FAQ

Our rice is certified by NON-GMO PROJECT, through Food Chain ID.

In basic language this means the DNA, or natural genetic make-up, of the rice seed has not been tampered with. GMO crops have had a trait from another plant inserted into their DNA to provide the now genetically modified seeds with an attribute they did not have naturally.

While our rice is naturally gluten-free, the Dainty mill is a certified gluten-free facility without risk of cross-contamination, certified under the GLUTEN FREE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM (GFCP) and endorsed by the Canadian Celiac Association.

Every grain starts life as a whole grain, as the term refers to the entire seed of the plant, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. Brown rice is an intact whole grain, with just the inedible outer hull removed. White rice is the same grain, with the hull, bran layer and cereal germ removed. For this reason, brown rice has greater nutritional value than white rice as its remaining bran layer contains prominent levels of magnesium, fiber, iron and B vitamins.

Bran: rough and hard outer layer which protects the seed and contains fiber, minerals, and antioxidants.

Germ: The nutrient-rich core containing carbs, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other plant compounds.

Endosperm: this is the largest part of the grain, which consists almost entirely of carbohydrates and a small amount of protein.

  • Mix and match your rice types to create a more complex flavour and texture!
  • Cook extra portions of brown rice to keep it on hand for your next meal – it is great in a salad for lunch.
  • Cooked brown rice, or any rice for that matter, can be kept in the fridge for 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months – so you can keep some handy all the time.
  • A rice grain is considered ‘long’, when its length is at least 3 times its width.
  • There are thousands of different strains of rice but thankfully rice is most frequently classified by its grain size, long, medium or short. Generally, the longer the grain, the dryer, fluffier and less sticky the cooked rice will be.

Rice is a crop, a natural product :

  • Vitamins & Minerals: rice contains more than 15 vitamins and minerals, including folic acid, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, selenium, fiber, iron, and zinc.
  • It is a minor source of complex carbohydrates, protein and antioxidants.
  • Highly digestible – which is why it’s great for upset stomachs, even for your dog!
  • Naturally sodium-free
  • Naturally gluten-free
  • Saturated and trans-fat free
  • Anti-inflammatory:  rice contains important omega-6 fatty acids, which reduce inflammation. The anti-inflammatory properties in rice are also essential in maintaining a healthy skin.
  • Good for diets : Often people try to eliminate carbohydrates from their diet when trying to shed pounds. However, rice can actually help maintain a calorie controlled eating plan by increasing satiety and a feeling of fullness.
  • Source of resistant starch: rice is a source of this substance which seems to show promising benefits for the prevention of certain cancers.
  • Enriched rice:  is a rice which has been enriched with additional folic acid. A lack of general nutrition post-war was when ‘enrichement’ was supported. Today consumers have a much wider range of foods available for nourishment and enriched rice is not necessary.
  • Rinsing Dainty rice is not necessary.  Once imported the rice is cleaned at our mill in Windsor, Ontario. The rice is run through sorting equipment to remove foreign material.
  • There is actually no right or wrong, for many rinsing rice is a cultural preference.
  • Rinsing your rice will remove surface starch, usually making your rice slightly less sticky.
  • Importantly, rinsing your rice will not remove any nutrients.

In some cultures the rice is soaked before cooking to soften the grain, reducing breakage when it is handled and served – but this is not necessary, just a preference for some.

Pilaf, sometimes known as Pilau, Pulao or Pellao, some say is the Middle East’s and India’s major contribution to world cuisine; where, usually basmati, rice is cooked in flavoured stock with spices, typically having added meat or vegetables.

  • Parboiling is a centuries-old ingenious technique of driving the nutrients into the grains of rice so that once milled the rice is almost as nutritious as brown rice.
  • The parboiling method steams rice while still contained in its in its husk. This drives much of the nutrition from the outer bran and germ layer into the grain. The unhusked rice is then dried, milled and polished.
  • PARBOILED RICE , when dry, subsequently has a yellowish tint and looks quite translucent due to the nutrients which have been driven into its center.
  • When it is cooked,  parboiled rice turns white.
  • Parboiled rice will not stick, and has a slighty bouncy texture, which some say even squeaks when eaten.
  •  The cooked grains remain so separate that parboiled rice appears more voluminous.
  • It is the ideal rice for keeping warm over a prolonged period or using in soups or stews if separate grains is the result you are seeking.
  • In China and India rice has been parboiled for centuries.
  • Rice should be kept sealed in its package, or a container, in a clean, dry and ideally cool spot.
  • White rice varieties, milled and polished, can be kept literally for years in a cool dry spot. In India, prized Basmati is aged, ideally for at least 10 years.
  • Brown Rice will go rancid after a time due to the natural oil in the bran layer. You will know rice is rancid from an unpleasant odour and taste it will have. Rancidity will be slowed the cooler the rice is kept, the ideal is to store it in a glass jar in your refrigerator.

