Excerpts from the Introduction: A detailed description of techniques and methods of evaluating rice milling, cooking, and processing characteristics in rice breeding programs in the United States was outlined by Webb (1967a). In general, the same techniques and methods are in use today except for some changes in emphasis in certain testing areas. These changes are updated in this report. Historically, rice varieties in the United States are classed as short- (Pearl), medium-, and long-grain types which are associated with specific cooking and processing characteristics. Raw milled kernels of high quality, domestic, long-grain varieties, frequently called "hard-rice," usually cook dry and fluffy and the cooked grains tend to remain separate. On the other hand, high-quality short- and medium grain varieties, called "soft-rice," cook moist and firm and the cooked grains tend to stick or clump together.
