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Some brands of rice milk contain microscopic bits of metal.
I had been planning on writing a post on homemade rice milk at some point, but after reading an article last week in Mother Jones about this latest non-food food additive, I decided I better whip up a batch of rice milk and write a post about it sooner rather than later.
According to the writer (and the scientific sources he cites), nano-size particles (a nanometer is a billionth of a meter) of titanium-dioxide now lurk in, among other products, Dannon Greek Plain Yogurt, Silk Original Soy Milk, Rice Dream Rice Drink, Hershey’s Bliss Dark Chocolate and Kraft’s American Cheese-Like Singles. Why? Because nanoparticles of titanium dioxide whiten white foods like yogurt and rice milk and brighten dark foods like chocolate.
How do nanoparticles affect the body? Well, we don’t know. The FDA says they pose a risk—but has done nothing to curb this trend. Ninety-six food items in the United States now contain unlabeled nano ingredients but as “recently as 2008, only eight US food products were known to contain nanoparticles, according to a recent analysis from Friends of the Earth—a more than tenfold increase in just six years.”
I don’t buy rice milk because of the overpackaging. I’ve seen it only in Tetra Paks, which aren’t recyclable (at least not where I live), and recycling is a last resort anyway. I prefer to refuse packaging, buy whole foods and cook for myself. Rice milk happens to be pretty easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown or white rice, long or short grain (I buy mine in bulk in my own container and I chose brown rice for this post)
- 4 cups water (plus more for soaking the rice)
- Sweetener (optional)
- Vanilla (optional)
Instructions
1. Rinse rice thoroughly and place in a bowl. Cover with water by about half an inch. Let soak overnight. This batch soaked for about 14 hours. One of the nice things about this recipe is you don’t use any energy to cook the rice before making the milk. If you prefer almond milk, just replace the cup of rice with a cup of raw almonds, and follow these same directions.
2. After the rice has soaked, drain but do not rinse it. Place rice in a blender along with the 4 cups of water. If you want to add sweetener, vanilla or other flavorings, do it now. Unlike homemade almond milk, I think rice milk really needs just a bit of sweetener to taste (try a teaspoon of honey). You can add the flavorings after you blend everything and strain the liquid, but then you’ll have to clean the blender out and pour everything back in. It’s just easier to add it now. (I opt for easy.)
3. Whirl the rice and water around in the blender on high for about 3 minutes.
4. Place a sieve lined with a very thin towel over a bowl. Pour the rice milk into it. Allow the liquid to strain and drip into the bowl below. My thinning, old tea towel is still a bit thick, but it did the trick.
5. Gather the corners of the towel up and squeeze out the remaining liquid.
6. Pour rice milk into jars, replace lids and chill. Drink your rice milk within a week. (I tend to avoid eating food more than a week old unless it’s fermented.)
If you have any ideas for what to do with this rice sludge, please let me know. I put mine in the fridge, where I imagine it will sit for several days until I finally compost it. I’ve baked with almond or coconut pulp left from making milk, but not rice.
No-Cook Rice Milk
Yields approximately 3 1/2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown or white rice, long or short grain
- 4 cups water (plus more for soaking)
- 1 teaspoon honey or sugar (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
Directions
1. Rinse rice thoroughly and place in a bowl. Cover with water by about half an inch. Let soak overnight.
2. After the rice has soaked, drain but do not rinse it. Place rice in a blender along with the 4 cups of water. Add sweetener and vanilla, if desired.
3. Whirl the rice and water around in the blender on high for about 3 minutes.
4. Place a sieve lined with a very thin towel over a bowl. Pour the rice milk into it. Allow the liquid to strain and drip into the bowl below.
5. Gather the corners of the towel up and squeeze out the remaining liquid.
6. Pour rice milk into jars, replace lids and chill. Drink your rice milk within a week.
Click here to read my recipe for rice milk made with cooked rice.