Summer is here, and it means only one thing: rice salad. It's one of the most beloved dishes of the warm months because it's tasty, fresh, and super easy to prepare, even in advance. Not to mention it's the perfect fridge-emptying recipe when you have a variety of ingredients to use up. But be careful not to underestimate it: rice salad—and this also applies to pasta salad or poke bowls—is certainly easier than many other dishes, but simply throwing everything in isn't enough to make it delicious. The main ingredient, in our specific case rice, must be chosen carefully and handled properly, so that the salad isn't just a jumble of ingredients but a truly delicious dish. Choosing the right rice is crucial, as not everyone is suited to this type of preparation. Cooking is also important, as it should be done in boiling salted water, if not cold. But there's one step that many overlook: chilling the rice. As you well know, it's best to let the rice cool before adding the ingredients, but do you know how to do it properly? Here are the best methods to avoid ruining it and what I should never do.
1. Never Rinse Rice Under Water
The most common advice we hear when it comes to cooling rice is to run it under cold water or add a glass of cold water to the pot to stop the cooking process. This is actually a bad practice and should be avoided because it ruins the rice itself (and also pasta or any other grain you choose to use): if you rinse the rice under water, you remove all the starch and lose the flavor and aroma. If you add cold water to the pot, you'll end up with sticky grains due to the thermal shock of the temperature abruptly dropping from 212°F/100°C to 68°F/20°C.
2. Let It Cool at Room Temperature
So how do you cool the rice before mixing it with all the other ingredients you've chosen for your salad? The best way is to take advantage of room temperature: drain the rice, drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil, arrange it evenly on a tray lined with parchment paper, and fluff it slightly with a fork. Cover it with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out, and let it rest in a cool place (you don't need a refrigerator, just a warm spot in your home). Stir the rice occasionally so the grains don't stick together, but always remember to cover it with plastic wrap until it's completely cooled and ready to use.
3. Use a Bain-Marie, But "Cold"
If you're looking for a quicker way to cool rice, you can try using a cold bain-marie instead of a hot one. This unusual technique usually involves placing a container filled with the food to be heated or cooked inside a pot full of water, thus cooking it indirectly through heat passing from one container to the other. Here, the concept is the same, but you'll fill the pot underneath with cold water and ice, then place a second container inside, containing the rice. In a few minutes, the rice will cool, but without affecting its flavor and aroma, the two elements that make it such a special ingredient.
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