Enjoying and employing rice

Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. It’s a good thing that South Carolina grew lots of rice back in the day, as rice is delicious. I suggest you use one cup of rice to just a tad bit more water. But before everyone in South Carolina (except my family) had air conditioning, rice was imperative to put in your salt shakers to keep the salt from turning into a swampy mess. How can you make M&M sandwiches (that’s Southern for "mayonnaise and ‘maters") without some salt to sprinkle on them? Salt is stunningly hygroscopic – able to absorb moisture. Rice is a desiccant – it can absorb lots of moisture without losing its integrity. Even if you’re a health food nut, get some white rice for your salt shakers as it works better than brown, and tastes better with pork chop gravy.