In the scheme of all things this may not be at the top of the list of importance in the lives of some folks. However, a comment on the news, not so long ago, brought up the subject.
Once I had learned, decades ago, that it is a good idea to rinse rice until the water is clear, after a friend preparing rice did so, I have never gone back to not rinsing - after reading about why.
The need to rinse is supposedly for the purpose of rinsing off talc which has been added to the rice to prevent sticking. Perhaps that means it is added when rice is damp . . . or to prevent it from becoming damp? Dunno. But no matter the type of rice - packaged on a grocery shelf, or a jute gunny sack full of Basmati (real Basmati, not Jasmin as a substitute!) at a specialty shop - I rinse it until the water is no longer cloudy. It's easy. The first rinse provides a good idea of how much powdered "stuff" is on the rice, then just rinse until the water is no longer cloudy.
On a similar note, some folks soak rice (and all other grains) at least overnight, or for 24 hours. Apparently, it removes what may not be good for the GI tract. I read about it, and didn't intend to remember the details at that time, because it made sense enough to do a rice soak - at least once. So, I did. Oh dear! It was a never again moment. What a stink!! And so unexpected too. After 24 hours the water was cloudy, with small bubbles and residue on the surface . . . and extraordinarily stinky.
Rice does not seem to absorbs water when soaked. It becomes chalky white (no translucency remaining) so it probably meant that what the soak was intended to do, was successful. Haven't soaked rice since, because of the stink, even though the stink may indicate it is a good idea to do so. Maybe, another time, perhaps, when a lot of little stuff, none of which is so little when it comes to quality of life, has not accumulated so much for so many, like during the current time of covid. And of course that was added to what was still unresolved in our lives when the time of the covid crisis started - then being little or no opportunity for resolution.
Ah, life! What an adventure with the unexpected at every turn, no matter how dependably accurate our individual "cause and effect" radar is. No one knows best about everything all the time for everyone, or anyone else - for sure! I have learned to be able to be able trust the cause and effect radar of other individuals as well, to some extent, each in a unique way. Being able to do so (for good reasons) makes some aspects of life more reliably predictable, thus better in ways that enhance life or at least create some sense of stability as needed.
