There’s no such thing as the best rice for all dishes in the world.
But there’s certainly a rice variety that works best for daily use.
In other words, rice that’ll work well when served plain, used for breakfast, and for pretty much all kinds of cuisine!
Ready to know which bag of rice should always be on your to-buy list? Let’s get right into it!
All-Around Rice Variety: Long-Grain White Rice
First, let me clear up a common misconception:
Long-grain white rice is not a category encompassing several types of rice that are long and white.
It’s a specific and unique rice variety, just like Jasmine rice and Basmati rice.
Here are the characteristics of long-grain white rice:
Classification: Long-grain
Length: 6 mm to 8 mm
Color: White
Texture (when cooked): Fluffy, firm, and separate
Aroma: Relatively neutral
Now that you’re more familiar with this rice variety, let’s cover the primary reasons why this rice is best for daily use, starting with…
Versatility
I usually serve long-grain white rice plain, along with a hearty main dish.
But this rice also works extremely well for stir-fries, pilafs, and stews, which are every home’s classic meals.
And have I mentioned that you can use this rice to cook dishes from virtually any cuisine?
Whether you want to cook Mexican rice, Greek food, Nigerian Jollof rice, Indonesia’s fried rice and Trinidad’s pelau— American long-grain rice will do a great job.
Oh, and it’s also the rice paired by Chinese restaurants for classic take-out dishes like orange chicken and the best rice for drinks like horchata and desserts like rice pudding.
I can literally go all day mentioning all kinds of dishes you can cook using long-grain white rice.
But I’m sure you all already get the point—it’s extremely versatile, delicious, and a staple in many cuisines.
Affordability
I know rice isn’t necessarily considered an expensive ingredient.
But, in this economy, I’m sure I’m not the only one trying to save money whenever I can.
Since I use rice literally every day, for several meals each day, price is also a factor I consider when I choose which rice to buy.
Luckily, long-grain white rice is usually the cheapest bag of rice in grocery stores since it’s grown locally in many parts of the US.
Neutral Flavor
Others see this quality as a con, but if we really look at the big picture, long-grain white rice’s neutrality is the backbone of its versatility.
It’s all thanks to its very mild taste and aroma that this grain can easily absorb and embody the flavors of the ingredients you cook it with, making it suitable for both savory and sweet dishes.
Quick & Easy to Cook
It’s pretty hard to mess up cooking long-grain white rice.
Usually, the package instructions will be more than enough to guide you in cooking this grain to perfection.
And, if you ever find it tricky to cook this grain on a stovetop, you can always cook it in an Instant Pot, where it also cooks perfectly well!
In addition, it takes less than 30 minutes to cook long-grain white rice, and that’s almost half the time it takes to cook other rice varieties like brown rice and wild rice.
Now, I pretty much have no complaints about long-grain white rice for daily use, except for one thing:
It isn’t exactly the healthiest rice you can cook!
Sure, it contains various nutrients such as fiber, magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins.
But you know which rice also has those nutrients and minerals, but way more in quantity?
Yup—brown rice! Which leads us to the…
Healthiest Rice for Daily Use: Long-Grain Brown Rice
Long-grain brown rice is the “brown rice” variation of long-grain white rice.
These grains are basically the same exact rice variety.
White rice just has the bran and germ layers removed, while brown rice retains them.
Conveniently, just like long-grain white rice is usually the most common white rice, long-grain brown rice is also the easiest brown rice to find!
Nutrient Profile
Compared to a cup of long-grain white rice, the same serving size of long-grain brown rice provides more protein, about 3 to 4 times more fiber, almost twice the vitamin B6, about 3 times more manganese, and 50% more copper.
Brown rice can also help you stay full for much longer than white rice, which is always a great bonus when cooking meals.
Versatility
Though not as versatile as long-grain white rice, brown rice is still a highly versatile rice variety.
I love using it for stir-fries and grain bowls, as it provides a nice texture that contrasts with vegetables and proteins. It also works surprisingly well for salads, which white rice won’t really complement as well.
Of course, brown rice also tastes good when served plain, so you can easily cook it daily as well!
One Grain at a Time
I can’t remember the last time I spent an entire day without eating rice.
Because, yup– I take the “daily use” part of this article quite literally.
And if there’s one rice that I never get tired of eating…
That’s always gonna be long-grain rice (both white and brown).
So, if you also want to have a readily available bag of rice in your pantry…
Let that be either long-grain white or brown rice!
