I've always been very unimpressed with any rice that I make. It never tastes as good as the rice from the Asian restaurants, no matter the method used.
Then I saw a show by "America's Test Kitchen" (my favorite TV cooking show on PBS), which is known for their taste tests. They said that the best basmati rice is actually the one grown in India, all the US brands didn't measure up. The worst Indian rice was still superior to the best US rice due to the type of rice. If this type of rice was grown in the US, I'm sure it would do just fine, but it isn't (wish it was in an organic form).
Tilda brand came in first and Kohinoor came in second. I purchased some Kohinoor basmati brown long grain, cooked it according to directions in a pot (not a rice cooker) and was pleased with how it came out. Then I made salmon rice salad a few days later. It was outstanding, all due to the rice. I basted a piece of salmon with olive oil, cooked it in the oven, let it cool a bit, flaked it, and mixed it with some leftover almond slivers and salad dressing from a Taylor Farms Spinach Salad kit purchased at Sam's Club.
The local Asian grocery store only sells Tilda in absolutely huge bags and it would take years for us to go through one. Kohinoor was available in a small plastic jug with an airtight seal, so that's why I chose it. Someone told me they get their rice at Tom Thumb grocery (aka Safeway) because it's sold in manageable quantities. Be aware that you need to freeze it for at least 3 days when you bring it home (or can just leave it in the freezer indefinitely) and when you cook, rinse most rices at least 3 times. The brown Kohinoor was prepared for our western tastes and did not require rinsing.
Source: America's Test Kitchen
Season 8 cookbook, page 177
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Tips for making rice. Plain white rice as well as other variations. Post your ideas.
