There are as many varieties of rice as there are stalks in a picture-post-card rice paddy. In Food Storage Feast, we focus on a handful of varieties that hit the sweet spot between nutrition, storability, and flavor.

True rices can be broken down into three loose categories, long-grain (for example, Basmati and Jasmine), medium-grain (Arborio, Valencia, Bomba), and short-grain (sushi rice). Generally, the shorter the grain, the more amylopectin it contains, and therefore the more glutinous, or “sticky” it is. (So-called sticky rice, also known as Thai sweet rice, is a long-grain variety uncharacteristically high in amylopectin.)

Long-grain varieties typically have a lower glycemic index than shorter-grain varieties, and are also the highest in protein.

Aromatics

Plain white rice provides versatile calories, but your cooking will really shine with aromatic varieties like Jasmine, Basmati, Della, and Carolina Plantation Rice. Medium- and short-grain rices can add even more variety to your table. Medium-grain rices like Arborio, from Italy’s Po River Valley, are starchy, toothy, and flavorful. These are ideal for dishes like risotto, paella, and stew.

Brown Rice

Brown rice is simply unmilled rice with the bran left intact. The germ, along with the oils it contains, contribute to its unique, nutty flavor, and make this the most nutritious form of rice, but also give it its weakness: the oils will turn boldly, pungently rancid within a few short weeks if brown rice is stored at room temperature.

If you enjoy eating brown rice, its nutritional superiority merits a place in your food storage plan, but only as a minority percentage of your overall rice stores, since it must be kept frozen, and rotated religiously.

Parboiled Rice

The real rock star of the storage pantry, and the prepper-gourmet’s secret weapon, is parboiled rice. Also called converted rice, it strikes a happy medium between the high nutritive value of brown rice and the long shelf life of white rice.

Immediately after harvest, with the hull still intact, the rice grains are soaked, steamed, and then dried. This allows some of the protein and vitamins from the bran and the hull to seep into the kernels. The rice is then threshed and milled, in much the same way as white rice.

Because parboiled rice is milled, there is no bran, and no oil to go rancid in storage. Its shelf life is measured in the low decades, which is on a par with plain white rice.

The nutrients transferred to the kernel during the parboiling process also stain the kernel, yielding grains that are light brown or yellow in color when dry, and cream-colored when cooked. Drier and fluffier than white rice, parboiled rice grains stay relatively firm throughout their journey from stove-top to table-top to refrigerator, and don’t stick to the pan or get soggy when left over.

If you favor aromatic rices, like we do, Basmati rice is widely available in parboiled form.

Parboiled rice should not be confused with instant rice (AKA minute rice), which is precooked. Instant rice is to real rice as a cheap hot dog is to a nice steak. Something called “Ready Rice” may sound like a good idea for your preps, but real rice dishes are among the easiest hot meals to prepare, and Ben is not your uncle.

Wild Rice

While highly nutritious and flavorful, wild rice is a different animal altogether. It is also very expensive, and for this reason alone, we consider it a less-than-ideal bulk long-term storage food.