Minute® Rice Brings Perfect Rice to Frozen Food with Minute® Steamers

HOUSTON, July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Riviana Foods Inc., the country's leading distributor of rice, debuts Minute® Steamers in the frozen food section, adding to its extensive family of rice products. From freezer to plate in four minutes, the versatile Minute® Steamers contains rice that is fully cooked in a convenient self-ventilated bag, making it ideal to serve perfectly cooked, exceptional quality rice any day and any time of the week. The new Minute® Steamers also hit on noted Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert's 2012 Food Trends to Watch of eating at home to save money with the introduction of its four ingredient meals using the new product.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120726/DA46974)

To meet the growing demand of consumers who want to create a quick, simple and affordable meal while preserving taste and quality, Minute® Rice, the first to introduce instant rice to consumers in 1949, developed Minute Steamers, which heats in the microwave in its own steamable bag packaging in only four minutes. Available in six rice varieties including Whole Grain Brown Rice, White Rice and a variety of flavorful mixes such as Broccoli and Cheese Rice, Spanish Rice, Fried Rice and Brown & Wild Rice with Vegetables, and one pasta variety - Macaroni and Cheese, Minute® Steamers delivers fresh, fluffy flavorful rice/pasta that complement existing family favorite recipes or serves as the base for simple and delicious meals.

"Making the right food choices can be a challenge for families. It's even more of a struggle when balancing a household and busy schedules," said Paul Galvani, Vice President, Marketing of Riviana. "Minute Steamers embodies our commitment to helping time-crunched families striving to put a homemade meal on the table and still deliver a meal that is healthful, affordable, convenient and flavorful."

Rice is often viewed as a staple everyone loves. Minute® Steamers not only allows consumers to bring a great-tasting, complex carbohydrate to the table in a matter of minutes, but also when coupled with other affordable ingredients, can eliminate the stress from mealtime planning and preparation.

Minute® Steamers helps shave off valuable time it often takes to cook rice from scratch on busy weeknights. To help make mealtime even easier, Minute® Steamers offers "Four Ingredient Meals with Four-Minute Steamers," combining the product with common pantry staples such as protein, vegetables and sauces. The recipes deliver versatile, delicious meals that are approachable for less experienced cooks who still crave a homemade meal or foodies who want something quick, flavorful and satisfying.

Southwest Turkey Dinner
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 bag Minute® Steamers Brown Rice
• 1 pound ground turkey, cooked and crumbled
• 1 can (11 ounces) southwestern corn blend
• 1 cup prepared salsa

Directions:

• Prepare rice according to package directions.
• In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine turkey, corn and salsa. 
• Cook on HIGH 2 minutes. 
• Stir in rice.

Tips:

• Add 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese.  
• Use as filling in tortillas and top with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes.
• Roll into burrito-sized tortillas and serve with sour cream.

Chicken Broccoli and Cheese Dinner
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 bag Minute® Steamers Broccoli and Cheese Rice
• 1 can (10 ¾ ounces) cream of chicken soup
• 6 ounces (about 1 cup) cooked, diced chicken
• ½ cup milk

Directions:

• Prepare rice according to package directions. 
• In a medium microwave-safe dish, combine soup, chicken and milk. 
• Heat in microwave on high for 2 minutes. 
• Stir in rice. 

The new Minute® Steamers is rolling out nationally with distribution in Walmart stores and are found in the frozen food section. For more information about Minute® Steamers and quick and easy recipe ideas using the newest addition to the Minute Rice family of products, visit www.4ingredientmeals.com.

About Minute® Rice and Riviana

Minute Rice is distributed by Riviana Foods Inc., one of America's largest processors, marketers and distributors of branded and private label rice products. Its principal brands include Minute®, Success®, Mahatma®, Carolina®, Gourmet House®, Comet®, Adolphus® and Blue Ribbon®. The company has been an industry leader in marketing and processing of consumer rice products since 1911.

Riviana Foods is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ebro Foods, S.A., the leading Spanish food group, with interests in rice and pasta products. It is the world leader in the rice sector and is the world's number two pasta manufacturer. Ebro's other subsidiary in the U.S., New World Pasta Company, offers such well-known brands as Healthy Harvest®, Ronzoni®, San Giorgio®, Creamette®, American Beauty®, Skinner®, Prince®, Catelli® and Lancia®.

SOURCE Riviana Foods Inc.