Stocking Your Rice Cupboard

Until recently, there had been little demand for a wide selection of top-quality rices, as rice had never been a high-priority food in North America. But times are changing. On a recent trip to our local supermarket, we were pleased to find a fairly good selection of rices, though it required a bit of searching. In the rice section, in addition to Rice-in-a-Bag and Rice-a-Roni, we found plain long-grain American rice. In the Italian specialty section, we found arborio superfino, fine for risotto and as a substitute for Spanish rice in paella. In the “foreign foods” section, along with soy sauces and tempura sauce, we found Thai jasmine, basmati, and Japanese rice. Finally, in the bulk foods area, there were several brown rices and one commercially grown wild rice.