Why would you want to? Rice and pasta keep pretty well as they are and cook fairly quickly.

 

Just to have a few jars of these items that would not require cooking in a desperate situation. Otherwise you are right, I even make my own pasta from scratch.

 

Just to have a few jars of these items that would not require cooking in a desperate situation.

I would skip the canned rice/pasta. You could buy a few MREs or other canned foods that don't require cooking.

I recently did a bunch of "Dinner in a Jars" using canning jars and freeze dried food. I've tried the Taco soup. It's amazing and took only 20 minutes to rehydrate/heat up. I've googled and found a lot of other recipes.

 

I've tasted canned rice and the texture is always odd. There has to be a trick to it that the canneries use to keep it from falling apart. As for pasta, regular pasta turns to mush. The canneries use special made pastas and even then, the results are less than stellar. Those are two items I'd say to just bypass.

Perhaps consider adding some instant rice to your stores, since it requires little cooking. And fresh pasta is simple to make from scratch. It also requires very little cooking.

 

A few weeks ago I noticed a new product at my local grocery store - pasta that cooks in 5 minutes. I assume it's a precooked product like instant rice. I plan to stock up on several packages of it in addition to instant rice.

 

Skinner makes a cooks in 3 minutes pasta. It will cook in a thermos with boiling water. Takes longer than 3 minutes in the thermos but does the job. On the stove top it is done in 3 minutes after water returns to a boil.

 

Thanks everyone, guess I will forget rice and pasta, and stick with Top Ramen noodles.
Guess I got a little over zealous, just got my first pressure canner

 

Cooking in a pressure-cooker is certainly a bigger process.

The process of cooking ramen noodles, as compared to rice or pasta is not a big difference.

 

Oh. You have a new toy and want to play. Now I understand the question.

Not like that's ever happened with me....

 

I agree with keeping a few boxes of "Minute" (instant) rice and "quick cook" pasta.
Until recently, I never cooked "regular" rice - instant was all I knew


<<aha! New toy...very understandable. check out www.pickyourown.org for instructions (with pictures) on canning potatoes which are handy for heat-n-eat meals>>

 

We freeze extra rice in ziplock bags. Just punch a small hole in the bag and nuke for 2 to 3 min. Comes out perfect and fast!!

 

Good way to get food poisoning or drunk. Unless you cook it under extreme sterility you will contaminate it with yeast and molds in the air and your risk food poisoning or fermentation. Does Saki strike a chord? Stick with a sealed can of real rice or Minute Rice/Uncle Ben's and cook as needed. Shelf life is much better. Freezing won't be a guarante of food in a prolonged power outage so when it warms it ferments. Trust me on this from personal experience of getting sick on two day old cooked rice that sat on the stove covered - never again - it is misery.

 

Can't home can pasta or rice. They turn to mush.

They also may dissolve enough to have particles interfere with the seal.

 

Also Pasta is made of grains, and grains are not safe to can. Thankfully they store well on their own.


I keep some canned beans handy - given their cook time it really makes them easier to use when throwing a meal together. Just make sure you soak them - otherwise boom.

 

You can, however, can dry stuff like rice and pasta, in a dry pack cannery.

Doesn't help with cooking, but it makes for smaller containers.:thumb:

 

Cook item than dehydrate. I get large bags of rice, beans whatever, add seasonings if you like, cook than spread thinly on trays. After approx 6-8 hours check for moisture an if good either use mylar and o2 absorber. Or larger amounts I use my #10 canner. Pasta pretty much the same way but smaller amounts on the wider noodles. (I do not use much of noodles of wide variety as I modified them for elbow, rigatoni and the like.) Nice thing is if in Mylar I can reconstitute like LURPS.

 

I wonder if adding a little lime would help keep it firm.

 

Not so far, it becomes mushy.

 

Extension Services

One thing you can do when you are looking to experiment with new ingredients or a new food preservation toy (your new pressure canner congrats!) is to check with the extension service. Most counties have an active extension service or can connect you with one that is more active. This is a great place to get tested and safe recipes for food preservation. Alaska's, Georgia's and Oregon's are all ones that I have used.

I know Oregon's has 'Ask an Expert' where you can ask your question and the Master Food Preservers that have been trained can look it up for you.

Next on my list is to check out Colorado's but I'm not done reading through Georgia!

 

Don't bother trying, both become mush.