You’ve heard it said they’ve found rice in the pyramids? Well, it was likely very dry and would not have had much flavor, but was probably still edible. White rice can technically keep for years if well stored. However, brown rice will go rancid after some time even if kept in perfect conditions. The natural oil in the germ, or brown covering on the rice, will give off an unpleasant odor and will taste even worse.

Brown rice has a higher oil content than white rice as it retains its bran layer where the oil resides. Oxidization of the essential fatty acids within this layer is what causes brown rice to go bad . For this reason you can slow the process by keeping brown in a glass jar in your fridge, especially if you don’t eat it very often. You will know if it is rancid just by the smell, and it will taste even worse.

  • In India, rice is used for many medicinal purposes. Cooked rice is mashed into a paste and applied to the skin in order to treat boils, sores, swelling and skin blemishes. Rice is also sometimes used to cover a patient’s arthritic body as a type of massage treatment.
  • Sticky glutinous rice is also used in India to treat heartburn and indigestion; as well as extracts from brown rice are used to help treat breast and stomach cancer.
  • Rice is good to eat for an upset stomach as it is gentle on the digestive system and will help restore the intestinal tract health by absorbing extra fluids.
  • Brown rice has been shown to regulate serotonin levels. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (a chemical involved in the transmission of nerve impulses between cells) which is formed in the brain and found mainly in three parts of the body – the brain, the digestive tract, and the blood platelets. The main effect of serotonin is to improve mood and induce that ‘satisfied’ feeling. Serotonin also helps promote sleep and relaxation.

Kedgeree is a British word borrowed from the Hindi word ‘kitchri’ or Farsi word ‘kichiri’, both meaning cooking rice with other ingredients. In Victorian England, it became a breakfast recipe consisting of rice with cooked flaked fish, served either hot or cold.

Oryza sativa is the classification name for what the Western world refers to as rice. It contains two sub-categories, ‘Japonica’ for the shorter, stickier grains and ‘Indica’ for the long grain varieties. The origins of this classification are from a genus of perennial grass that originated in India, Thailand, and southern China. All the Dainty kinds of rice except for wild rice fall under this classification.

WILD RICE describes 4 different species of grass, 3 are native to North America and 1 to China, all classified under the genus Zizania. Wild rice has a chewy outer sheath and a dense inside grain that is rich in nutrients. It grows in shallow water on short stalks. Wild rice grains are high in antioxidants, proteins minerals, vitamins, and dietary fiber. This rice is so good that various aquatic animals also use it as a food source.

Steaming is the preferred cooking technique for sticky rice and also for some low-amylose kinds of rice (amylose is a long, straight starch molecule that does not gelatinize during cooking). The rice is usually soaked in water first, then drained. The grains are then put in a special steaming basket of spread out in a flat steamer. The basket or steamer is placed over a pot or wok of boiling water. The rice does not touch the water; it is cooked only by the steam.

Rice absorbs humidity, and salt will attract humidity if it is present. The size of rice grains won’t pass through the salt shaker head,  making it a great way to keep your salt from clumping and not having dry rice sprinkled all over your plate!

  • This is also the reason rice is great for drying out cellphones and removing humidity from shoes for instance.
  • Tidbit: Rice flour is used as an ingredient in many batters to make fried foods crispier and as a thickener or bulking agent in all sorts of foods – all because of its ability to absorb moisture.

Yes! Dainty baking products have been approved by the celiac association.

Rice flour is simply rice that has been ground up into a fine powder.

Xanthan gum is a common food additive used for its thickening, stabilizing, and emulsifying properties.

In gluten-free baking, xanthan gum replicates the elastic texture of gluten, helping doughs and batters to bind and maintain structure.

Xanthan gum is created from fermenting certain sugars with a specific bacteria.

Our baking mixes are packaged in 100% recyclable, and 25% post consumer recycled (PCR) packaging. Learn more about PCR here

Our all purpose flour works the same as a regular wheat based flour for all your baking needs.

Dainty baking mixes and all purpose flour are good for 12 months.

YES! We have many recipes in our recipe section for all our mixes and the All-Purpose flour.

Dainty baked goods emulate traditional baking mixes, they are moist, not dry, no after-taste and full of delicious flavour. See what some consumers had to say.

