# Rice: white or brown? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2013, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892 "2013-06-13T12:08:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/21 "2013-06-13T20:28:11Z")
I love both but only eat white, because brown gives me the shits. I have IBS which is only triggered by certain foods, whole grains are the worst. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/22 "2013-06-13T20:35:52Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > You might like Thai rice (called sticky or sweet), _steamed_. There are plenty of videos on how to make real sticky rice. I do like sticky rice as well, but for day-to-day stuff I like it less sticky than that, but stickier than something like basmati. Just regular unwashed white rice works best for me. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/23 "2013-06-13T20:47:14Z")
White rice is so boring, it has little flavor, it doesn’t offer much nutrition, and it just sits there taking up valuable space that could otherwise be occupied by more tasty items. I don’t eat rice much, but I prefer brown rice. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/24 "2013-06-13T21:05:10Z")
For some strange reason, cooked brown rice smells like an ashtray to me. I wanted to like it, but (gag!), I can barely choke it down. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/25 "2013-06-13T22:30:17Z")
Yellow. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/26 "2013-06-14T02:10:26Z")
I picked neither. I’ll eat white or brown rice occasionally, but it’s so bland and uninteresting in texture that I can’t admit to liking it. Instead of 200 calories of boiled or steamed rice, I’d rather have an extra 200 calories of whatever you’re serving with the rice. Same for pasta, noodles, and most store-bought bread. I’ll make an exception for fried rice. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/27 "2013-06-14T15:39:51Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > As for specific rices, I tend to like the stickier/starchier varieties. My standard go-to rice is just the long grain La Preferida rice or Goya’s California Pearl rice. Also a big fan of jasmine rice (can’t remember the brand, I just buy the big 25 lb sack of it.) A 25 lb sack? Man, that’s a commitment to rice my friend! 🙂 I prefer white rice _because_ of its neutral bland taste. Usually when I cook rice it’s because I’m serving it with something that’s saucy or juicy. The rice acts like a sponge and absorbs all that flavor with out changing the profile. (It also saves me the trouble of having to lick my plate clean. :D) Having said that, I’ve just recently discovered the joy that is jasmine rice. I made a Chinese BBQ pork tenderloin last week and served it over a bed of jasmine rice. Good stuff! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/28 "2013-06-14T15:43:45Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > A 25 lb sack? Man, that’s a commitment to rice my friend! 🙂 It goes pretty quickly. A cup of dry rice is about a half pound. There’s two of us here, so I generally do a cup to cup and a half of rice for the main meal (with leftovers for lunch the next day). I stir fry at least once a week, so that’s less than six months at that rate. In truth, we use a bit more rice than that weekly, so it’ll get finished within 3-4 months, usually. I’m pretty sure I’ve bought one of the 50 pound sacks before, too. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/29 "2013-06-14T15:45:39Z")
Has anybody ever cooked brown rice Thai style (i.e. with coconut milk and seasonings)? I’ve only cooked white this way and was wondering if brown works tastewise for this as well. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/30 "2013-06-14T15:48:05Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > White rice is so boring, it has little flavor, it doesn’t offer much nutrition, and it just sits there taking up valuable space that could otherwise be occupied by more tasty items. I don’t eat rice much, but I prefer brown rice. White rice soaks up whatever flavors are around it, much more so than even pasta. Cook it in chicken broth, you get chicken-flavored rice. Why would you eat it plain? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/31 "2013-06-14T15:51:54Z")
Brown. And when I cook it, I throw in a handful of other kinds of rice (except white). I put white rice into the same category as white bread, white sugar and white flour. Little taste, little nutritional value. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/32 "2013-06-14T16:00:18Z")
I do like brown rice for its additional flavor (made some yesterday to go with some Georgian/Caucasian chicken stew), but is it really that much better for you? Comparing nutritional info on both white and brown rice yields little difference, except brown rice has one gram of fiber per serving. I don’t feel my hunger spike any differently. I get hungry a couple hours after eating white rice, and I was refilling my bowl hours later just the same with brown rice. I mean, I see there is some slight benefit to brown rice, but I’m wondering if it’s not a bit overstated. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/33 "2013-06-14T16:09:00Z")
pudding ---
**Author:** ![\_xiao\_wenti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b782af/32.png) [@\_xiao\_wenti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_xiao_wenti)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/34 "2013-06-14T17:27:37Z")
I usually have about 4 or 5 types of rice in the kitchen. Each is different. Arborio for risotto. Han Guk Mi for Chinese or brewing sake (sticky). Jasmine for Thai. Basmati for Chili. Brown if I wanted a bit more hearty mouth-feel. I guess if I had to say, “White”, or the 4 types I mentioned. Oh. I used to get the big boxes of Minute Rice at Sam’s and keep in the lab when I needed something to snack on. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/35 "2013-06-14T17:51:09Z")
Brown, primarily because I try to eat more whole grains to reduce my cholesterol. I almost always use the microwavable packets, so it only takes 90 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/36 "2013-06-14T18:39:34Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Brown, primarily because I try to eat more whole grains to reduce my cholesterol. > > I almost always use the microwavable packets, so it only takes 90 seconds. Those bags are nothing short of awesome. I can’t even remember the last time I actually cooked rice. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/37 "2013-06-14T19:05:05Z")
They are both good for different things. Brown rice is mostly good by itself or with light flavoring. White rice is better for highly flavored stuff, like Spanish rice or chicken and rice. It absorbs the flavors better than brown rice. Wild rice doesn’t even really work like rice because of its chewy texture, but it’s still good. It’s so flavorful that you have to strong flavors to keep it from overpowering everything. I wound up using some spicy Rotel and a a few other things I don’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/38 "2013-06-14T19:25:34Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > They are both good for different things. Brown rice is mostly good by itself or with light flavoring. White rice is better for highly flavored stuff, like Spanish rice or chicken and rice. It absorbs the flavors better than brown rice. > > Wild rice doesn’t even really work like rice because of its chewy texture, but it’s still good. It’s so flavorful that you have to strong flavors to keep it from overpowering everything. I wound up using some spicy Rotel and a a few other things I don’t remember. Agreed. Each has it’s place. To me the OP is like asking; Bread: White or Whole Wheat?, there’s plenty of room for both, and don’t get me started on rye, sourdough, baguettes… ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/39 "2013-06-14T23:52:28Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Jasmine-scented white rice, because that’s what my wife buys. Yes, this; we also buy it 25lbs at a time (it keeps nicely in mason jars). But I’m okay with brown rice or regular white rice, just as long as you don’t try to feed me wild “rice” or Spanish rice I’m happy. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892/40 "2013-06-15T03:06:29Z")
I prefer white rice with butter, sugar, and cinnamon. I prefer brown rice in the dog’s bowl. Yuck. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rice-white-or-brown/660892.md?page=3)