Why You Should Parboil Rice And Refresh The Water Five Minutes In

Rice is delicious. For some, it’s also a bit of a health worry.

You might already know that rice takes up arsenic – a naturally-occurring, toxic chemic element – from the environment.

While it’s impossible to get rid of this completely from our food, we know that consuming a lot of it can be harmful to health.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) claims long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking water and food can cause cancer and skin lesions. It’s also been linked to heart disease and diabetes.

The BBC previously reported that rice “has around 10-20 times more arsenic than other cereal crops”.

Separately, researchers have also previously highlighted how brown rice (which is often touted as ‘healthier’) contains more arsenic and other pesticide contaminants than white rice.

Bearing all of the above in mind, having a solid preparation method for your rice is important.

Over the years I’ve tried rinsing rice under a running tap (although it turns out this doesn’t do much to remove arsenic). I’ve also tried soaking it in a bowl of water, swirling it about and discarding the water (repeating four or five times) until the water’s pretty much clear.

But according to University of Sheffield researchers, there’s a much more effective way of lowering arsenic levels in your rice.

A 2020 study, published in Science of the Total Environment, suggested cooking rice in a certain way removes over 50% of the naturally occurring arsenic in brown rice, and 74% of it in white rice. Yet it didn’t reduce micronutrient levels.

The PBA method involves parboiling the rice in pre-boiled water for five minutes before draining it and topping up with fresh water, then cooking it on a lower heat to absorb all the water.

Dr Manoj Menon, the study’s lead author, said at the time it’s especially useful for parents who want to prepare rice for babies and children who are “highly vulnerable” to arsenic exposure risks.

According to the European Food Safety Authority, children are up to three times more susceptible to arsenic risks than adults due to their smaller size.

It’s for this reason that rice milk isn’t recommended for young children under five.

Yet previous research from the University of Sheffield also found more than half of rice varieties sold in the UK contained levels of arsenic higher than regulations allowed for babies and children under five.

At the time, they called for labelling to warn the public about levels of arsenic in shop-bought rice.