So we searched for other ways to use the rice, and found five more ways to employ uncooked rice in the kitchen.

1. BAKING

You can buy pie weights to blind bake your crusts, or you can use the rice or beans you have on hand. In this case, reserve the “pie rice” for this exclusive purpose; you don’t want to cook with it after it’s been dried by oven heat.

2. COFFEE GRINDER

Clean your coffee and spice grinders—every month, if you use them daily. Beyond brushing out leftover particles, clean the undersides of the blades and absorb other buildup with a “rice treatment.”

Too much rice? Beyond cooking it, we’ve got five ways to use it in the kitchen. Photo courtesy United Rice Mills.

How do you check if your cooking oil is hot enough? If you don’t have a deep fryer with a temperature dial, you could use a thermometer. Or, just drop a grain of rice into the oil.

If the rice rises to the surface of the oil and begins to cook, the oil is ready for frying.

4. RIPEN FRUIT

Want to ripen fruit faster? If you don’t have an apple*, store the fruit in a container of rice.

Check on the fruit twice a day so it doesn’t over-ripen. The rice is still good for cooking.

*A favorite trick is to place the unripe fruit in a paper bag with an apple. The ethylene released by the apple ripens the fruit overnight.

If you live in a humid climate, your salt make clump. Rice comes to the rescue: Add a few grains of rice to your the salt shaker to prevent clumping.

For open boxes of salt, put the rice in a tea ball or tie it in a piece of gauze or cheesecloth like a bouquet garni.

BONUS

You can also make rice milk from scratch (other than rice, of course!) is water and salt. Here’s the recipe.

Here are more ways to use rice, for non-kitchen tasks in your home.

So we decided to make them for Father’s Day—and also for July 4th with white chocolate and red and blue sprinkles.
 
 
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE COVERED
MARSHMALLOWS ON A STICK

Ingredients

 
_______________
*You can vary the color and type of decorations by holiday: little Valentine hearts, stars for July 4th, etc.

1. MELT chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds; stir and continue to microwave and stir at 30-second intervals. Take care not to scorch the chocolate. If there’s just a slight amount of undissolved chocolate, for example, whisk it to melt it instead of overheating the chocolate.

2. DIP the marshmallows into the chocolate with a fork or other utensil. Place on waxed paper or aluminum foil. Sprinkle with decorations. Allow to set (you can do this in the fridge).

3. INSERT sticks.
 
 
PRESENTATION

Marshmallow pops lying on a tray is one option, but you can get more creative in your presentation.

 
Other ideas? Let us know!

The bride and groom are cream puffs. Photo
courtesy Dominique Ansel Bakery.

A religieuse is a pastry made from two cream puffs, one larger, one smaller, joined and decorated. It was originally designed to emulate a nun in her habit, and filled with vanilla pastry cream.

Pastry chef Ansel has used is creativity to turn religieuses into brides and grooms. In his charming alternative to wedding cake, the bride is filled with blueberry pastry cream, the groom with chocolate pastry cream.

In the photo below, Chef Ansel shows his flair with a salted pistachio religieuse.

If you find yourself in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City, stop into Dominique Ansel Bakery to see what flavors and décor await you.

The traditional French wedding cake is an unusual creation called a croque-em-bouche (CROAK-om-boosh), a tall stack of cream puffs in the shape of a large cone.

The puffs are held together by caramelized sugar and finished with a garnish of caramel and optional decorations that range from candied almonds or a chocolate glaze to flowers and ribbons. Here’s a photo of a chocolate-covered croque-em-bouche.

Croque-em-bouche means “cracks in the mouth,” which describes the caramelized sugar.

 
 
SEE MORE SPECIAL TYPES OF PASTRY IN OUR DELICIOUS PASTRY GLOSSARY.

Salted pistachio religieuse, lovely for any special occasion. Photo courtesy Dominique Ansel Bakery.