Monthly Archives: May 2018

Perfect White Rice

Fatty Parry, recipes, , , , , , , ,

check out my new health and life goals blog at http://www.diethealthlifegoals.wordpress.com

This results in starch being released into the water causing everything to go sticky, slimy, or mushy. Are you seeing a pattern here? Starch is your enemy!

I love curry, always have. However, I always used to be frustrated about the white rice; sometimes it came out well, sometimes it was mush. I could never work out why, as I always followed the packet instructions. Why was there so much variation in the end product??

After many years of trial and error, I hereby reveal the secret of perfect plain white rice.

  1. Soak and rinse the rice beforehand until the water is COMPLETELY clear. I cannot emphasise how crucial this step is. Make sure it is rinsed until the water is cleeeeeeear. The cloudiness is caused by starch. Starch is what makes rice go sticky, slimy, or mushy. You must get rid of all the starch.
  2. Put twice as much water as rice. So, one cup of rice means two cups of water. You don’t want too much water or the grains won’t be able to absorb it all — which means they’ll burst a bit, release starch, and everything will go sticky, slimy, or mushy.
  3. Do NOT stir the rice. Seriously. As you stir, you are causing small amounts of damage to the grains. This results in starch being released into the water causing everything to go sticky, slimy, or mushy. Are you seeing a pattern here? Starch is your enemy!
  4. Do NOT vigorously boil. As you boil, the grains of rice bobble about. This agitation causes, guess what… damage to the grains, which releases starch, which causes the undesirable, sticky, slimy, or mushy rice that we abhor. You want to put that rice on the lowest, smallest possible flame. In fact, you DON’T want to boil it at all. The best rice involves bringing the rice up to boil, putting a very tightly fitting lid on it. Then just turning the flame off! Do NOT open the rice or touch the pot. Just let it steam for 45 minutes.
  5. Use as big as pot as possible. Why? Because if you are steaming it and not stirring the rice, you don’t want the rice at the bottom to go mushy because it has no space. Therefore, if you are making rice for a lot of people, and/or your pot isn’t oversized, then carefully turn the rice over after 15, 30, and 45 minutes. If on a low flame, no problem; if steaming, then you will lose all the steam when you open the lid to turn the rice. Therefore, when the lid goes back on, put the flame on max for around thirty seconds to build up the heat, and thus steam, and then turn off again.
  6. Oh yeah, and don’t forget a teaspoon or thereabouts of salt.

Whilst not strictly speaking necessary, I find it moderately helpful to wash and rinse the rice using the hot water tap.

Enjoy perfect plain rice!

© 2018 Bryan A. J. Parry

featured image from http://www.theveganrd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/White-Rice.jpg

Neologism: Parchment Contract

language, politics, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So, me and some workmates were talking about older work contracts today and how people on older contracts have much better terms and conditions than people on new contracts. It’s like, it gets progressively worse over the last thirty years. Seems to be common across organisations. Anyway, I said,  ‘Of course so-and-so was entitled to such-and-such a benefit; their contract is so old it’s written on parchment’. And then I was, okay, “parchment contracts”.

So there we are, I offer my nonce word up as a useful new word:

parchment contract n. phr. an older contract with preferential terms and conditions and pay, specifically used in bitter reference to how such contracts are now ancient, long-forgotten, history, and never likely to return.

© 2018 Bryan A. J. Parry

featured image from http://cbsnews2.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2012/04/06/6c5f91e8-3598-11e3-8ce8-047d7b15b92e/thumbnail/620×350/cee95ca89a1369962377c13e4c749723/contract_signing_000017511189.jpg

About Page Updated (2018)

misc, , ,

For your information, I’ve updated my “About” page for the first time in three years! Check it out.

© 2018 Bryan A. J. Parry

Netflix Film Review: The Circle (2017) #150WordReview @Netflix

film, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

check out my film review and Netflix blog at https://filmmovietvblog.wordpress.com

The Circle is the world’s number one tech business, a Facebook-Google-Apple mash-up led by a kind of Steve Zuckerjobs (Tom Hanks). Young intern Mae (Emma Watson) scores a dream opportunity to work for the firm, but the dream quickly turns into a nightmare. The set-up is compelling: the darkside of social media and modern technology, the invasion of people’s privacy and the loss of anonymity, as perpetrated by floppy-haired, latte-supping, trendy technologistas, under the guise of techtopian idealism.

Sadly, a well-realised world deserves a well-realised film. Most characters are cardboard cut-outs that we don’t care for. The development of Emma Watson’s character is illogical; the more she suffers the folly of this Brave New World, the more she seems to buy into it. And the ending is unfulfilling and makes no sense; Mae’s reaction is the literal opposite of the logical end point of her story arc. Watson does the best she can, and Tom Hanks is compelling, but the lack of through-line in the script makes for a frustrating what-might-have-been mess.

2/5

© 2018 Bryan A. J. Parry

featured image from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4287320/mediaviewer/rm2345938944

 

If it’s a Yes, we will say ‘On we go’, and if it’s a No, we will say, ‘We Continue’.
Jean-Claude Juncker, EC President, on the 2005 French vote on the EU Constitution

featured image from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Ioannes_Claudius_Juncker_die_7_Martis_2014.jpg

Random Images 35: Zidaned! #Random #RandomImages

football, humour, random images, , , , , , , , ,

Zidaned