Burned a whole batch of rice and still made dinner work

Was making a stir fry last Tuesday. Put the rice on then got distracted pulling old shingles off a truck. Came back 20 minutes later. Bottom was black. Scraped off the good top half, threw it in a bowl with some canned beans, frozen veggies, and soy sauce. Mixed it all up. It was fine. Wife didn't even notice. Anyone else salvage a ruined dinner instead of ordering takeout?

3 comments

3 Comments

linda50020d ago

Wait you ever have one of those nights where you burn the rice but somehow the rest of the meal comes out better because of it? I did the same thing last month, blackened the bottom of a pot so bad I had to soak it overnight with baking soda. But I scooped out the good stuff, threw it in with some leftover chili I had in the freezer, and it ended up tasting like some kinda fancy fusion thing. My buddy stopped by and asked if I ordered from that new place downtown. I just nodded and kept eating. The char really does add something if you're careful not to stir it in too much. Canned beans and frozen veg are basically the duct tape of dinner fixes honestly.

the_jenny20d ago

I used to be one of those people who'd just toss the whole pot and order pizza, honestly. But reading that bit about not scraping too deep from @anthonymurray really made me rethink things. Last week I burned a batch of rice real bad, saved the top layer, and mixed it into a simple veggie stir fry. The char added this smoky depth I actually liked, it wasn't ruined at all. So yeah, I'm on your side now, a little burnt rice can be a happy accident if you handle it right. Canned beans and frozen veg are total lifesavers too, no argument there.

anthonymurray20d ago

read this thing the other day about how most people just toss rice and order pizza when they burn dinner. guess they never grew up in a house where wasting food was basically a sin. i've salvaged so many burnt pots of rice over the years it's second nature now. the trick is to not scrape too deep or you get that acrid taste in everything. canned beans and frozen veg are literally the bffs of any struggling home cook too. honestly a little char flavor can add something interesting to a stir fry if you're careful with it. your wife not noticing is the real win here though lol.