Theory 127/Rice cooking/Rate lens
Cooking Follows Hydration Rate
The claim
Rice cooking time is set by the rate at which water penetrates the grain rather than by the total water absorbed.
01Mechanism
Starch gelatinises only where water has arrived; the penetration rate sets how long the centre needs.
02Prediction
Cooking time should track hydration rate.
03Refutation
Time tracking grain size would remove the rate.