Rice is exceedingly rich in starch, and when unpolished contains also a considerable amount of protein. It is said that the varieties grown in East India contain more nitrogen than rice grown in the United States.

In boiling, rice parts with a goodly quantity of both starch and mineral matter. For children, it should be thoroughly washed and soaked in cold water, and steamed. The water in which rice has been boiled should be saved for soups or used as rice water.

Rice containing four times as much nourishment as potatoes and when carefully cooked in water requires only one hour for perfect digestion. If overcooked and soggy, it is apt to cause fermentation, the same as a badly-cooked potato. Well cooked, it furnishes energy food for nearly three-quarters of the world's inhabitants.

The tables following will give the comparative analysis of cooked and uncooked rice

Composition Of Dry Rice (Church)

Water ......................................... 14.6

Albuminoids, etc............................... 7.5

Starch, etc..................................... 76.0

Fat ............................................ 0.5

Cellulose....................................... 0.9

Mineral matter ................................ 0.5

Composition Of Boiled Rice (Hutchinson)

Water ......................................... 52.7

Proteid ........................................ 5.0

Fat............................................ 0.1

Carbo-hydrates ................................. 41.9

Mineral matter ................................. 0.3

The rice-eating people of the world, those who use rice as a staple food, three times a day, do not add salt, as is the fashion among people of the United States; they do not have the craving for salt that is found among potato-eating people. Where rice is the only form of starchy food, learn to eat it without salt.

How To Boil Rice

One Serving

Wash four tablespoonfuls of rice through several cold waters. Put one quart of water in a saucepan, when boiling rapidly, sprinkle in the rice slowly; do not stop the boiling, and boil rapidly, uncovered, for fifteen minutes. Drain the rice in a sieve, pour over quickly a half cup of cold water, stand the sieve on a plate at the oven door where it will dry. Turn it at once into a small vegetable dish and serve uncovered.

To be well cooked and perfect, each grain must be swollen four times its original size, and no two grains must be sticking together.

Steamed Rice

One Serving

Wash four tablespoonfuls of rice through cold water, let it soak an hour, put it in a small sieve, stand over boiling water, cover and steam for thirty minutes. Turn into a heated dish and serve.

Rice Pudding

Two Servings

Put one tablespoonful of unwashed rice into one pint of milk, add a half tablespoonful of sugar; when the sugar is dissolved turn it into a small baking dish and bake one hour, stirring down the crust every ten minutes.

To be absolutely correct, this pudding must be like thick cream - not stiff enough to require a sauce. Serve warm or cold.

Rice A L'Imperatrice One Serving

Pare and stone one peach, put it in a baking dish, dust it lightly with sugar and stand it in the oven until perfectly soft. Have ready boiled three tablespoonfuls of rice, put the peach on top, dust it with powdered sugar and serve with plain cream.

Rice Meringue

One Serving

Wash one tablespoonful of rice through several cold waters, throw it into boiling water, boil rapidly ten minutes and drain. Add a half cupful of cold milk, and the yolk of an egg beaten with a half tablespoonful of sugar; pour this into a small baking dish and bake in a moderate oven fifteen minutes. Beat the white of an egg until stiff, add a level tablespoonful of powdered sugar, and beat until fine and dry; heap this over the top of the pudding, dust with powdered sugar, and brown lightly in the oven.

Rice Dumpling

One Serving

Wash four tablespoonfuls of rice through several cold waters; soak a half hour or longer, drain, throw it into boiling water, boil rapidly ten minutes and drain again; spread this in the center of a square of cheesecloth. Pare and stone one small mellow peach, put half of the peach in the center of the rice, fill the core space with boiled rice, put on the other half, and gather the cloth up so there will be a thin layer of rice over the peach; it must be entirely covered. Tie the "dumpling" tightly, throw it into a kettle of boiling water and boil twenty minutes.

To serve, cut the string, remove the cloth and turn the dumpling carefully into a dessert plate. Serve with cold milk or cream, or a puree of peaches.

Egyptian Rice

Two Servings

Cover a half tablespoonful of granulated gelatin with a half cup of cold milk, let it soak thirty minutes; add a tablespoonful of powdered sugar and stir it over the fire until the gelatin is dissolved. Add two tablespoonfuls of carefully-boiled rice and two scalded dates, chopped fine; when this begins to solidify, fold in six tablespoonfuls of cream whipped to a stiff froth; turn into two individual molds and stand aside until perfectly cold. Serve plain or with cream.

Rice Cream

One Serving

Press two tablespoonfuls of boiled rice through a fine sieve, add to it the yolk of one egg beaten with a tablespoon-ful of sugar and a half cup of milk. Stir over the fire just a minute, take from the fire and stir in, while hot, the well-beaten white of the egg. Turn into a pretty dessert glass, dust with powdered sugar and stand aside to cool.