My neighbor told me to always buy the cheapest rice, but that backfired hard

My neighbor, Frank, is a big coupon guy and he swore up and down that the store brand rice at our local market was the only way to go. He said, 'Why pay more when it's all the same white grains?' So for about two months, I bought the 5-pound bag for $3.99. The first time I cooked it, the texture was just off, kind of mushy and sticky no matter how I rinsed it. I tried different water amounts, but it always clumped together. Last week, I finally caved and spent the extra dollar on a name brand bag. The difference was night and day, it cooked up fluffy and separate every time. I wasted more of the cheap stuff from bad batches than I saved. Has anyone else had a staple ingredient where the budget version just wasn't worth it?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese5501mo ago

Ever think maybe you just got a bad bag? Sometimes the store brand is literally the same stuff from the same factory, just a different label. You might have had bad luck.

perez.christopher1mo ago

Same factory, different label" gets said a lot, but it's not the full story. They might come from the same place, but the recipe and quality control are often totally different. I've tried both side by side for years and the name brand is just more consistent. A bad bag happens, but the store brand always seems to have a weird texture or less flavor to me.