Il brown rice contains more fiber than white. «This substance serves to slow down the absorption of fats and sugars and to speed up the intestine. The richer a grain is, the better it is », says Diana Scatozza, our dietician who has drawn up his ranking of the best products based precisely on this criterion.
Stickiness is a defect
«As regards my skills, on the other hand», food technologist Giorgio Donegani intervenes, «first of all I evaluated the variety of rice, on which the cooking resistance depends. In two cases it was Originario, a type with high stickiness and strong absorbency, which in my opinion is not very suitable to be consumed whole. As for the origin, all the products of the lab were from the village and some (to which I gave a plus for this) were also organic».
The examination then concerned the raw grains to check size, shape, color and presence of broken pieces before boiling them.
"For cooking, I scrupulously followed the instructions on the packaging", continues the expert, "and I must say that in principle they all turned out to be correct, only in a couple of cases it would have been desirable to increase the times a little. . I then judged the appearance of the cooked rice (the beans must remain well separated), its aroma and flavor (which must be quite intense) and above all its consistency, which must be hard, but not too hard, and homogeneous ».
Final clarification: "I did not consider parboiled rice to be better a priori, subjected to a treatment with steam that allows to reduce cooking times while maintaining the nutritional value. Instead, I analyzed them, before and after boiling, with the same criteria applied for the classical ones », Donegani concludes.
Agricola Eleonora Bertolone Orange brown rice, € 3,49 the 500 g pack (€ 6,98 / kg).
The strong point. The new aroma and color.
It is a particular rice, a new variety of the native country, made characteristic by the orange color and aroma. The grains have a rather elongated shape and there are no broken or defective grains. The cooking time indicated, which is only 16 minutes thanks to parboiling, is correct.
After boiling the rice looks very good, attractive in appearance, with a characteristic, pleasantly intense aroma. The beans are shelled and separated from each other and reveal a good texture in the mouth.
In 100 g: 70 g of carbohydrates, 7,7 g of protein, 4 g of fiber, 348 cal.
Rural District Riso e Rane Carnaroli brown rice, € 3,29 per 1 kg pack.
The strong point. The "controlled dna".
This precious Carnaroli is produced in a rural district in the province of Milan. The package bears the “controlled DNA” mark which certifies with genetic analysis the exact correspondence of the rice to the variety indicated on the label.
The beans, vacuum-packed, are large, of a beautiful light color, uniform shape and size. The cooking time is long: 40-45 minutes, but at the end a quality product is obtained, rightly aromatic in its perfume and with a satisfactory consistency.
In 100 g: 74 g of carbohydrates, 7,8 g of protein, 4,5 g of fiber, 356 cal.
Riso Scotti Riso Lungo B organic wholemeal, € 3,59 the 1 kg pack.
The strong point. Speedy cooking.
It is a Lungo B rice (less valuable than the Lungo A) subjected to parboiling. The cooking time is just 10 minutes (very little, since we are talking about a wholemeal product). Upon observation, the beans have an elongated shape, dark color and medium size.
After boiling the rice is consistent, but not raw, with a rather intense flavor and a well perceptible aroma. The grains are well shelled (on the other hand the parboiled have a low stickiness).
In 100 g: 71,6 g of carbohydrates, 7 g of protein, 4,3 g of fiber, 347 cal.
Auchan Parboiled whole grain Ribe rice, € 1,49 the 500 g pack (€ 2,98 / kg).
The strong point. The pleasant texture.
This Ribe variety rice is also parboiled. The grains are quite large, not very elongated, dark. The very scarce presence of broken or unevenly sized elements is favorably striking.
With 14 minutes of boiling, a pleasantly consistent rice is obtained, in which the characteristic integument of wholemeal is not much perceived, but its rather intense flavor is still felt. The beans are well shelled and resist cooking perfectly even if the indicated minutes are exceeded.
In 100 g: 73 g of carbohydrates, 7,5 g of protein, 3,1 g of fiber, 349 cal.
Our lab: Dr. Giorgio Donegani, food technologist in Sesto San Giovanni (Milan); Dr. Diana Scatozza, specialist in Food Science in Milan.
