The delicious taste and feel of crunchy popcorn is something that everyone enjoys. It is the perfect snack to enjoy while watching your favorite shows or movies. This might make you wonder if there is another similar snack that you can enjoy. Well, yes, it is popped rice!
Popping rice can give you a great snack that you can enjoy, both sweet and savory. But, like for popcorn, can you use your trusted popcorn maker to pop rice? Keep reading to find out if and how you can pop rice in your popcorn maker.
Table of Contents
What Is Popped Rice?
Pop rice can be everything from a fun snack to a dessert garnish. Popped rice comes from grains that have the hull and bran intact. When you heat the rice kernel, it explodes from the hard outer shell to create an irregular shape like popcorn.
The moisture present inside the rice kernel heats up and then turns into steam, which pushes rice out from the shell when the temperature increases. Sometimes, the rice might not completely pop out but can turn inside out as well as puff a little, creating a delicious snack.
Popped rice is a healthy food, having a mix of fiber, protein, as well as complex carbs. They can give you an energy boost with a low-calorie intake. It is best suited for someone concerned about calorie intake but also wanting a filling meal.
Is It Possible To Pop Rice In A Popcorn Maker?
Yes, you can use any popcorn-making machine for pop rice. All you truly need to pop rice is a good heat source, which is exactly what a popcorn maker is. The appliance can help you pop rice to turn it into a delicious and healthy snack.
Just remember that the rice you get from grocery stores doesn’t have moisture in it, and if you try to pop it like popcorn, you might burn it.
Since you need more heat to pop rice, it can prove to be dangerous.
You need to be careful, especially when taking the rice out after it has popped, since it could burn your hands.
You might just assume that popped rice grains, much like popcorn, would pop out completely and then puff out like popcorn.
However, popping rice is more difficult in a popcorn maker compared to a corn kernel, as raw rice kernels tend to have more moisture.
How To Use A Popcorn Maker To Pop Rice?
If you want to use your popcorn maker such as the Dash Hot Air to make popped rice, here are the steps you can follow:
Step 1
Gather the two main items you will require – a popcorn maker and raw rice grains. An important thing to keep in mind here is that the rice should not be completely dried up and should have some moisture to ensure it pops fast and fully as popcorn.
Step 2
The process of popping rice is not complex. All you need to do here is pour the rice grains into your popcorn maker and then wait for the grains to pop. Pop rice just needs a good amount of heat that creates steam, which a popcorn maker can provide.
Step 3
You don’t even need other ingredients like butter, oil, or water. Expose the raw rice to a temperature of around 240°C for 30-25 seconds or 275°C for 40-45 seconds to make it pop.
Step 4
You can also give your popped rice a nice flavor. While adding the rice grains to your popcorn maker, add different ingredients like salt, pepper, chili flakes, garlic powder, and other condiments you enjoy to make it as per your preferences.
Step 5
If you want to pop rice to add to your dessert, you can add caramel or even melted chocolate after the rice has popped rather than adding it in your popcorn machine to avoid making a mess.
Below is a quick video that sums up everything.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is It Possible To Pop Rice?
Yes, it is possible to pop rice grains. You can either fry them in oil, microwave them, or cook them in a popcorn maker.
- Does Popped Rice Have Any Health Benefits?
Popped or puffed rice is healthy and abundant with many nutrients like iron, calcium, vitamins, and fiber. It can also offer you many health benefits, like taking care of your bones and teeth, preventing constipation, and helping with weight loss.
- Which Rice Pops Like Popcorn?
Along with normal rice, you can also pop wild rice like popcorn. Although it won’t get as big and as fluffy as popcorn, the wild rice grains that are dried and cured can become a crunchy yet delicious snack.
It’s Time To Make Crispy Popped Rice!
While you might have been enjoying rice in numerous different ways over the years, you might not have tried popper rice. Light, healthy, and delicious popped rice can be your new go-to snack for your next movie marathon.
What makes it even better is that you can cook it in your popcorn maker. Make this delicious and crispy snack in your popcorn maker and enjoy it with others!
