…and what part of the world are you in?
No.
Northwest England.
Depends on the rice. Medium grain: yes. Sushi: no.
I wash basmati, jasmine and brown rice, and some other imported rices.
This is how rice is dried. Since they are just lying on the ground, I give it a quick rinse. Given the heavy metal concerns, I will probably give it a couple of rinses now.
I am on the west coast US.
I had been buying Lundberg and other California rices because I understand it had less heavy metals than some other rices.
Years ago I ate their brown basmati rice regularly, albeit grudgingly. Not sure why but the rice just doesn’t have the fragrance that their Indian counterpart has. Eventually shifted to eating other brands…
Depends what I’m doing.
For Asian dishes, yes with the Jasmine rice and sushi rice. Without washing, the rice has a smell that I don’t like after cooking. Glutinous rice you need to soak overnight before steaming, so yes for washing.
For risotto, no rinse, I need the extra starch on the surface of Arborio for creamy aspect of the dish.
Live in France.
Basmati and Jasmine rices I will soak for a half hour and then strain/rinse. I find there is a marked difference when I do this.
If you gew up in a traditional East Asian household, I would be close to 100% certain you wash or rinse your rice. This is what I was certainly taught by my parents. As @naf mentioned, there is a distinct smell to unrinsed rice when cooked.
I’ve begun not only rinsing, but soaking brown rice in water for around 20 minutes. Then I rinse. This has resulted in firmer grains, which I prefer over fluffy ones.
Sometimes. If I don’t I just set the cooker appropriately.
Minnesota
No, mostly, because it never turns out when I do, it seems too wet. This applies to Jasmine, Calrose and Basmati white rices. My SIL makes great rinsed white Calrose. I just have a basic rice cooker, so don’t know if that’s the issue. Will start rinsing the brown basmati I like due to the arsenic/metal issues and will see if I like that. Although I love rice, don’t eat much of it these days, sadly…
Washington State, USA
I wash.
USA West Coast
Terroir. Aging.
Extend to South Asian and likely middle eastern as well. Traditional rice growing and eating cultures.