No. 7

To Blanch Rice

Pour Blanchir le Riz

Before blanching rice it should be picked, washed, then put into a saucepan and moistened with cold water; bring the liquid to boiling point, stirring it frequently with a spoon so it does not adhere to the bottom of the saucepan, and let it boil for seven or eight minutes, pour the rice into a sieve to drain, refresh in cold water and strain.

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For the Modern Kitchen

A parboiling method from Ranhofer's opening chapter of kitchen fundamentals, meant as a first stage for rice that will later be finished in stock, baked in a pudding, or used as a garnish. The point is to wash away surface starch and soften the grain without cooking it through.

What "blanch" means hereNot a quick dip as with vegetables, but a partial boil in water that is then discarded. The recipe says nothing about seasoning the water. The rice should come out only partly cooked, so it holds its shape for whatever follows.
Picking the riceNineteenth-century rice arrived with grit, stones and hulls, so "picked" means spread on a tray and sorted by hand. Modern packaged rice needs only a rinse under cold water until it runs nearly clear.
ProportionsNo quantities are given; the text says only that the rice is "moistened with cold water," which sets no ratio. Enough water for the grains to move freely is the practical reading.
Start cold, and stirThe rice goes into cold water and comes up to the boil with it, rather than being dropped into boiling water. The stirring instruction is explicit in the text, and for the reason given: rice settles and sticks to the bottom of the pan in the first minutes.
Seven or eight minutesThat timing suits long-grain white rice of the period and still works for basmati or Carolina-type long grain. Brown rice will not soften usefully in this time.
The refreshDraining and cooling under cold water stops the cooking and rinses off remaining starch, which is what keeps the finished grains separate. Drain thoroughly afterward, or the residual water will dilute the sauce or stock the rice goes into.
Holding itBlanched rice can sit covered and refrigerated for a day before its final cooking. Spread it out to cool rather than leaving it in a warm mass.

A Little History

This is entry No. 7 in the "Elementary Methods" section of The Epicurean (1894), Charles Ranhofer's encyclopaedic record of some three decades as chef at Delmonico's in New York. The numbered short procedures at the front of the book are the vocabulary the rest of it assumes: later recipes simply say "blanched rice" and expect the cook to turn to this page. The two-stage treatment of rice, parboiled in water and then finished in broth or butter, reflects the French professional practice Ranhofer trained in, where rice was handled as a component of pilafs, croquettes, soups and sweet puddings rather than boiled once and served plain. It also reflects the ingredient as it then was: sold loose, unwashed, and often needing to be sorted by hand before it went anywhere near a pan.