Someone I know is always bragging about her rice cooker and how I should get one, too, but I agree with Faith--it's really simple to cook rice on the stove, and that's one fewer appliance I need.

I made red rice last night. What i do is I first fry a bit of onion and garlic in oil, when the onion is soft I add the rice to fry a bit until all the grains turn white, stirring so that it doesn't burn. Once that's done I add the water and some tomato paste, and salt. Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat, and let it cook for about 20 min. And what you get is sort of reddish mexican rice.

I've burned so many pots of rice that my husband bought me a rice maker. I'm no longer "allowed" to make rice on the stove.

There’s an even easier way to cook rice on the stove. Cook it like pasta, in a large quantity of boiling water, for about 13 minutes (how long depends on the rice, but this way is a little quicker than the traditional way), and then use a strainer to drain it. You’ll never scorch the pan again.

I make rice much like Sofia - but cook onions and tomatoes first, then add the rice for a fewminutes and then the water.
And I actually relish the crispy (not burnt) bits. So tasty!

I've burned rice cooking it on the stove, too. And often, when it's cooked in the rice cooker, it gets too brown on the bottom.

I'm always stumped about the type of measuring cups to use. Logic says use a dry measuring cup to measure the rice, and a liquid measure cup for the water. When I do that, the end product just doesn't seem right. It's usually too watery cooked at the recommended time.

When rice is processed, it loses most of its nutrients. In order to replace these, a vitamin-mineral mix is sprayed onto the rice. If you rinse it, you lose this benefit.

A Puerto Rican neighbor of mine gave me a good method for cooking rice. I've never burned it yet and it comes out nice and fluffy and dry.

Put two cups of long grain rice in a large microwavable bowl. Pour on about a tablespoon of oil. Add salt to taste. I do about 1/8 tsp. Add two and a half cups of water. Do not cover. Microwave for 15 minutes. Cover the bowl with a large plate. Microwave for 5-8 minutes more. Let sit covered until ready to use. You may need to tweak the cooking times a little bit based on your microwave strength.

I used to cook the rice in the microwave using a 2 cups of rice to 4 cups of water proportion and cook it covered the whole time but the rice would split at the ends and I always had the nagging feeling that I should buy a rice cooker. Learning this technique has saved me the 90 dollars that a good rice cooker would cost.

I learned to cook rice like Sofia and Renee, though I don't add tomatoes. Using broth or stock instead of water also makes the rice more flavorful.

My never-fail method for cooking jasmine rice came from the fabulous Seductions of Rice cookbook.

1.5 c rice
1.75 c water

Put *both* in the bot and bring just to the boil, then cover and turn down to simmer for 15 minutes. Don't stir or remove the lid during this time. Then remove from heat and leave covered for 5 minutes. Again, keep your paws off it, and don't peek at your rice yet. When the 5 minutes are up, then fluff and enjoy.

My rice turns out consistently well following this method.

My family has always made a savory rice pudding called "breakfast rice." It is served at (can you guess?) breakfast. It's one cup white rice to one cup milk and one cup water, with a dash of cayenne and a dash of nutmeg, generous white pepper and salt. Follow the directions for cooking time, and let the rice rest for a few moments covered when it's done cooking. Then add between two and five tablespoons of cream (yeah cream, what of it). Stir it all up and serve it next to sausage patties or fried eggs. Southern delicacy!

The key to burning rice for me is not getting the heat quite right. Too low and its hard, too high and its charred. Either way its not worth the minimal difference in taste compared to using the microwave. With active chopping and high heat wok cooking going on simultaneously I just can't baby my rice.

"For most rice we use a 2:1 ratio - about two cups of water to two cups rice."

Did you mean one cup of rice?

thanks! fixed.

Ooh, I learned a great trick from my Persian aunt - cook 3 cups rice until slightly softened, drain and rinse again. Then melt butter at the bottom of a heavy pot and coat the bottom with a layer of thin potato slices. Pile the rice on top in a cone shape with a few pats of butter on top and about 1/4c water. Cook on low heat, covered, for about an hour. It's a more labor-intensive method for special occasions, but the potatoes serve two wonderful purposes: they prevent the rice from burning while it steams and they end up deliciously golden crispy - my favorite part!

kassie - it's not that we can't read directions - i don't buy packages of rice with directions! I buy rice from the korean shop or the vietnamese shop. they don't have instructions in english on the bag :) also, even if i did buy a smaller container, i don't like food stored in bags in the cupboards. i like it all in tupperware type things. and if you're forgetful and clumsy like me - rice tends to burn. which is why i got my giant soon-to-be-gone rice cooker in the first place!

