Hello Margaret. What you are experiencing is completely normal, especially coming from cooking regular white rice.
Wild rice is actually not a true rice at all, but rather the seed of an aquatic marsh grass. Because of this, it behaves very differently in the kitchen. Even when fully cooked, wild rice will never become completely soft or fluffy like white rice. It naturally retains a distinct, chewy texture with a pleasant, nutty bite.
A great visual indicator that wild rice is ready is when the outer dark hulls begin to split open and curl back slightly, showing the lighter interior. At that stage, having a firm, chewy center is the intended texture. If it feels strictly crunchy or chalky like raw grain, it might need another five to ten minutes of steaming, but if it is simply a firm chew, you have cooked it properly. If you cook it until it becomes completely soft, the grains will burst wide open and turn mushy, which is generally considered overcooked.
For future batches, many cooks prefer cooking wild rice just like pasta in a large pot of boiling water, testing a few grains around the forty to forty-five minute mark, and draining the excess water once the desired tenderness is reached.
As for freezing, wild rice freezes exceptionally well. The slight bite will hold up nicely without turning into mush when you thaw and reheat your individual portions throughout the week.
