Cooking Tip: Fool-Proof Method for Cooking Any Kind of Rice

White, brown, long-grain, or otherwise, this method works. No ratios of water. No guess work. No fuss. It just simply makes good rice. Every time. Here's the scoop:

Bring a large pot of water to boil - you can use any size pot as long as it's large. Salt the water as you would pasta water (ie, salty like the sea!), and add the rice. Let the water return to a rapid boil and then cook until the rice is al dente.

Drain the rice, return it to a pot, and cover it with a lid or clean kitchen towel until you're ready to serve the rice. Fluff before serving with a fork or wooden spoon.

That's it! We learned this method in culinary school and have never understood why recipes always make cooking rice so complicated.

This method works for any kind of rice you might want to make, though the cooking times will vary depending on the type of rice. It's easy to halve or double the amount you make, and the rice will always evenly cooked, chewy, and not too sticky. It's perfect as its own side dish, for rice salad, or for stuffing into burritos.

Give it a try and save your measuring cups for another day!

(Image: Emma Christensen for the Kitchn)

Comments (22)

Some would disagree----- in the following book there are subtle variations in the way that rice responds to steaming vs immersion cooking and some methods which use both, ie set water ratios start as immersion and then become steaming. I don't have the book with me but there was a scientific rationale as to why this was.

http://www.amazon.com/Seductions-Rice-Jeffrey-Alford/dp/B000C1ZX4U/ref=ed_oe_p_bargain

Not quite sure this is the best method. According to sources that I have read, you loose some of the nutrional value of brown rice when you drain the water. I find a simple 2:1 ration with brown rice works and is pretty easy.

Eh, I grew up with a rice cooker, and I will continue to use a rice cooker.

Does the salt do anything other than add flavor? I'd rather not add sodium if its not needed, especially if I'm having the rice with something that's already salty.

Why all the hating? Have you tried it? I can't cook rice to save my life ...I always get close and then the bottom gets stuck and I still have undone rice. I do the 2:1 ratio too, but to no avail. I will try this method out.

This method bugs me simply because it means that I'd have to dirty my sieve.

I cook rice with usually a 2:1 ratio, but most rices come with cooking tips on the package. One sushi rice I had called for a 1.5:1 ratio. Always turned out well.

I have made rice using this method and it does work. HOWEVER, for my personal taste, it is not the same as rice cooked in the "usual" way

I found that the rice tasted too "washed" for me - not sure how to express it better - it might be that for brown rice and others with a stronger taste this method works fine. But regular white rice, like jasmine, basmati, long grain white, definitely taste better (to me) cooked in the regular way.

I'm with Labchick. I always burn rice.

Labchick, no hating just a difference of opinion and yes I have tried it, it's too wet for me. For the record I usually use a microwave method because the taste/texture and moisture is good, not as good as on the stovetop but it is less variable. I will agree that this method is foolproof so if you can't cook rice at all, its a really good method.

The reason why most people use the 1 cup rice 2 cups water-ratio (or similar for special rice kinds) is simple: with this ratio you do not need to watch the rice, it cooks "on its own". No standing at the stove, no stirring. I mean, I give it a good stir once or twice after it starts boiling and then turn the heat to the lowest point (on hot days even no heat at all whatsoever).

The rice "cooks" on its own until it is perfectly done. Never burnt for sure. No fuss at all.

Another method: let the rice boil, then cool down the pot slightly to not to cause brown marks on fabric, then pack the (tight closing) rice pot in old coverlets and into your bed or into another warm place (like a box packed with wool or something like that). Perfectly cooked rice and perfect for busy people, since it is done even when you are not at home, and after it is done, it keeps warm for several hours.

OK, I was saying "hating" kind of tongue and cheek, sometimes its hard to be funny online. Sorry.
But anyway, i actually just tried it, it was better than the way I usually make it. But I definitely see what you are saying about it being a little washed out. I did use brown rice and frankly it tasted like white rice. But i'm sure I will keep trying the tried and true method... impatience is probably half of my problem!

I'm preparing to buy my first rice cooker, and I'm looking forward to it. Also no fuss-no muss.

Emily

i tend to have trouble with rice. why? i follow the directions, usually leaving out the butter and salt. the other day, i made brown rice that was done.. and creamy. what the heck! soo i turned it into risotto and luckily it went well with the rest of the meal.

I grew up using the "first knuckle joint" method of measuring how much water to add to whatever quantity of long-grain rice you're cooking, and every chef instructor I've had in culinary school has taught my classes the same method whether we've used the steamer, rice cooker, or just a pot. It's not much of a science, but it's always worked for me. I think the ratio works out to 1:1.5.

As far as rinsing cooked rice, I wonder if that would explain the "rinsed rice" flavor and the loose consistency I've gotten from rice I've eaten in certain restaurants. It was cooked fine, but to me, it didn't taste quite right.

Here's my method: Zojirushi NS-LAC05 Micom 3-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer

I don't know that this would work with any kind of rice.

I usually cook Japanese (short-grain) rice...it's supposed to be sticky.

I'm with squidlette. I grew up with a rice cooker. One of the first things I learned to cook was rice. Just rinse the rice. Measure water by touching your finger to the top of the rice, filling the water to the first line of your middle finger (hope that came out clear). Put in the rice cooker and press on. I have never burned rice, although there are those rare times when I've put too much water and the rice is a little soggy.

Rinsing the rice after cooking makes it less sticky by releasing some of the starch. Some people prefer it this way. I like it sticky, so I use the 2:1 ratio method.

Some people also rinse white rice before cooking to get rid of any excess starch, which also makes it less sticky. Long-grain brown rice has a bran hull, so it doesn't need the rinsing before cooking.

"Passionate Vegetarian" by Crescent Dragonwagon (my very favorite cookbook ever) has a pretty detailed section on rinsing or not rinsing different varieties of rice (possibly every variety of rice known to man!), and what the results are like.

I also make rice in the crock pot. I oil the sides lightly, then use 3 cups of water and 2 cups of brown rice. I put it in the crock before work, put it on a Christmas tree timer set to turn on at 2:00 on low, and when I get home at 5:30 or 6 it is perfect. Any longer and it gets a little crispy on the sides, but we usually kind of enjoy that.

I make brown rice in the oven using Alton Brown's recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-brown-rice-recipe/index.html
Easy and always perfect.

Both the washed rice and the one knuckle method are used in Indian cooking for polished white rice- the washed rice method works well for everyday fluffy (and yes somewhat less nutritious) white rice. The 'one knuckle' method retains more of the nutrients and flavors. In both cases the attempt is to stop the cooking in the al dente fashion.
The one knuckle technique is used more for a biryani or pilau.
The rice cooker works best on shorter grain rice and brown rice- the shorter grain going stickier and brown rice requiring a longer cook time

Still sounds boring. You could use vegetable chicken, duck, porcini or any other kind of stock to start with instead of plain salty water.

The reason not to do this, is to save energy. For environmental reasons, you should only heat the amount of water, that you are actually gonna use. You are discarding hot water, and keeping rapid a boil without a lid. That is just waste. The 2:1 recipe is perfect, because you only use the exact amount of energy needed to cook the rice.

So if you care about the future of the planet, global warming etc. you should not use the method described in the article.