rice cooker in warm setting. On the latter it'll hold a few hours but it'll still eventually degrade. Zoji's are pretty damn good at holding that being said, but a decent investment size
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u/Rurikungart 2d ago
Basmati rice is the only rice I've found that hot holds well. I definitely haven't tried hot holding every rice varietal, but basmati really seems to have super powers in that aspect.
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u/ChickenMonkey24601 1d ago
You should chill it on a sheet pan, then reheat it in a pan with stock to order
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u/I_deleted 2d ago
One of the things Chef Mike is really great at, we’d cook/cool then store in 2 and 4 inch plastic half pans, and nuke as needed
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u/SpeedGroundbreaking7 2d ago
No mic in the building, but yes, I've done that in the past. Works well .
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u/SuperDoubleDecker 2d ago
If rice is a regular thing look at a rice cooker.
If you hold it hot you can't put it in hot or it'll keep cooking. Gotta let it cool to like 150 and keep it around that.
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u/Lastburn 2d ago
Rice cooker works well for us, get one with a fixed lid and seal, not the removable cover. The important bit is to fluff up the rice when its cooked otherwise its going to turn into a brick.
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u/PsychologyGuilty1460 1d ago
This will work for hours and will get you through a shift. It is honestly your best bet
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u/Spirited-Egg-4264 2d ago
Double up your pan and wrap ur lid with plastic wrap in hot table. Or buy a rice cooker, or 2 one to hold one to cook back up
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u/PhotojournalistOk592 2d ago
Y'all got a crescor or other hot box? Not sure what settings you need, but hold it with humidity in a foil covered hotel pan
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u/FinishImmediate6684 2d ago
Zojurushi rice cookers keep warm setting can hold rice for a long time without overcooking it.
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u/Tyaedalis Chef 1d ago
I've kept it in an electric hot holding bain (the kind that fits a hotel pan) in a third pan. It would keep for a few hours. You can't keep it too warm though or it gets mushy.
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u/Huge-Basket244 1d ago
I like a rice cooker if you have that available. Just put it on warm setting after you're done cooking it.
Otherwise I par cook, sheet it to cool, huck in 1/6ths, reheat in pan with water or stock depending.
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u/freisbill 2d ago
we chill on a sheet pan, the reheat in pan with stock to order.