Minute Ready to Serve! fully-cooked rice from Riviana Foods, Houston, is faster than ever to prepare. Available nationally since March 2008, in long-grain white, nutty brown, chicken rice mix and saffron yellow rice mix for $1.99 to $2.19, the twin-pack of portion-controlled 8.8-oz plastic cups can be heated for one minute in the microwave and the rice is ready to eat with nothing to add. Great for new cooks, the office or school and meals in a hurry, each cup is heat-sealed with an opaque white film lid. The two PP cups are unitized in a die-cut paperboard sleeve that presents label graphics, product features and heating instructions.

“A quick meal doesn’t have to be unhealthy,” says chef Debbie Jaramillo, test kitchen manager at Riviana Foods. “Not only does Ready-to-Serve rice offer superb taste and texture, it is also a complex carbohydrate with no trans fat. Moreover, it is gluten-free and cholesterol-free, which makes it the perfect energy source for those looking to shape up or continue a healthy lifestyle.” Shelf life is at least six months, according to the date code printed on the lidstock. As of presstime, Riviana declines to identify packaging specifics or suppliers.