Cooking Instructions – Lundberg Family Farms

General cooking instructions for our products can be found here!

How do I cook your brown rice in an Instant Pot?

Cooking Instructions – Brown Rice, Red Rice, Black Rice, Quick Wild Rice & Rice Blends

1 Cup of Rice

1 Cup Water

Pressure cook the rice mixture: Close the lid of the pressure cooker. Set the valve to “Sealing” and start the pressure cooker on “High” for 15 minutes. Once completed, turn the Instant Pot off and carefully quick-release the remaining pressure.  Using 1 Cup water results in a bouncy, slightly chewier texture.  If a softer texture is desired, use 1 ¼ Cup water instead.

How do I cook your white rice in an Instant Pot?

Cooking Instructions – White Arborio, White Jasmine, White Basmati, and Long Grain White Rice

1 Cup of Rice

1 Cup Water

Pressure cook the rice mixture: Close the lid of the pressure cooker. Set the valve to “Sealing” and start the pressure cooker on “High” for 5 minutes. Once completed, turn the Instant Pot off and carefully quick-release the remaining pressure. 

How do I cook your entrees in an Instant Pot?

Add all ingredients to Instant Pot.

Stir until seasoning is fully mixed with water and rice. Seasoning will get clumpy if it isn't stirred very well.

Set top knob to sealing.

Cook for 8 minutes in “Pressure Cook” (or “Manual”) mode.

When finished, manually release steam by turning knob to Venting.

Fluff and serve.

How do I cook your risotto in an Instant Pot?

Sauté olive oil and dry rice for 2-3 minutes.

Add water.

Stir until seasoning is fully mixed with water and rice. Seasoning will get clumpy if it isn't stirred very well.

Set top knob to Sealing.

Cook for 8 minutes in “Pressure Cook” (or “Manual”) mode.

When finished, manually release steam by turning knob to Venting.

Fluff and serve.

Oven

How do I cook your rice in the oven?

Cooking rice in the oven while the rest of the dinner is baking is a good use of energy.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Measure out rice according to package directions and place in an oven proof baking pan.

3. Measure out cold water or broth according to package directions; place in a sauce pan, cover, and bring to boiling.

4. Pour into baking dish with rice. Stir and cover tightly. Place in oven on the middle rack.

5. Bake rice and water:

For White Rice: Cook 25 minutes; let steam 5 minutes.

For Brown Rice: Cook 60 minutes; let steam 5 minutes.

4. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Microwave

How do I cook your rice in a microwave?

You can cook rice in the microwave, but it is not the recommended cooking method. To cook in the microwave, we recommended using our Ready to Heat microwavable pouches of rice. They cook up in 90 seconds and are available through our site here: https://shop.lundberg.com/collections/ready-to-heat

To cook in the microwave, you will want to note that wattages vary in microwave ovens. The times listed are suggestions; you may need to adjust for your MW oven. Try reducing the power setting if you have boil overs, esp. if you have a high wattage MW oven.

1. Use a 4 quart deep microwave baking dish, with a lid or MW safe plastic wrap.

2. In MW dish combine rice and water according to package directions. Stir.

- For White Rice: Cover and cook on HIGH (full power) 3-4 minutes or until boiling. Reduce setting to MEDIUM (50% power) and cook 15 minutes. Let steam, covered, 5 minutes.

- For Brown Rice: Cover and cook on HIGH (full power) 3-4 minutes or until boiling. Reduce setting to LOW-MEDIUM (40% power) and cook 37–40 minutes. Let steam, covered, 5 minutes.

3. The dish will be hot! Carefully uncover dish to allow steam to escape.

4. Fluff with fork and serve.

Can you microwave packaged risotto?

Microwave:
In a microwaveable glass casserole, combine rice, seasoning, 2 1/2 cups of water, and 1/2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Stir well and cover.
Reduce microwave power to 70%. Cook 11 minutes. Remove cover and stir.
Cook uncovered a additional 10 minutes at 70% power and stir. Check for Tenderness.
Add one additional minute as needed, checking texture after each minute.
Serve piping hot.
*Microwave ovens may vary so adjust time and temperature accordingly

Other

How do I cook in a rice cooker?

Rice cookers offer “set it and forget it” convenience.

