Brown rice is a lot more nutritious than white rice, but revealing that inner beauty takes time -- about twice as long as it takes to cook white rice, which is brown rice with the bran and germ removed.
Removing these outer layers makes white rice cook more quickly, but it also removes almost all the beneficial fiber, healthful oils and nutrients, according to Kara Berrini, program manager of the nonprofit Whole Grains Council. (Enriched white rice adds back some of these nutrients.)
We compared three quick-cooking brown rices to a batch of long-cooking brown rice and found little difference in taste and texture. And several studies indicate that parboiling brown rice to make it cook more quickly does not reduce its vitamin content and actually helps preserve some nutrients.
The brands varied in nutritional content, which seemed odd since all listed parboiled long-grain brown rice as their sole ingredient. But Riviana Foods, maker of Success, said that brand lists only the nutrients required to be on the label by the FDA.
And ''nutrient content can vary depending on the variety of rice, where it's grown, age, processing, etc., but the difference in levels should not be too significant,'' according to an e-mail from Emily Korns, manager of health and science communications for Mars North America, parent company of Uncle Ben's.
Minute Instant Whole Brown Rice
Cost: $1.99 per 14-ounce box.
The package says: Cooks in 10 minutes; 43 g or more per serving of 100 percent whole grain (eat 48 g or more of whole grains daily).
Nutrition: 150 calories per 43 g or 2/3-cup serving (cooked); 10 mg sodium; 2 g fiber (8 percent of daily value); 3 g protein; 15 percent daily value magnesium; 8 percent daily value niacin; 6 percent daily value zinc.
The verdict: Fluffy and sticky; very mild flavor.
Grade: A
Uncle Ben's Fast & Natural Whole Grain Instant Brown Rice
Cost: $1.69 per 14-ounce box
The package says: Cooks in 10 minutes. Supports a healthy heart; natural source of fiber; naturally low in fat and cholesterol free. Excellent source of 100 percent whole grain.
Nutrition: 170 calories per 47 g or 1 cup serving (cooked); 0 mg sodium; 2 g fiber (8 percent of daily value); 4 g protein; 15 percent daily value of thiamine, niacin and folate.
The verdict: Grains of rice were distinct instead of sticking together. Nutty flavor, but still quite mild.
Grade: A
Success Whole Grain Brown Rice
Cost: $1.99 per 14-ounce box
The package says: 10-minute boil in bag; contains 4 bags.
Nutrition: 150 calories per 43 g or 1 cup serving (cooked), about 2 servings per bag; 0 mg sodium; 2 g fiber (7 percent of daily value); 4 g protein.
The verdict: Least flavorful of all the brands; fluffy texture. But that 8-10 minute cooking time is after you bring a quart of water to a boil with the bag submerged. Then you have to fish the bag out of boiling water, drain it and cut the still-hot bag open to serve. On the other hand, the cooked rice can be kept in the unopened bag until the rest of the meal is ready.
Grade: D for difficulty.
The bottom line: Eating more healthfully doesn't get much easier than subbing these products for white rice.
