Vocal Voices

In my eternal quest to find cheaper food (so i have more money for going out and my wine LOL ) and after watching an old version of super scrimpers I decided to try a store own value brand basmati rice. Now I usually buy the store own brand as it is and it's perfectly fine, but the value brand.... not worth the money you're saving; it's really stodgy and gloopy compared to what it normally comes out like.

Oh well, thankfully it tastes just fine so it's not a total waste; it just doesn't look nice

Did you rinse it before cooking meriad?
I bought some tesco value basmati when I was cooking all that fish and rice for Minnie, because when I went it was actually the cheapest option. Obviously it didn't matter for her, I was cooking it and the fish in the same pan, but I did use some for us. We nearly always have brown rice as we prefer it but for some meals white is nicer (I think it was chicken kiev ).
Anyroad, I rinsed it first in a sieve and then cooked it, and it was fine - not fantastic but certainly not gloopy or stodgy.

Basmati is the only rice I buy, and it is usually the supermarket's own brand, and never, ever the easy cook version.

It needs to be rinsed in a sieve till the water runs clear, then it needs to be left for about 30 mins to dry.... then it needs to be pre-cooked in as little oil before cooking it in water. The water should just cover the rice by 1 or 1.5cm

Once it is comes to the boil, in a well covered pan, it must be turned to as low as possible, even going past the 'low' setting if possible, and left undisturbed for at least ten mins.

No, I didn't rinse it - I seldom do and it usually isn't a problem.

As for cooking it, I used to do it the 'normal' way in a pot, but last year I invested in one of these http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_product ... uctId=9805 and now always use that - I love it and the rice comes out perfect.

Rice does vary, even different bags of the same make. Sometimes when it's rinsed the water will be clear, other times loads of starch comes off, so I do tend to always rinse it.
I don't have a thing like yours, but all the time we were at Bb's flat we cooked rice in the microwave, with a steamer wotsit, it works fine too