I know that no brand products are cheaper because they save on advertising and fancy packages, but at the same time I have an hard time realizing how I can buy 1 kg rice for 80 cents while the other regular brands sell it for almost double. What justifies a difference of 100%??
Over here, we have bought both cheap and expensive versions of rice, and I noticed that there really is a difference in how it tastes and smells. Even the color looks different! The ones in the supermarkets that are in sealed plastic and have a brand name are even more expensive, but the taste and appearance of the rice is really superior as compared to the cheap versions. You should try buying one some time to see the difference for yourself.
That is a good way to compare really and I haven't done that just yet, so I might give it a try the next time I buy rice. The way I cook it though, it always tastes the same, I just add water and salt and it's always good, so that is why I created this thread, to know if anyone had ever noticed any difference.
Personally, I wouldn't buy no name brand foods. I would be worried about the quality of the product, wondering where it came from, what kind of pesticides or herbicides it contained, and whether it was from a GM crop. Especially with staple foods, such as rice, corn, beans, etc. I would be exceptionally sceptical as, for all that I know, it could come from some toxic dump in the middle of nowhere.
There certainly is a slight difference in quality. And aroma . . . I've bought them all and know the subtle differences including the blandness of some brands expensive though they are. I go for cheaper store brand rice these days because I know once I'm done cooking it, it will taste as good as any fancy brand name rice.
That is why big brands make so much money Dora, they sell sometimes the exact same products for double the price. I am not saying that cases like the one you mention don't exist, but I know for a fact that some no brand foods are the exact same product of top quality brands, they just save on marketing.
Must be the grade of the rice being sold. There are obvious differences in quality in terms of size, texture, and taste. Cheap unbranded rice consists of higher percentage of broken or coarse rice. If you are buying rice, make sure to compare its ratio of whole rice to the broken once, this is usually stated on the packaging. Also check its country of origin.
I've noticed that, some rice seems to be smaller, I guess that is what you mean in terms of being broken right? But in terms of flavor what difference does it make if the rice is broken or not? It's cooked the same way, it tastes the same, so I really don't mind buying broken rice if it's cheaper.
For me personally, I don't see any real harm in simply trying out the food. I don't have a lot of faith in name brand foods either because they can all end up using pesticides, having bug bits in them, etc. So the only way to tell the difference in quality is to try out both types, which is what I tend to do.
Actually, there is a difference in flavor and texture. Cheaper rice don't have the fragrant and that nice texture of those higher grade ones. The lower grade ones tend to be harder and rough, it's the mouth feel, it's just not as good.
I find that most of the time, the more expensive rice just tastes better. Of course, taste is subjective, so some might find the cheaper brands more appealing, but I think majority would agree that the higher priced ones could be considered to be of higher quality. I don't like all expensive brands, though, and I certainly disagree with the price of some that I consider to be below average, but I'm guessing many people would disagree and it's probably why they are priced so highly.
I have found the consistence of the less expensive rice to be not good is often mushy, I have even thrown the rice out after cooking it because it was so mushy. There are several types of rice, sticky rice and long grain rice which is what I cook most of the time. Rice does seem to be one of the products it is best to pay the money and get a good product. Most times you can not tell the difference in less expensive produce and the higher priced produce.
Maybe I am not the great cook and I don't notice the difference, I think I've said it, I just add salt and water to cook the rice and it tastes the same all the time. Sometimes I make tomato rice and in that case I also don't notice any difference, so it works fine for me, I am always buying the cheapest one, I am happy with it.
With growing concerns about rice containing potentially harmful levels of arsenic, the US Food and Drug Administration and Consumer Reports both released lab analyses on Wednesday detailing how much arsenic is found in rice and rice products. Both reports—which analyzed 200 samples of rice (brown and white), rice cereals, rice cakes, and rice milk—found that many brands contain more arsenic in a single serving than what the Environmental Protection Agency allows in a quart of drinking water.
I think there are different variations of rice available in market. You will be surprised to see as to how many of them are actually available right now. The real difference is in thew taste and smell. You can feel the difference when you actually cook it.
Now this could be a good reason for the price difference because in the taste and smell I feel nothing. I don't question they can use not as healthy methods as other more expensive brands, but as a consumer how can I determine that? I wish there was a way I could track down and determine the origin and production methods of the food I buy.
I wouldn't buy no brand rice anyway, as the prices for the bags aren't a massive difference, especially one big bag of rice lasts quite a while anyway, so I don't think its something you should save on. I don't mind buying other no brand/supermarket brand products as most of the time the taste and quality is about the same if not better than the other brands, but sold for a cheaper price.
A bag of rice (one kilogram) last quite a while depends on how many people you have in the house and how often to you cook, but I know what you mean. As for the price, that might be right, the same with pasta, but why buy the more expensive? What's the point in that? Does it has a superior quality?
I'm a huge rice eater, so I go ahead and splurge for the more expensive rice as I can taste the difference and I've noticed it keeps better than the cheap stuff. Rice is also something that can last you months, so buying the bag of rice that costs $5-$10 more, if even that much, only comes out to a couple bucks more a month for rice. As others have suggested, buy both and see if you can taste a difference. If not, then you found yourself a good money-saving item you can buy!
I'm guessing the more popular the rice is, the more expensive it is. I can tell the different quality of rice when eating it. But I wouldn't pay double for "better" rice.
