How to Microwave Rice

Rice is the staple food of millions of people all over the world.  For Americans, though, rice is not as popular as starchy foods like bread and potatoes, and rice has been relegated to the exoticism of New World and Oriental cuisine.  If you want to cook rice quickly and still get that fluffy consistency that comes with good rice, here’s how you can cook it using your microwave.

Rice and Microwaving

Many grain products like wheat semolina (couscous) and millet are prepared by introducing water to them and cooking them over a heat source.  In Oriental cuisine, rice is either steamed, boiled, or fried to introduce water to the grain, which rehydrates and reconstitutes the starch.  A stove on low heat or a rice cooker may be used to cook rice, but you may also use a microwave oven to cook rice.

Microwave cooking works by exciting water molecules in the food, causing the fluid to become superheated and cook the dish through.  Like in a conventional stove or rice cooker, rice expands as it cooks, introducing moisture to the starch molecules.  Unlike conventional cooking methods, though, microwaving minimizes the possibility of overcooking or burning the rice.

Steps

To cook rice in a microwave oven, follow these steps:

1. Most microwave ovens come with a rice microwaving kit along with other microwave-safe cookware.  If you don’t have the kit, a microwave-safe bowl is great.
2. Wash the rice (preferably long-grain rice) to get rid of any excess starch.  Wash the rice until the rinsing water runs clear.  You may want to hold on to rice washings, because they make a great base for Oriental-style soups like Thai tom yum goong, or Chinese egg drop soup.
3. Place the rice in the bowl, making sure that the surface is flat to permit even cooking.
4. The most common method applied to adding liquid to rice is called the “Mount Fuji.”  Place just enough water on the rice so that the level of the water reaches the knuckle of your middle finger when you lay your hand flat on the surface of the rice.  For microwaving, you may want to add a little less because not a lot of water will be lost to steam.
5. Place the bowl into the microwave, set the temperature to high, and cook for at least ten minutes.
6. Set the temperature to medium low and cook for at least 15 minutes.  Do not stir or mix the rice grains.
7. When the cooking is done, fluff the rice up with a wooden spoon or a dinner fork.

For many people, rice is the source of all sustenance.  With these steps, you can make the perfect batch of rice to serve to friends, guests, and family members for any meal of the day.

How to Cook Using Leftovers

Leftovers are a common problem in most households, and a lot of us are loathe to throw them away completely. If your leftover ingredients are still good, put together a good meal using only your leftovers. Here are some suggestions.

Egg Omelet

Egg omelettes are a nourishing and flexible food that works great with most vegetables. If you have onions, garlic, cheese, potatoes, green pepper, mushrooms, ham or chicken, simply chop them up finely and cook some mean omelettes with them.

Noodle Soup

If you have some pasta leftover from dinner without any more sauce to go along with it, you can make noodle soup from it instead. Shredded chicken, carrots, onions, parsley and garlic are also very welcome additions to your noodle soup. If you don’t have leftover chicken but other kinds of meat instead like ham, duck or turkey, you can use it in your noodle soup in the same way you use chicken.

Stir-Fry

Let your food be Asian-inspired by using leftovers with rice using the stir-fry method. Garlic, green peas, bits of meat, corn and onions go a long way with fried rice. Stir-fried rice can also help expand the leftovers to feed more people by being distributed in the rice. There are very few leftover ingredients that won’t go well with stir-fry food.

Noodles are also a good substitute for rice if you don’t fancy rice all that much.

Roasted Vegetables

Vegetables hardly come cheap, and it’s really alarming when we discover vegetables just on the brink of going bad. One way to revive them? Roast them, kebab-style. Roast onions, green pepper, tomatoes and other vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil over a grill. A delicious and healthy way to cook with your leftover ingredients.

Sandwiches

If you have leftover meat like turkey, chicken or steak, slice them up finely to make for sandwich filling. You can opt to mix a bit of mayonnaise and mustard and serve in a sandwich bun.

Keep in mind that leftover food means they’ve been sitting around for a while, so make it a point to consume them immediately after preparing them as you like. Consuming them as soon as possible lessens the possibility of the food spoiling or rotting without you even noticing it.

How to Make a Dog House

Make your dog’s life more comfortable by making him a place of his own. Don’t let your dog lie anywhere to rest. Here are some steps you can follow to make a dog house.

Materials and Tools You’ll Need

• Exterior plywood sheet
• untreated board
• Pressure treated board
• A quarter of paint or wood stain
• A box of 1-5/8″ galvanized nails
• 1 bundle of rook shingles
• A tube of roof cement
• Tape Measure
• Drill and screw driver bit
• Miter saw
• Paint brush
• Pencil
• Hammer
• Caulking gun

Steps

1. Base the size of your dog house on the measurements of your dog, like how tall and how wide your dog is. If your pet is still small, you might want to consider making an allowance so your dog has enough room when it grows.
Make the base of your doghouse using the pressure treated board.
2. Drill a couple of holes on the sides of the base. This will take care of the moisture from the ground. Put screens over the holes to prevent small animals, like rodents from going in the holes.
3. Make the floor using a half an inch thick of untreated plywood board. Use a solid wood to make the frame. Screw an untreated plywood board on the solid wood. Your floor should be about 6/8 inch thick.
4. Make the wall frames using studs. Have 2″ x 3″ studs for the sides and 2″x2″ studs for the front and back of the doghouse. Put these together with screws.
5. Assemble the side walls.Put the untreated plywood boards to the studs. Remember that your boards should be as long as your floor. Use 2″ screws to secure the boards.
6. Get another board that has the same length as the floor. Divide this board into 2. These pieces will be your front and back wall.
7. Mark the area of the board to show the angled peak of the doghouse. Cut through the line that you made.
8. Make the roof by measuring the length from the front to the back wall.
9. Get a ridge board and using your measurement, cut the board into 2.
10. Measure the angles for your rafters. Cut the rafters using a miter saw.
11. Secure the ridge board to the beams using screws.
12. Get the board for your front and back wall. Draw the doorway on your front board and cut.
13. Attach the boards to the studs and to the house.
14. Secure the roof.
15. Paint or stain your doghouse.
16. Wait until it dries completely before letting your dog in.
17. You can also put door flaps on the doorway.

Tips

• When planning on the size of your doghouse, make sure that your dog has enough room to walk and stretch his body when he’s inside the doghouse.
• Remember that the doghouse will keep your dog comfortable on cold months and on warm months. If you build the correct doghouse size, your dog will stay warm during cold months as he’d be able to generate enough heat to warm his house. On warm months, a spacey doghouse will let enough air in so your dog won’t get hot.
• Ventilation is very important. You can make small holes on top of the walls so air can also come in from above.
• Having a base is very important to prevent the doghouse from rotting quickly because of the damp ground.
• Be careful of the materials you use. Treated boards contain chemicals that may be harmful to your pet. Pressure treated boards shouldn’t be used on areas that your dog may come in contact with, like the walls and floor. Only use pressure treated boards for your base. If you think that your dog may chew or scratch on the base, you can cover this with scrap untreated plywood sheets.
• You can add cushion pads to make it more comfortable for your dog.
• To extend the life of your doghouse, make sure that you clean it regularly.