Lately there has been a lot of information circulating the web about the ‘plastic’ rice Chinese producers may be putting in their real rice. We definitely don’t want to eat plastic rice, right?
How can we tell the difference? Is there some sort of way? There is! This plastic rice differs from real rice in more ways than one, and is actually a lot easier to tell apart from real rice when looked at correctly.
Below you will find several tests that will easily help you find out if the rice you’re eating is plastic or not:
- The Fire Test- Light a few rice kernels on fire if they burn the rice you bought is plastic.
- The Mortar And Pestle Test- Crush some grains of rice and pay close attention to them. If the rice turns into a fine white powder it is organic and safe to eat if it leaves a yellow tinted stain it is plastic.
- The Mold Test- Cool a small handful of rice in water then put it in a plastic container. Leave it in a sunny spot for a few days, organic rice will mold within about two days fake rice will stay intact.
- The Water Test- Pour a spoonful of rice in a glass of water if it is organic it will fall to the bottom, plastic will not.
- The Boil Test- When boiling rice if it is plastic it will form a thick layer at the top of the pan.
If you suspect you may be buying plastic rice or just want to be sure that you are not, try the tests I listed. They don’t generally take long and will help you in the long run. I personally would rather check to make sure than to go on eating plastic rice.