If you don't want crust, then crust is a bad thing. But I found
at least one cookbook which says that ideally you should cook
your (brown) rice until the bottom of the pan is scorched. The
crunchy part is the best, the most yang and the richest in minerals.

That makes perfect sense thinking about the macrobiotic diet.
I love the crust on any rice, even if the cook would prefer it not to be
there. I do know that it's a desired thing with paella, where it's
called socarrat, and Iranian rice, where it's called tahdig. I know
I've heard of other cuisines that value it, like Moroccan, but I can't
remember the words for it or even all the countries.
It makes sense that people would love it, since it's just the
caramelized part. To me it has more flavor, or at least a different and
deeper flavor. I love the uncrusty stuff, too, but like the crust on
fried potatoes, or the just barely starting to scorch popcorn, or the
darker brown potato chips or crackers, I'll go for it every time. I
even double (or triple) toast my toast. I'm just a sucker for the
Maillard reaction, and apparently I'm not alone.
I've already decided that there are two food groups that don't get
acknowledged, one being bacon and the other caramel. And come to think
of it, it's the Maillard reaction with the pork and the sugar cure on
bacon that makes it so good. It's just caramelized pork, right?
Okay, as I'm writing this I'm reading that caramelization and the
Maillard reaction are chemically different, even though they produce
somewhat the same effects. But that's another show.
Patty (IC Barstow)

--
Patricia Resnick
Life is an adventure, to be intelligently, cautiously approached with reckless
abandon!
http://www.ehow.com/members/presnick-articles.html
http://www.patriciaresnick.etsy.com



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