The Concept of Quality - Ente Nazionale Risi

The Rice in kitchen / The Lead Character / The Concept of Quality - Ente Nazionale Risi

THE CONCEPT OF QUALITY

 

To define this for rice is not at all easy, and unfortunately price is not always connected with quality. We will try to identify some of the criteria that will allow the formulation of an acceptable judgement regarding the behaviour of rice during cooking: in another part of the text we will analyse the nutritional and dietetic parameters. The cultivation conditions (terrain. fertilizers, climate) are also factors that can not be ignored as they affect the ultimate quality, but it is very difficult for the consumer to make use of such criteria.
Factors which can be judged however, are the following:

 - aesthetic appearance regarding shape and form; uniformity; lack of defects resulting from improper milling techniques or imperfect maturity:
 - moisture content which is an important component regarding preservation;
 - the degree of milling which contributes in determining resistance to cooking;
 - the state of preservation, colour and odour.
 -  a moisture content not higher than 14.5%, which, as has already been noted, is an important factor for the preservation of the product.

The final result after cooking is determined in part by the amylose and
amylopectin content of the rice; or the distinction can be made by adopting
the criteria of consistency and "stickiness" (which vary from variety to variety).


The quality of the cooked rice is in relation to the consumers’taste, the method of cooking and obviously the intrinsic behavioural characteristics of every single variety.
To arrive at this concept of quality is indeed difficult and depends on the value that each person wants to give to the many elements involved, each of which can raise or lower the final opinion; even this can be influenced by how the rice is eaten.
However strange it may seem, the perception of an "ideal rice" varies from population to population, whether eaten with chop-sticks, spoon, fork or fingers.
The same can happen for the degree of lengthening, volume increase and water absorption that each grain of rice undergoes in cooking.
The amylose content of the main varieties of Italian rice will be discussed later to try and familiarize the reader with some of the most useful parameters for classic Italian cooking. whether in water or oil.
It is possible to identify rice defects that are defined in the Italian regulations:

 - broken or fractured grains;
 - yellow or amber coloured grains (i.e. grains that have some disclouration);
 - stained or speckled grains, present as 25% or more of their surface; 
 - chalky grains, of an opaque and farinaceous appearance; 
 - impurities i.e. presence of grains belonging to other varieties; 
 - red streaked grains, the total length of the streaks amounting to more than one half of the grain’s length; 
 - grains with natural deformities.

 

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