We are the only rice mill in Canada, and have had founding family involvement since 1882. The facility has been located in Windsor, Ontario since 1967, and are a proud Windsor employer for over 50 years now. Dainty sells rice and rice flour to companies, large and small, all over North America, we thank our loyal customers.

The Dainty difference ? All we do is RICE, so sourcing top quality rice is a given but the extra due diligence comes from the fact that all the rice passes through our mill cleaning equipment, ensuring food safety in that quality. We have built our record of loyalty and service over many years, and are proud to continue to bring our rice expertise to the North American market.

Dainty Foods production facility is SQF certified, a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) scheme that is an internationally recognized food safety control system.

SQF (Safe Quality Food) is a rigorous food safety management certification used to control food safety risks for which Dainty is audited annually. Dainty is certified for SQF Food Safety and SQF Quality Code.

SQF website

Dainty operates a certified gluten-free manufacturing facility, GLUTEN FREE certified under the Gluten Free Certification Program (BRCGS) which is endorsed by the Canadian Celiac Association.

Les Aliments Dainty Foods Inc. products are certified kosher by the Kashruth Council of Canada (COR). About KOSHER

The company is C-TPAT (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) compliant and certified, working with the US Customs and Border Protection to ensure a secure cross border supply chain.

Dainty products are certified Non-GMO Project Verified through Food Chain ID. NON-GMO

Dainty offers a wide range of packaging options for customers with different needs :

  • RETAIL – Block bottom bags (BBB), Stand-up resealable bags (SURB), carton box format, pillow pack and cans
  • FOOD SERVICE – Large poly bags or box cartons (Branded & Private label)
  • INDUSTRIAL – Large bags, Totes, bulk truckload or bulk railcar

Dainty supplies many retailers with private label packaging, many options available, contact us.

Private Label 1

Private Label 2

The Windsor facility contains a roller flour mill, providing a high level of flexibility for custom orders, custom blends and granulations. Lo-micro flour and Organic flours are available.

Flour Folder page 1

Flour Folder page 2

Lo-Micro Flour

Organic Flour page 1

Organic Flour page 2

Dainty has an in-house Quality Assurance team composed of scientifically qualified individuals. The team and lab pro-actively ensure all food safety and quality standards and certifications are met to the highest industry standards of excellence. Consistent internal management, and third party audits, ensure the Dainty facility output to be of the highest quality.

R&D is undertaken jointly by New Product Development and the Quality Assurance team. We constantly strive to be innovative and find ecologically passive solutions for sourcing new products and offering new packaging.

Dainty supplies rice and rice flour to a large variety of manufacturers such as; breweries, bakers, pasta makers, snack food manufacturers (bars, chips), cereal manufacturers, coating/batter suppliers, baby food manufacturers, pet food producers and many more.

Additionally the natural starch in rice makes it a natural thickener, whole or as a flour, it can be used for soups, sauces or protein extender for instance. The fine, light characteristics of rice flour make a superb batter ingredient, and these qualities also create a wonderful crisp quality to fried batters and coatings.

Rice and rice flour are incredibly versatile. They are non-allergenic, gluten-free, relatively odorless and tasteless – they are perfect for use in an enormous array of products.

The Dainty treatment – All we do is rice, we have 137 years of experience, so sourcing top quality rice is a given. The extra due diligence comes from the fact that every grain of rice we sell passes through our mill cleaning equipment, ensuring food safety in our quality offering. We have earned our customer loyalty, service record and we are proud of it.

Dainty offers Instant rice and Instant rice flour as part of its range of products. It can be purchased in Bulk for industrial users, for Food Service, Retail and private label packaging.

INSTANT rice

All bulk totes and full truck loads of, rice and rice flour, are priced on a per metric ton (M/T) basis.

Dainty was established in 1882, we’ve been around over 140 years.

Dainty brand products can be found on grocery store shelves Canada wide, at all the major grocers.

Best is to email us at daintyinfo@daintyfoods.com

You can also call 1-800-361-1360

We really appreciate hearing from consumers.

We do! The rice mill is within our facility in Windsor, Ontario, we also have a rice flour mill.

Rice does not grow in Canada, it is all imported. We import great quality rices from a number of countries, one being from our neighbor, the USA. We process the rice and package it in Canada. Our iconic cooked canned rice line of products is Canadian made. Our baking mixes are created using Dainty produced rice flour, and are also Canadian made products.

Rice is naturally gluten free and vegan.

All our rice products are adaptable for these diets.

Our Baking mixes are gluten free certified, though a vegan would need to adapt recipe additions to a vegan diet but they would work very well.

Our canned rice product is not for specific diets due to the seasoning accompaniments for these products.

Stay in the loop

Subscribe to our newsletter

Search by keywords