fried rice

[draco dormiens]

I did google this before deciding to ask here for help. BUT, I just tried to make fried rice and wound up with fried rice mush. It's edible but rather unappetizing.

Oh, and are hot oil and rice supposed to pop and burn you while you're cooking them? Because that's definitely what happened to me...

[miss_s]

You should make the rice a day ahead of time. The drier rice frys better and also soaks up the flavors better.

[miss_s]

PS, it should make popping sounds, but it shouldn't burn. Maybe your oil was too hot?

[draco dormiens]

This was definitely cold rice. I made it 3 days ago and refrigerated most of it for this purpose.

And yeah, maybe the oil was too hot. Guess 400 degrees is a bit much...

Oh, the rice wasn't burning. It burned me when it popped out of what I was cooking it in.

[miss_s]

What kind of rice did you use? What kind of oil?

I usually drain my rice really well and actually let it sit on the counter for just a day. Refrigerating it seems to hold the moisture in a little too much...

I don't know. It is a mystery. Spooky.

[draco dormiens]

Hm....that's probably it. I didn't drain it well enough. So of course it would get mushy.

I used cheap-ass rice. Nothing special, just your normal $1 bag rice from the gas station.