Tips to recognize quality rice

Did you know that good quality rice, besides improving your dishes, is much healthier?

Recent studies show that consuming artificial rice can be very harmful to our health, can cause "chronic toxicity" and slow down our metabolism due to its rapid absorption.

But what is the difference between traditional, natural, quality rice and artificial rice?

Artificial rice has been manufactured in China for many years by mixing potato starch with synthetic resins derived from petroleum, such as silicones. Until recently, it was only distributed in Eastern countries; however, it is now reaching other countries.

Visually, it is very similar to natural rice, so much so that, at first glance, it can be deceiving, even though authentic rice is somewhat more transparent, as opposed to fake rice, which is much whiter.

If you are a consumer of our Montsià rice, you will know that we are always concerned about offering you a superior quality product.

For this reason, we have collected some tips to learn how to distinguish a quality rice before cooking some of your favorite recipes.

How to differentiate natural rice from artificial rice?

-Soak it in water

This is one of the easiest tricks to recognize the quality of rice. You only need to add a spoonful of rice in a glass of cold water. Stir it for about 2 minutes. If after this time the rice grains are submerged at the bottom of the glass, it will be a quality product. If, on the contrary, there are grains of rice that come to the surface, we are in front of a product that surely is not natural.

-Expose it in the fire

Take a handful of rice and put it near the fire, if the rice ignites and smells of plastic or some other chemical, you should not consume it.

-Check if it generates mold

Cook a handful of rice and place it in a closed container, let it stand in a warm place at home for about four days. It is normal that after a few days a thin layer of mold will form on the container. If after these days the rice has not generated any layer of mold, it is probably an artificial rice.

- Read the label on the package

To verify the ingredients and the origin of the rice you consume at home, the easiest way is to read the label on the package, where you will find the relevant information about the rice you are consuming.

The PDO indicates the origin

You have probably seen that we talk a lot about our DOP Ebro Delta EXTRA category products.

This information, which you will clearly see on our Extra and Bomba rice packages, certifies that they are natural and traditionally produced rice, since all the cultivation, production and packaging of the rice have been done exclusively in the Ebro Delta area.

The EXTRA category is the superior quality of rice

Only EXTRA category rice, which guarantees that no varieties have been mixed, and that all grains are equal and perfect, can obtain this distinction of the PDO Delta del Ebro.

Other important elements

On the packages of trusted rice, you will also find the nutritional information of the rice, as well as the consumer service information, which gives you the necessary options in case you have to return the product due to quality issues.

On the package you will also be able to verify if sustainable packaging methods are used and other relevant values of the producing brand, in our case the cooperative La Càmara Arrocera del Montsià.

So now you know, the next time you take a walk among the shelves of rice in the supermarket, pay attention to what you choose and do not be seduced by an artificial rice or of dubious quality, your palate and your health will thank you.