It's very important to know how to cook brown rice. If you don't know how to do this, here are instructions how. This might be the most important post you ever read!
First, start with high-quality brown rice. This is an important step. The generic stuff sold in supermarkets is crap. What you want is Lundberg short grain brown rice. Whole Foods carries this in their bulk section, and other health food stores do as well. You save money buying it in the bulk section. We buy around 15 pounds a month which we put into a large container. I remember when Lundberg was $1 a pound but now it's $2. Short grain is stickier and sweeter than long grain, and has a good flavor.
http://www.lundberg.com/product/brown-short-grain-rice/
DON'T use a rice cooker. They're unnecessary and they don't allow you to control the temp and time well. Really any pot will do, as long as it has a tight fitting cover.
Boil twice as much water as rice- so if you're making two cups of rice you boil four cups of water. We easily go through four cups of uncooked rice a week.
After you bring the water to a rolling boil, slowly add your rice while stirring. The idea here is to bring the water back to a rolling boil as soon as possible.
When your water is back to boiling, cover and turn down the heat very low. You are steaming the rice, not boiling it.
Set your timer for 15 minutes. If steam is escaping from the cover, your flame is too high (Note: if you have an electric range, remodel your kitchen and get gas).
When the timer sounds, turn off the flame and let stand for at least ten minutes. I like to let the rice stand until it cools and then re-heat it in the microwave.
Ideally the finished rice should be firm and not overcooked. The individual grains should still have definition. This can take practice, but after a while it is second nature. You will never be hungry again!
I have since realized that I meant Medium Grain brown rice, not Short Grain in this recipe!
I've never understood why Lundberg tells you to cook the rice for 45 minutes. That would result in soggy overcooked rice. The thing to do is experiment with the timing so you get it to the hardness or softness you want.
Thanks for the tip. I'll do it that way next time.