That was a bit rude, Kassie.

My failsafe method of cooking rice on the stove (without instructions or measuring tools) is as follows:

1. Place hand perpendicular to the rice in the pot - the tips of your fingers should lightly touch the rice.
2. Fill the water till it reaches the first segment of your pointer finger.
3. Heat the rice on medium heat until it boils, then turn it down to a simmer. You have to be quite vigilant of the pot until this point.
4. When the steam from the pot flows straight up (versus flowing all over the place), the rice should be done. It usually takes about 10 minutes for me.

This is an old Korean method I learned from my mom; there's altogether a different "hand measure" when cooking rice in a rice cooker.

i just forget it's on the stove, or the timer goes off and somehow it's already burned. We got a nice compact cuisenart rice cooker, and it saves me alot of scrubbing.

- I hadn't seen a nasty comment on here in a long time, so I thought it was safe to comment again, I guess i was wrong.

There are lots of different ways to cook rice.
Boiled (like pasta) in a lot of water

Pseudo-steamed with the just the right amount of water starting at high heat and finishing at very low heat

Hybrid of the two styles (start with a lot of water, put pour off some of the water partway through -- more trouble than it's worth, I think)

Pilaf-style where the rice is fried in fat first and then pseudo-steamed in rice or broth. Additional flavoring are usually added.

Risotto style involves constant stirring and frequent additions of small amounts of water

True steaming

And I'm sure there are others. Different types of rice work best with different methods and if you've grown up eating rice, you probably prefer one method over all others. The end results don't taste or feel the same. You wouldn't want to cook Japanese rice pilaf-style, nor would you want to boil basmati rice like pasta.

i love buying these packets of saffron or yellow rice - they're just enough for three (or so) people and the job's truly easy. while the instructions are easy (ahem) it's taken me some time to get it right. instructions are not failsafe!

so, i tried making coconut rice not too long ago...burned the bottom AND it came out goopy and mashed. how does one manage to screw it up in two totally opposite ways?? ;)

kdkaboom, I'm just guessing here.... but I think there are two unrelated problems. The goopy and mashed are probably due to too much liquid and too vigorous boiling. The burned bottom is probably from too long over too high of heat. A thick, heavy pan helps to prevent burned bottoms, but it's always something of a threat.

yeah, you've got it. i always think i have the heat on too high, and i always use this same crappy ikea pot from like ten years ago. maybe i need to take my rice more seriously, eh? :)

this is to funny as i was just saying the other day i felt like the last person who cooked rice on the stove. I also do a 2c water per 1c rice but at whole foods by the bulk bins there was a "guide to bulk products" book. it was only one dollar and has gotten a ton of use becasue it tells how to cook each different style of rice. super handy! if you have a whole foods it was tucked up high so just look. I burned rice in my new house because the stove was a differnt style then iwas used to.ignore the mean people who make perfect rice :)
http://organicandnaturalmom.blogspot.com/

I'm a little late to the party, I know, but I cook my rice like Jazzybel. I learned it from my (half-Japanese) dad and it normally works, as long as I don't get distracted until I smell that horrible burned-rice smell. I've done with with sticky rice and brown rice.

Something I've found that helps with the the crunchy-in-the-middle problem is letting it sit after I add the water and before I add heat until the grains turn white in spots.

I also never refrigerate leftover rice. It dries it out and makes it gross.

I learnt from my aunt who makes the most incredible rice. i could eat it alone without any sauce or side dish

1. As it is norm in latin america, the first thing you do is make a sofrito-meaning various tasty things fried together, usually with onion as the basic ingredient.
for rice, I heat about two tablespoons of oil and throw in chopped onion, garlic, chopped red bell pepper and chopped carrots.
2. After they are soft and the onions clear, you put in the rice. when it has changed color, you add boiling water-about twice as much as the rice.
3. Wait for the water to boil and add a teaspoon of salt for each cup of rice. lower the heat and wait for the water to evaporate until you can see the grains of rice. cover and let it cook for 20-25 minutes on the lowest heat possible. turn off the heater and take the lid off the rice so the steam evaporates.

It turns out fluffy and so, sooo tasty!

