A Cheer for ... Frozen Organic Brown Rice
Frozen Organic Brown Rice:
Trader Joe's has a great pre-cooked brown rice available frozen in individual 2-serving bags. You would never guess that rice this good came out of a plastic bag heated in your microwave. The kernels are distinct, flavorful, tender... and ready in 3 minutes! My Trader Joe's is often out of stock on this item, but when it comes, you can see people buying several boxes at a time, stocking up. It's that good.
Look for it in the frozen section. Each box has 3 pouches which contain 2 cups each (6 cups total per box). You can heat the bags in the microwave, or even toss the contents in directly with veggies in a saute pan.
More about brown rice:
Brown rice is unmilled rice, so it retains the outer bran covering. It is chewier and nuttier than white rice and also has more natural nutrients. It also takes longer to cook than white rice...typically 40-50 minutes on the stove top and 5-10 minutes to sit. Often, by the time I think "hey, some brown rice would be great with this," I really don't want to wait an hour for it. That's where the frozen rice comes in! And it also helps me avoid the occasional boil-over mess I get on the stove top when cooking rice the traditional method (usually I'm doing too many things at once and I'm famous for boil-overs!)
Doing it yourself:
Just an aside...pre-cooked frozen rice is nothing new. You can do it yourself, but it's a lot more work than buying the box at TJ's. Just cook a big batch of brown rice, portion it while it's still warm, and put it in freezer bags. Lay the bag flat on the counter, taking out the extra air and making sure the rice is less than 1 inch thick. It freezes and stacks nicely.
Overall:
The flavor and texture is very similar to what you would get from rice cooked on a stove top: nutty, chewy, tender but not mushy. I love that they don't salt the rice here—so just season it as desired.
Whenever I've tried to make brown rice in my rice cooker, it's always undercooked and crunchy. I can never seem to get the settings right. Now I'm a convert and only buy the frozen brown rice at TJS. What a lifesaver!
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OMG---I love this rice. As a busy working mom, it is a great way to get the taste/texture of real, cooked brown rice (not Uncle Ben's!)in a flash. Plus---it's organic!!!!! LOVE IT.
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I love this rice but every time I go to buy it Trader Joes is OUT! Can I order on-line?????
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Hi Connie,
Unfortunately Trader Joe's doesn't sell any products online.
It's the same at my Trader Joe's. This is such a popular product and it's always in and out of stock. When it is in stock, my advice is to buy more than you need. I always see people loading up their carts with it.
I'll never forget the time I was in the parking lot and I saw a lady pushing a cart that was literally piled with nothing but about 40 boxes of the Frozen Brown Rice!! Apparently she has no plans of letting store inventory affect her supply of brown rice!
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I love brown rice
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That's great, I never thought about Frozen Organic Brown Rice like that before.
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I am a personal trainer. When it comes to rice organic brown rice in the daddy of rices. Rice doesn't have a ton of nutritional value but organic rice holds the most of them all.
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I am making a cold asian brown rice salad.
I see no reason to cook this rice, just defrost it. Can you think of any reason
I should cook it and cool it first??
I LOVE this rice.
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Hi Jeanne,
You can probably just thaw it, but microwaving it just a little will soften the rice more. With some of the shelf-stable rices (like the Wild Rice, etc) they tend to be crumbly unless heated, so even if they are used cold, I always heat a little and then cool.
I'd go ahead and try it thawed, but if you feel like the texture is not great, then heat for a minute or so to improve texture.
Deana
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Thank you Deana. I will do that. I appreciate your taking the time for my question.
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Hmmm yummy ! i love this reciepe !
Cheers !
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hmm tasty!
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The recipe looks amazing. The best rice i have ever eaten is from a Afghani restaurant where they serve best basmati rice.
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Still lovin this rice.......WHEN I CAN
GET IT ! Hope it's not out next time I
go to TJ's
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I love TJ's frozen organic Brown Rice. I really love the brown rice served in asian, thai etc. restaurants. Does anyone know what brands are best to use I am thinking of buying a rice cooker and saving some money, buy freezing rice myself. Any thoughts?
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I have a rice cooker. I does NOT come anywhere near Trader Joe's frozen brown rice. I don't even use it anymore. (Along with white rice.)
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Wow nice article. I really love the brown rice.
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Yeah this is so great.
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basmati rice recipes...yummy..
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That's great, I am looking forward for more Frozen Organic Brown Rice recipes.
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Basmati rice are the best Rice in the world.
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I love the recipes which are over here.
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really don't want to wait an hour for it. That's where the frozen rice comes in! And it also helps me avoid the occasional boil-over mess I get on the stove top when cooking rice the traditional method (usually I'm doing too many things at once and I'm famous for boil-overs!)!
Thanks
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I like the organic brown rice. It is simple and fast to add to any recipe. I do not warm it up in the plastic container i take it out.
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I've never tried asparagus in brown rice but it sounds delicious. I like trying different recipies with vegetables and different kinds of rice. I will probably also add mushrooms to this dish.
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Your source is very interesting and rocking online everywhere. keep going...
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nice posting..........its always great reading such posts, this post is good in regards of both knowledge as well as information.Thanks - Just the info I was looking for.. My search ends here..
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I am glad to catch idea from your article. It has information I have been searching for a long time. Thanks so much.
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I don't get all the fuss. It's obscenely expensive to buy pre-cooked rice in such small portions. I am a very lazy, procrastinating cook, but I never had a problem with buying brown rice in bulk, cooking large batches in rice cooker/stove, and freezing it in bags myself. My brown rice never takes more than 40 min. and I just start it before any other meal prep. You just add a little extra water in the rice cooker than you would with white rice (~1/4 C). Many rice cookers have specific instructions for perfect brown rice. If not, it may take a few attempts at trial and error, but it will save you a ton of money long-term. I learned to make the maximum amount instead of small batches, so I always have frozen rice on hand.
Also, rice chilled in the fridge for a day or more makes for excellent fried rice, which I make weekly.
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Hi Lisa,
agree. It's just too easy to cook rice - buying them precooked just isn't worth it.
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They were giving out cooked samples of this product with spicy chicken in a local TJs a few days ago. It was delicious... the best I've ever tasted. I am going to get some.
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Lay the bag flat on the counter, taking out the extra air and making sure the rice is less than 1 inch thick
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