7 Mistakes to Never Make For a Perfect Rice Salad

Rice salad, also known as cold rice, is one of the most loved and made dishes in the summer: practical and tasty, versatile and nutritious, it is a convenient one-dish meal for days when it is too hot to cook or when you have to go on a trip, perhaps to spend the whole day at the beach. There is no real classic version, it all depends on your tastes: the beauty of rice salad is precisely this, you can season it following your preferences, your imagination or simply what you have in the fridge, so as to personalize it to your liking. Rice salad is a simple recipe to make, but this does not mean that it does not require some particular care: some rather common errors can compromise the success, starting from the choice of the most suitable rice to the right temperature to consume it. Do you want to learn how to prepare the perfect rice salad? Here are the 7 mistakes you should never make.

1. Choosing the Wrong Type of Rice

Rice is not just one but a product available in thousands of varieties: in Italy alone, more than a hundred are grown. The choice of one variety of rice or another is very important when cooking because each has its own peculiarities of flavor, yield and behavior during cooking, and consequently each has its own particular specific use. Just as there is a specific rice for risotto, one suitable for sushi or one better for arancini, only some varieties of rice are good for preparing rice salad, specifically those that hold up well during cooking and that keep the grains well separated. Carnaroli rice and Arborio rice respond perfectly to these needs, but some varieties with thinner grains also lend themselves well, such as Rive, Roma or Venere with a particular black color, or even exotic types such as Basmati and Thaibonnet. Less known, but very good for rice salads, is parboiled: it is not a variety but a processing of raw rice that involves a partial boiling treatment of the grains before they are dried, a practice that reduces the presence of starch and guarantees separate grains that blend with the dressing without absorbing it.

2. Overcooking the Rice

Cooking is the second most common mistake when preparing rice salad: it is very easy to let the rice cook more than it should but the result is a sticky and sticky consistency when instead each grain needs to be well separated from the other. First of all, remember to follow the cooking times indicated on the package because each type of rice has a specific one, but remember to always drain it a couple of minutes before the expected time: the perfect rice salad is the one prepared with the rice slightly al dente.

3. Seasoning Hot Rice

Rice salad is a quicker recipe than many others, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its own timing to respect. The key is to never add the ingredients when the rice is still hot because they would spoil: you have to wait for the rice to cool before adding the other foods. You may have read the suggestion to pass it under water to cool it faster, but this practice is also totally wrong because it takes away all the starch and the flavor and aroma of the rice are lost. Wait for the rice to cool naturally (to room temperature, but at a cool point), even better if placed on a tray, fluffed with a fork and seasoned with a drizzle of oil.

4. Using Ready-Made Condiments

We know, jars of ready-made dressing for cold salads save you a lot of time, but if you want a really good rice salad it would be better to avoid them. I don't want to say that they are all poor quality products – some particularly good brands exist – but they are still canned food, which therefore in order to be preserved could have a whole series of preservatives inside that dampen the flavor a bit, in addition to not being very good for your health in the long run. This does not mean that if you use ready-made dressings every now and then it is a tragedy, just it is better that it does not become a habit.

5. Overdoing the Seasoning

The most fun and creative part of rice salad is choosing the combination of ingredients to create a dressing that satisfies you. Be careful not to overdo it, though: in this case “less is more” and the general rule would be to not add more than 3 or 4 foods in total. It is also important not to combine them randomly just because you like them: in general, opt for proteins with a similar flavor (avoid, for example, combining tuna and chicken), be careful with vegetables that release a lot of liquid (squeeze and drain them well before adding them) and choose compact vegetables that can be cut into small pieces but that do not fray once everything is mixed together.

6. Adding The Mayonnaise Together With The Other Ingredients

Mayonnaise yes or mayonnaise no? This is one of the biggest debates when it comes to making rice salad, a fight that creates real factions. The general rule would be not to use mayonnaise because it tends to compact the rice and other ingredients too much, creating a sticky pile; it is better to prefer other emulsions prepared at home. However, if you really love that sweetish taste that only mayonnaise can give, remember that you should not add it together with the other ingredients or, even worse, before combining them with the rice: this is precisely what makes the salad sticky. The trick is to add the mayonnaise directly when plating (a little, don't get carried away!)

7. Serving The Rice Salad Straight From The Fridge

Once the rice salad is ready, it is usually put in the fridge, because it is one of those recipes that you can prepare even several hours in advance of when you have to eat it. The habit is to take it out at mealtime and bring it to the table while it is still cold, but in reality this is a mistake to avoid: the sudden change in temperature could lead to an alteration of the flavor and consistency of both the rice and the ingredients, furthermore the cold will have certainly dried liquid condiments such as oil. To serve the perfect rice salad, it is best to take it out at least half an hour before eating it, adding a drizzle of oil to "soften" it again when it has reached room temperature again.