The Rice Brand Ina Garten Can't Get Enough Of
When Ina Garten likes a product, she is all too happy to share it with her culinary fans, and when it comes to the type of rice the Barefoot Contessa likes to use to make everything from her sweet rum raisin rice pudding to her herbed basmati rice, which makes a lovely side dish, Garten wants her followers to know she reaches for Rice Select Texmati rice. The store-bought is just fine chef shared her enthusiasm for this ingredient with Bon Appétit, stating, "I like the quality of the Texmati brand of rice. I use brown basmati rice, white basmati rice, arborio rice, couscous. I just find the flavor fantastic."
Rice Select hails from the Lone Star state and their Texmati umbrella offers a wide selection of rice and grains. In addition to those Garten mentioned, Texmati also makes wild, jasmati, orzo, oearl couscous, quinoa, and even a sweet sticky dessert rice. What is it about this rice that makes it the cookbook author's go-to?
It smells like popcorn
Texmati's brown basmati rice is a long-grain rice that is the offspring of jasmine brown rice. It is gluten-free and described as light and fluffy in texture and nutty in taste. It is considered low-starch rice which means it cooks drier and with separate grains. This makes it the perfect brand for Garten's simple rice pilaf, which features scallions and parsley, per Food Network.
And as Garten mentioned, this brand's rice is also considered quite flavorful and fragrant. Texmati white rice, which is also a long-grained white rice, is best described as having the smell of popped popcorn, and boasts a fluffy volume when cooked. But beyond the taste, what everyday cooks will love about Garten's rice choice is that while it tastes gourmet, it is not gourmet. And, Rice Select Texmati is easy to find in your grocery store and online.