What Is Rice, converted and How Can I Use It?

Rice, converted is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 18 recipes to get you started.

Key Points

Parboiled white rice: steamed in the hull before milling, so grains cook up firm and separate.
Use about 2¼ cups water per cup and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, longer than regular white.
Holds its shape in casseroles, slow cookers, and pilafs; skip it for risotto, paella, or sushi.
Parboiling pushes more thiamin and niacin into the grain than plain white rice.
Uncooked, it keeps for years in a sealed cupboard; cooked rice lasts 4 to 5 days refrigerated.

What is rice, converted?

Converted rice is white rice that was steamed under pressure while still in its hull, then dried and milled. That parboiling step, done before the bran is removed, is the difference from ordinary white rice.

The process drives some of the nutrients from the bran into the grain. It also changes the starch, so the cooked rice stays firm and separate instead of clumping.

Cooks reach for it when they want fluffy, distinct grains. You will see it sold as parboiled rice or under the Uncle Ben's name, which made the style famous.

Cooking With Converted Rice

Use about 2¼ cups water for every cup of converted rice, a touch more than regular long-grain, and give it longer on the heat. It typically simmers 20 to 25 minutes, where plain white rice is done in about 15, because the parboiled grain is denser and slower to absorb.

The payoff is forgiveness. The grains hold their shape and resist going mushy, so it stands up to a long bake or a slow cooker without collapsing, as in Easy Crockpot Chicken, Mushroom, & Rice Casserole.

That separateness makes it the safe choice for dishes that must not turn into a clump. It carries the broth in Skillet Arroz Con Pollo and Bombay Chicken & Rice, and keeps its grain in Curried Ham & Rice and a big batch of San Francisco Rice.

It also reheats well, since the firmer grain does not pack down. That helps casseroles like Easy Mexican Chicken & Rice that sit before serving.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Converted rice suits anything where you want the grains to stay loose and soak up flavor without going gluey: pilafs, jambalaya, curries, and rice salads. It takes well to bold, saucy partners like curry and smoky sausage.

The most common mistake is treating it like regular rice on time and water. Use the regular timing and it comes out underdone and chalky in the center, so give it the longer simmer and the extra splash of water.

The second mistake is using it where you want stickiness. Skip it for risotto, paella with a socarrat, or sushi, anything that relies on the grains clinging together.

Converted rice is built to do the opposite. One bonus, though: the parboiling keeps more thiamin and niacin in the grain than plain white rice, so it is a bit more nutritious for the same fluffy result.

Substitutes

Regular long-grain white rice is the natural stand-in. Cut the water slightly, to about 1¾ to 2 cups per cup, and the cook time to around 15 minutes, but know the grains will be softer and a little more prone to clumping.

Basmati or jasmine rice also work and bring their own aroma. They cook faster than converted rice and stay fairly separate, though not quite as bulletproof in a long braise.

Brown rice is the closest swap if you want whole grain and similar chew, but it needs much more water and 40 to 45 minutes to cook. For a quick fix in a casserole, plain long-grain is the easiest match; just watch it does not overcook.

Buying and Storage

Converted rice sits with the other rice in the grocery, labeled parboiled or converted. The dry grains have a faint amber or yellowish tint from the parboiling, which is normal and cooks out pale.

Stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry cupboard, uncooked white converted rice keeps almost indefinitely, easily a couple of years, since the bran oils that turn brown rice rancid are gone.

Cooked converted rice keeps in the fridge for 4 to 5 days in a sealed container, or freezes for a few months. Cool it quickly and refrigerate within a couple of hours, because cooked rice left at room temperature can grow bacteria that reheating will not fix.