There is surely nothing worse than washing sieves

Caribbean girl said:
I The idea of sieving rice has given me a great idea, since I have never done so. I just wash the rice in a bowl and use my hand to prevent any rice from getting out of the bowl while I am pouring off the water.
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Are you talking about rinsing the raw rice? That helps remove excess starch and stops the rice getting sticky. I sometimes do that in a bowl under a tap and tip out water until it goes less cloudy. @Duck59 is talking about rinsing it after cooking which is a little unusual.
 
So I have a little moment now and I am trying to zero in on this sieve conversation. I consider or considered myself a great rice cook who almost never have my rice stick to the bottom of the 'pot' because I am so good( where is the less than modest smiley?). However some time ago a 'chef' told me that in their restaurant they always cook their rice with excess water and throw the water off. I am now thinking they use a sieve possibly to get rid of the excess water and maybe that is what Duck59 is talking about?

I believe Caribbean girl is talking about the raw rice which some have long been saying should not be washed. At my rush house, I just rinse the rice a few times (ignoring those who say it does not need the washing) and throw off the majority of the water and dump whatever remains in the saucepan using the "absorption' method Morning Glory mentions. The amount of rice I usually cook would most times call for a very big sieve whatever method I use.
 
winterybella said:
So I have a little moment now and I am trying to zero in on this sieve conversation. I consider or considered myself a great rice cook who almost never have my rice stick to the bottom of the 'pot' because I am so good( where is the less than modest smiley?). However some time ago a 'chef' told me that in their restaurant they always cook their rice with excess water and throw the water off. I am now thinking they use a sieve possibly to get rid of the excess water and maybe that is what Duck59 is talking about?

I believe Caribbean girl is talking about the raw rice which some have long been saying should not be washed. At my rush house, I just rinse the rice a few times (ignoring those who say it does not need the washing) and throw off the majority of the water and dump whatever remains in the saucepan using the "absorption' method Morning Glory mentions. The amount of rice I usually cook would most times call for a very big sieve whatever method I use.
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You are doing interesting research here @winterybella ! I think there may well be a method where the rice is rinsed after cooking. If so, I will stand corrected. It might depend on the type of rice?

One again I'd love to hear from @Berties on the topic of how to cook rice!
 
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morning glory said:
Are you talking about rinsing the raw rice? That helps remove excess starch and stops the rice getting sticky. I sometimes do that in a bowl under a tap and tip out water until it goes less cloudy. @Duck59 is talking about rinsing it after cooking which is a little unusual.
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Yes, I am talking about rinsing the rice in its raw stage. I have never sieved rice that is already cooked. However, if the rice is already cooked, and the pot still has a little water in the bottom, it is a good idea to strain the rice off so as to avoid it being overcooked which would then cause it to become too cloggy. I can now recall an instance where my mother had to do this when there was too much water left in the pot and the rice was already cooked.
 
Pardon me but I also had problems with proper cleaning of sieves before. Sometimes the sponge for the soap would be ruined as I wipe the sieve with it in trying to take away the dirt. I remember one time when I sieved pasta and some pasta stuck to the holes. My mother taught me a neat trick, i.e. to tap the sieve onto the chopping board. But do that after soaking the sieve for a few minutes. When tapping the sieve, the sticking dirt will come off.
 
I have two plastic ones. I don't consider them to be too problematic. I just toss them in the dishwasher as needed, and they tend to come out fine. I make pasta a lot so my sieves or strainers as well call them here get a good workout. I would hate to be without one. They are versatile in the kitchen for sure, and used with a number of different things.
 
Berties said:
Get rid of the bulk in the strainer,give it a good beat on the bin ,turn it upside down on a rack and we have a spray hose attached to our taps and give it a careful spray through ,a lot of homes have these as well now,and either wash in soapy water or dishwasher this has always worked on sieves,chinois and chronicle strainers ,I have always used a metal sieve as I can pass purrees through it and mashed potato,a fine sieve I would only use for flour so cleaning not a massive issue ,drum sieves you have to take care with drying as they are normally wooden rimmed ,where as tamis sieve you can normally take apart for cleaning,any staining you can use lemon juice or any mild citrus acid cleaner
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Thanks, Berties (realizing now that Morning Glory added a '#' to your name earlier, Twitter I am guessing, I just typed it out as I saw it, I don't use Twitter... am sorry I included it in the spelling of your nickname!). Good advice!
 
Duck59 said:
Facetious responses aside, I like to rinse boiled rice with boiling water and this rather necessitates the presence of a sieve. I do the same with couscous and I also use a sieve to strain lentils.
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You rinse your couscous? I only buy the couscous in a box from a grocery store however (regular or whole wheat), no rinsing required. What type of couscous do you rinse, and why?
 
Amazing, isn't it? I post a perfectly innocent thread about washing sieves and find myself castigated from all quarters for the way I cook things. I have always worked on the basis that if it tastes good, then there wasn't much wrong in the preparation, but evidently I fail to tick the style boxes. Very well, the next time I cook rice, I will perform a triple back somersault in the piked position.
 
Duck59 said:
Amazing, isn't it? I post a perfectly innocent thread about washing sieves and find myself castigated from all quarters for the way I cook things. I have always worked on the basis that if it tastes good, then there wasn't much wrong in the preparation, but evidently I fail to tick the style boxes. Very well, the next time I cook rice, I will perform a triple back somersault in the piked position.
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I think you should cook rice however you want to Dear Duck. I was just curious about why you are rinsing it...
 
Ugh, I've noticed the same thing about my sieve. My tiny grater is even worse. I think I might purchase a plastic or rubber? sieve, because the mesh metal is difficult to clean and does snag the sponge/cloth I'm trying to clean it with. I've made my cheese a few times now and use a jelly bag, so the particles stay in that, rather than getting caught in the mesh of the sieve, so it's easier to clean, and just serves as a secondary sifting method.
 
@Duck59 made a very thought provoking thread. But I have used fine metal mesh colanders to wash rice. So in a way I too do use a sieve like item. I don't know if I misread, but besides rice, do you use sieve for curry too?

Cleaning sieve is just a hassle. I use hot water and baking soda to soak mine. Sometimes I would forgo the strainer and just use cheesecloth bags. At least I wont feel as guilty about tossing those.
 
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