Quick dinners you can season yourself
You want to prepare a side dish quickly, while choosing the sauce, vegetables and seasoning yourself.
Who is it for?
Fans of ready-seasoned rice
You prefer a seasoned recipe for dinner and want to compare sugars, salt and ingredients before choosing.
Shoppers who prefer a short ingredients list
You’re happy to allow time for cooking so you can start with unseasoned rice and make the rest of the meal to suit your taste.
What should you compare?
The best place to start depends on what you’d rather not prepare yourself: cooking the rice, seasoning it or both.
Plain microwave rice
Choose this if: you want rice that’s ready quickly and can be seasoned your way. Carrefour says Ben’s Original Basmati 2 min takes 2 minutes in the microwave or 3 minutes in a frying pan.
Bear in mind: you’ll still need to add the sauce and other parts of your dinner; check the nutrition information for the specific product you choose.
Vegetable rice for the frying pan
Choose this if: you’d rather start with a recipe that’s already seasoned than prepare the vegetables and seasoning separately.
Check: a recipe may contain stock, salt or dextrose. Read the ingredients even if the ‘of which sugars’ figure looks right for you.
Unseasoned rice to cook
Choose this if: you prefer a short ingredients list and want to put the whole dish together yourself. Auchan’s listing for Ben’s Original Wholegrain Rice says it contains only parboiled wholegrain rice.
Bear in mind: this isn’t ready-cooked rice to reheat: you’ll need to cook it and prepare something to serve with it.
| Consideration | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars and sweetening ingredients | Compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g on the same basis, then read the ingredients list for each recipe. | If I want to choose my own seasoning while still knowing how much sugar the rice contains, both details matter to me; around 40% of consumers would put this need first. |
| Speed | Check the time, preparation method and number of servings listed for the exact product. | When dinner needs to be ready quickly, I need a format that works with my equipment; around 30% of consumers would have this as a priority. |
| Already-seasoned recipe | Read the ingredients, salt content and allergens for the specific recipe. | I prefer a ready-seasoned base so I don’t have to prepare the seasoning separately, but I’m happy to check what’s in it; around 30% of consumers would favour this option. |
What should you watch out for?
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Confusing ‘no added sugars’ with a low sugar content
The DGCCRF points out that a product labelled ‘no added sugars’ may still contain sugars. The claim and the declared quantity answer different questions.
To compare two rice products, check ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g as well as their ingredients lists.
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Looking only at the ‘of which sugars’ figure
There are other things to compare in a seasoned recipe. According to Auchan’s listing for Lustucru rice with petits légumes, it contains less than 0.9 g of sugars and less than 0.6 g of salt per 100 g.
Check the salt content and ingredients too, to decide whether the recipe suits your priorities.
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Assuming cooked rice contains nothing but rice
Sauces and seasonings change the ingredients in a recipe. Auchan’s listing for Ben’s Original Chinese-Style Fried Rice includes soya, wheat and celery, among other ingredients.
If you need to avoid an allergen, check the information on the packaging of the product you buy.
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Assuming all quick rice is prepared in the same way
A pouch that needs reheating and rice that needs cooking aren’t prepared in the same way, even though both can be used as a base for dinner.
Check the instructions, stated preparation time and servings before choosing a format.
Which brands should you compare?
Ben’s Original
Products listed by Carrefour and Auchan include plain quick-cook basmati, cooked fried rice and wholegrain rice to cook.
- According to Carrefour’s listing, Basmati 2 min combines precooked basmati rice with sunflower oil, making it an option for adding your own seasoning.
- Preparation methods, ingredients and allergens vary by recipe; the details of one product don’t apply to the whole brand.
Lustucru
The rice with petits légumes for the frying pan listed by Auchan is suited to shoppers looking for a recipe that’s already seasoned.
- Its product information lets you compare ‘of which sugars’ and salt per 100 g with other recipes listed on the same basis.
- The recipe includes several seasoning ingredients, so the ‘of which sugars’ figure alone doesn’t tell you everything about its composition.
Which rice products should you look at on Joybuy?
These products give you different ways to prepare dinner: tomato-flavoured cooked rice, two types of cooked white rice to season yourself, and long-grain rice to cook. Preparation time and how much freedom you want to season the rice can help you decide.
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Ben's Original Express Microwave Rice Tomato & Olive Oil, 220 g
For ready-seasoned rice to reheat, rather than rice you season entirely yourself.
Tomato and olive oil recipe; 220 g pouch. Check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging before comparing it with other recipes.
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Ottogi Cooked Rice, 210 g, pack of 3
For ready-cooked rice, with the sauce or other ingredients for dinner added separately.
Three 210 g portions. Check the reheating instructions on the packaging for the equipment you have.
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OTOKI Cooked Rice Cup, 210 g
For a bowl of ready-cooked rice, with the seasoning prepared separately.
210 g cup. Check the reheating instructions before buying.
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Ben's Original Long Grain Rice, 2,5 kg
For preparing and seasoning the rice yourself, as long as you allow time to cook it rather than simply reheat it.
Long-grain rice in a 2,5 kg pack. Check the cooking instructions on the packaging. To compare sugars with ready-to-eat rice, make sure the figures refer to the product in the same state.
Frequently asked questions
Does ‘no added sugars’ mean that rice is low in sugars?
No. According to the DGCCRF, a product carrying this claim may still contain sugars. To compare cooked rice products, check ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g and the ingredients list.
Why check carbohydrates as well when the ‘of which sugars’ figure is low?
The ‘of which sugars’ line doesn’t cover all the carbohydrates in rice: Anses distinguishes between sugars and starches. Read the nutrition information as a whole when comparing two recipes.
What should you check on a pack of cooked rice before buying it?
Check the specific recipe, its ingredients, allergens, quantity, nutrition information and preparation instructions. This will help you compare sugars and salt, then make sure the format suits your dinner.
Can cooked rice contain allergens?
Yes, depending on the ingredients in the recipe. Auchan’s listing for Ben’s Original Chinese-Style Fried Rice includes soya, wheat and celery, among other ingredients. If you need to avoid an allergen, check the information on the packaging you buy.