Thanks so much for posting this. I know it's going on two years since the last comment on this post, but I've been referring to it for a while! A former rice-cooker-user, I've been cooking the grains on the stove since the cooker broke. Thanks to you, the rice is great every time and we've no need of purchasing another cooker. Cheers.

You know, I try to avoid unitaskers in my kitchen as much as possible, but you really can't beat a rice cooker. It's the difference between preparing rice as a dish and letting rice cook without thinking about it or doing anything. You don't need a fancy cooker, just one that works; I love the "set it and forget it" method.

how funny! i recently read an article on Gilt Taste on this subject exactly. i was ruminating on it this weekend (and the limitations of making rice on - gasp - an electric range!) here: thenoshingshiksa.blogspot.com. i'm quickly learning that there is no one correct answer to this question!

We move around a lot so I avoid purchasing unitaskers - it takes a little more work, but I only cook rice on the stove. For basmati rice the ratio is 1 cup rice to 1 and a quarter cups water, and that's simple and reliable enough for me.

Over the years, I've found the best way to cook rice on an electric stove without over-cooking the bottom is to use two burners. Bring 2 cups water (or broth) to boil on one burner. At the same time, preheat another burner to medium low - #3 on my stove. Add about 1 tsp butter to the boiling water/broth; stir in just a bit over 1 cup white rice (regular, basmati, jasmine). Cover and move to second pre-heated medium-low burner. Set the timer for 13 minutes. Check once after about 3 minutes to make sure it's not simmering too quickly - turn down the heat if necessary. After 13 minutes, turn off the burner, keep the cover on the pan. Use after 5 minutes. I've let it sit up to 20 minutes - the residual heat in the pan and from the electric burner keeps the rice nice and hot.

Wow, that was a rude comment. I don't unerstand how people can be aware of common courtesy and just not be able to follow it! I mean, there are tons of books written on the subject! Weird.

I can cook damn near about anything and somehow rice just never comes out right no matter how closely I follow the directions or the recipe. I use a nice heavy pot but I also have a gas stove and find it's hard to control the temperature at the low end. It usually sticks to the bottom and may or may not burn, or otherwise it's not done enough. And this is why I stick to potatoes.

I do my rice a little different. First, I set my oven to 350. Then, I rinse my 1 cup of rice. I add the rice to a oven safe sauce pan. I add about 1.5 cups of water and a stock cube. I bring it too a boil, wrap a big piece of tin foil over the lid, and pop it in the oven. In 15 minutes, I have perfect, light, fluffy, dry rice.

Usually, basmati rice for me doesn't take more than 10-13 minutes, without soaking. My mom likes to soak her rice for about 30 minutes before cooking--she says it turns out fluffier

In our house, I'm the cook and my husband stays away from the kitchen, but I cannot - or could not - cook rice until my husband taught me a trick he learned in Japan. Rather than being tempted to take the lid off too soon, don't remove it until you see no more steam coming from the pan. It's worked every time!

My family panicked when our rice cooker broke down, even if we all know how to cook rice on the stove. (We serve pasta dishes with rice, coz meals without rice are incomplete) Heck, my dad can even do it inside a bamboo stick. It's a thing they teach in boys scouts and girls scouts in my country. Now that I think about it, that might make for an interesting rice article: how to cook rice in anything other than a rice cooker or a stove top.

I do it the Pierre Franey way, in the oven. When Mr Franey used to thave the 60 Minute Gourmet column in the New York Times food section weekly, this was his usual method for rice. Use the proportions on the rice bag or any standard cookbook. Melt a bit of butter in the dutch oven, stir in the rice and get it coated. Add the liquid (water or broth), bring to a boil, cover and pop in a 400 degree oven for 18 minutes for white rice and about 25 for brown. It's pretty much foolproof.

I haven't been able to consistently make perfect rice since I left California for a higher altitude and an electric stove. Not sure which is the problem, but I've almost accepted the fact that I'll have to get a rice cooker. Maybe I'll give it a few more tries with some of these tips. Thanks.

Once I moved to a higher altitude, I could no longer cook rice (or pasta or ...)! Finally bought a rice cooker and it solved the problem. I don't like unitaskers, and I have a very small kitchen so it's stored in the garage, but that sucker works and it's easy to clean.

One of my past roommates left me a small rice cooker when she moved out, and I have to say, although I never would have bought it myself, the thing is great.