Follow the directions that come with your rice cooker for the rice to water ratio. The rice cooker sensor will turn it off automatically when all the water is absorbed. Let steam with the lid on for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Do you recommend a rice cooker?

We don't have a specific recommendation for a type of rice cooker, but we do use Vita Clay, Zojirushi and Panasonic in our commercial kitchen and have had good luck with them. We also sell Vita Clay in our store in Richvale, CA.

Our rice was featured in this article that has some great recommendations: https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/reviews/best-rice-cooker?iid=CNNUnderscoredHPcontainer

How do I cook in a slow cooker?

You can cook rice in a slow cooker, but we generally don't recommend it because the rice will start to burn as soon as the water is absorbed.

(If you are cooking a dish in a slow cooker we recommend adding cooked rice during the last ten minutes of cooking.)

If your only option is to cook rice in a slow cooker you can follow these instructions:

1 cup rice

2 cups liquid (water or broth)

butter

DIRECTIONS

Rub your slow cooker lightly with 1 tablespoon butter or margarine.

Pour in rice and liquid.

Cover and cook on High 1 1/2 hours (white rice) to 2 1/2 hours (brown rice), stirring occasionally.

How do I use the pasta cooking method?

1. Measure rice and rinse well with running water. Drain.

2. Fill a large pot with water and bring to boiling.

3. Pour in rinsed rice and begin timing.

4. Check the rice toward the end of the cooking time and test for tenderness.

5. When the texture is to your liking, remove from heat and drain the water off, catching the cooked rice in a fine sieve.

6. Drain well and return to cooking pot, cover and let steam for 5-7 minutes.

7. Fluff with a fork and serve.

How do I cook at a high altitude?

If you live at a high altitude we recommend using the Pasta Method.

My rice isn’t cooking correctly. What am I doing wrong?

The cooking directions printed on our packaging have been carefully tested but may vary depending on factors such as elevation, cooking appliance, and even cookware. Below are a few suggestions to ensure your rice cooks up as intended:

Using the right saucepan and lid

A heavy bottomed saucepan with triple-ply layers will ensure even heat and prevent burning on the bottom, before the rest of the rice is cooked through.
Use the correct size for the amount of rice being cooked: use a medium size (2 quart) for 1 cup of uncooked rice; use a 3 quart for 2 cups rice. If you use too large a saucepan the liquid will evaporate too quickly as you are bringing the water to boil.
You will want to choose a saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Part of the cooking process is keeping the steam in the saucepan in contact with the rice. If the lid isn’t sealing well, then too much water is evaporating before it is absorbed by the rice, resulting in underdone or crunchy rice.

Do Not Disturb!

Resist the urge to lift the lid and take a peek while the rice is cooking or steaming. You are letting the steam out! Steam is what penetrates the rice and softens the kernels.
Don’t stir while cooking! Once you have put the lid on the saucepan to cook on low simmer, let it cook without stirring. Otherwise the outer layer of rice will get mushy, while the interior will still be hard because you have let the steam out.

Crunchy or chewy rice

Check that your measuring cups are accurate and that you are using the correct measuring cups for the job. We recommend dry ingredient measuring cups for rice. Use a glass measuring cup for liquids.
Don’t lift the lid to check on your rice while it is cooking or steaming. (See above) You are letting the steam out!
It is important to let the rice steam for 10 minutes after cooking on the stove. Don’t be impatient! The steam is penetrating the rice kernels and making it tender throughout.
Once your water and rice have come to a full boil, immediately put the lid on and reduce the heat to a low simmer. If you wait too long, too much water will have evaporated. Add back 2-4 tablespoons of water and cook as directed.
Be sure that you have turned your heat down enough, for a low simmer. You should have slow bubbling. If the heat is too high, the water will cook off before it has a chance to penetrate the rice kernels.
Use the correct size burner for the saucepan. If you put a small saucepan on a large burner you have too much heat on the exterior walls of the saucepan, resulting in burned or crunchy rice on the edges.
Use the correct size saucepan for the amount of rice. (See ‘using the right saucepan’ above)
If you are cooking a small quantity of rice (less than ½ cup) the water may have evaporated before the rice was cooked. Try adding additional water (1-2 tablespoons) or try using the Pasta Method.
If you are cooking on a gas stove that doesn’t have a low enough flame for a low simmer, or you are cooking with propane, try using a diffuser to spread the heat.