The White Rice Ina Garten Can't Stop Using

What would world cuisine be without rice? Filling, healthy, and friendly in both flavor and texture, it's a mainstay of many diets, the basis of countless meals, and commonly served as a side dish. Statista reports that rice is among the planet's most-eaten grains, with China consuming nearly 155 million metric tons and India over 100 million metric tons in 2021-2022. Moreover, what would human civilization be without rice? National Geographic explains that the agriculture of domesticated grains including rice gave humans a reliable source of nourishment that didn't require hunting, gathering, or a nomadic lifestyle.

Given the crucial role that rice has played in human survival and gastronomic culture, it's no surprise that modern cooks rely just as heavily on rice in many of their key recipes. Consumer Reports names just a handful of the 120,000 varieties or so of rice worldwide (per Think Rice), including long- and short-grain white, brown, arborio, and jasmine, and the specialties like black rice, bomba, Carolina Gold. Amidst so many choices, what's a celebrity chef like Ina Garten to do? There's one particular variety she adores so much, you can find it in the Shop section of her Barefoot Contessa blog.

RiceSelect, the producers of Texmati and other fine rice, proudly proclaim to be one of Garten's favorite pantry staples. The website boasts a quote by the celebrity chef, "I like the quality of Texmati rice. I use brown basmati rice, white basmati rice, arborio rice, and couscous. I just find the flavor fantastic."

The White Texmati label describes the rice as a "signature variety American-style Basmati rice," and RiceSelect says it's a special cross between long-grain white rice and Basmati rice — a white rice usually grown in the Himalayan regions (per Food Network). They also offer a brown rice variety, and both products are described as having a wonderful texture, warmly nutty taste, and an alluring popcorn-like smell.

From her simple and beloved herbed basmati rice to her warm brown rice and butternut squash, Garten uses Texmati to great effect in making these signature comfort foods extra comfy. A true artist of rice, she also offers up rum raisin rice pudding made with basmati rice, wild rice pilaf, spring green risotto with artichokes, and fresh crab and pea risotto, where the dish is elevated with saffron. With rice on her side, Garten shows off the grain's delicious versatility and flexes her culinary prowess.

It's easy to cook Texmati rice on the stove or in a rice cooker. Don't forget to give it a rinse! For Texmati white rice, RiceSelect instructs cooks to bring water to a boil, add a teaspoon of butter or oil if desired, and then add the rice, stir it up, and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for around 15 minutes or so. When it's done "fluff with a fork and serve."  Texmati brown rice requires a longer simmering time. In terms of recipes, they suggest Filipino fried rice and wine-poached halibut with celery root puree, among others.

Aside from being such a team player in almost every kind of cuisine, rice is a practical addition to many diets. Serve it with beans or lentils for a hearty, protein-packed vegetarian meal, and eat it with sauteed vegetables, meat, and seafood. You can even make drinks and dessert with it, like horchata and rice pudding. 

Another reason to add more rice to your diet is the health benefits. Healthline reports that rice is an affordable and ubiquitous source of fuel for the body, though unrefined whole-grain varieties (like brown rice) contain the most nutrients in the form of protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.