Progress happens only when someone breaks an unwritten rule. ~Roy H. Williams

Fluff and serve.

It should say Rice and Beans, shouldn’t it? That’s what your mind told it to say but it doesn’t say that, does it? It says Rice and Ham.

Rice.
Who do we have to call around here to get the instructions changed on any rice box or bag anywhere in the world? All rice instructions follow a similar pattern –

1 part rice to two parts water…then it all goes down hill from there… boil water first. Don’t boil water just add rice and go. Soak rice. Rinse rice. Don’t do either. Cook with top on. NO, cook with top off. Reduce heat. Don’t reduce heat. Simmer. Leave top on. Take top off.  Don’t take top off! Don’t add more water! Ending always with, fluff and serve.

Forget it, use a rice cooker.

If you follow rice instructions to a “t” then you will probably burn the rice (unless of course, you have a good rice cooker.) Why? I don’t know. As a recipe follower I am baffled by the answer to this question and I used to burn rice time and time and time again. You may try to send me YOUR perfect rice remedy but if it comes from an official or commercial package I am sure that it will not work. What I used to teach people about cooking rice was how to scrape out the unburned portion and leave the scalded part on the bottom. Until I figured out how to ignore the instructions on the package.

One day I decided to add MORE WATER than the instructions called for. Put the top on and leave it on (unless I had to add more water). Keep the heat medium and turn it off way before the instructions said and just leave the rice to sit and absorb liquid and cook in it’s own heat for the last 5 minutes. After I figured this out, viola! Perfect rice every time. I tossed the instructions in the trash.

Fluffy rice means a happy heart.

Ham.

Have you heard the old legend about why the modern woman cuts the ends off of her ham before she puts it in the pan and cooks it?

Her daughter questions her mother about this and the mother says, “I don’t know, that’s just what I’ve always done. My mother taught me that. Let’s go ask her.” So they go to grandma’s house and they ask her, “Why do we cut the ends off of our ham before we put it in the oven?” And grandma stops for a moment and says, “I don’t know, that’s just what I’ve always done. My mother taught me that. Let’s go ask her.”

So they travel to the nursing home and they go see great grandma and they ask her, “Why do we cut the ends off of our ham before we put it in the oven?” And great grandma sits and stares at them for a moment and smiles, “Well” she says, smiling a little wry smile through deeply wrinkled lips…

“I cut the end of my hams because my pan was too small to hold the whole thing…but I’m not sure why you would do that, too!”

What are you cutting up, leaving out, hacking off, balancing on one foot, or towing on a line just because that’s they way it’s always been done?

~If you do what you’ve always done your gonna get what you’ve always got! ~various