It frees up a burner on my tiny electric stove, which is great. On busy nights, I can flip it on before I leave for the gym and come back to warm, fluffy rice to go with dinner - no muss, no fuss! I've also successfully made quinoa in it. And I can saute onions and garlic in the bowl before I add in the rice. All in all, it's a great little gadget. I use it more than my blender or my mini food processor, actually!

I am borderline crazy about cooking rice correctly. Here is my foolproof method for perfect rice - fragrant, with beautifully elongated grains, and NO stickiness. I use either basmati or a quality Japanese white rice.

1. Gently rinse the rice.
2. Measure 1 part rice to 1.5 parts water. Add a sprinkling of salt and a drop of neutral tasting oil (sunflower is good).
3. Cover the pan, and bring the rice and water to a boil. As soon as it boils, turn the heat to minimum.
4. Cook on low, still covered, for 12 minutes.
5. Allow to rest, still covered, and with a clean teatowel under the lid, for 15 minutes.
6. Fluff up with a fork and serve.

We cook it in the oven. Start with cooking up some onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Add 1 cup of rice (white or brown or a mix) and toss until coated by the oil, add a half tsp. salt and any other seasoning (like garam marsala or adobo seasoning) then add 1 and 1/3 cups liquid (1 and 1/2 for brown rice). Put it in a 350F oven for 35 minutes for white rice, 60 minutes for brown, then let sit and steam on the stove top (no heat) for 15 minutes. Perfect rice every time, can be doubled easily, and once it is in the oven, you don't have to watch it.

Also, soaking the rice (overnight if possible) greatly improves the texture.

I'm with quercus, it depends on the rice. Short grain or long grain? Brown rice or white rice? Risotto or paella? Rice pudding or fried rice? Asian rice or Persian rice? There's no one way.

"Asian rice or Persian rice?"

Persian rice is by far superior, IMHO. Persians/Iranians take enormous pride in their rice, whereas Chinese (for example) place more importance on the accompanying dishes, and do not seem to have criteria for perfect rice (other than a degree of stickiness!) I would happily eat Persian rice with no accompaniment - the same could not be said of, say, Chinese restaurant rice.

My ex taught me how to cook rice her way more than 10 years ago, and I have never burned rice using the technique.

Cover the bottom of a quart size pan with rice. (If you can still see the bottom some.. that is one serving. About a half inch give or take is enough for 4-5 people.)

Rinse the rice a few times under warm water. (This helps wash off some of the starch and the rice doesn't stick together as bad. If you want sticky rice skip this step)

Fill with water to the level of your thumbnail above the rice. (I don't think this would work as good with long nails.. lol.. but you will learn to eyeball it.)

Heat on high to boiling. (About two minutes.)

Put lid on the pot, and turn temperature down to low and simmer 25 minutes.

Fluff with fork and serve.

I have used this technique with white rice, brown rice, red rice, and wild rice. I have also substituted the water with chicken or vegetable stock, and even added peas and carrots almonds, mushrooms, and other ingredients and it worked fine.

We eat a lot of rice and I cook it a lot of different ways (I love the Seductions of Rice book that was mentioned up-thread, and I'm making their recipe for Persian-style rice tonight!), but always on the stove.

My basic rule for absorption-cooking the rice, which is how I do it most often, is 2 cups of rice to 2 1/4 cups water (2 1/2 cups water if I'm making brown rice). I rinse the rice by swirling it with cold water in the pot, draining and repeating 2-3 times, then add it back to the pot with the water and bring it to a boil on high heat, then turn the heat down to minimum and let it steam for 10-15 minutes for jasmine or basmati rice, and 20-30 for brown jasmine rice. If I'm making a smaller pot of rice, I actually turn the heat off entirely once the water boils.

I don't salt my rice unless I'm making a flavoured rice dish like a pilaf or coconut rice, but I do like to tie a pandan leaf or a stalk of lemongrass in a knot and add it to the pot to scent the rice as it cooks.

I always thought it was so baffling that people could mess up rice--I was never really "taught" how to make it (just my mom mentioning that "it's 1:2 rice:water ratio, then, you know... cook it"), and it is pretty much the one thing I have never in my entire life managed to mess up making. Well, that isn't strictly true: my mom bought me a rice cooker once as a housewarming gift when I first moved out, and the first time I used it, after carefully following the directions, the rice burned. It immediately went back in the box and hasn't seen the light of day in 5 years. Honestly, if you need more direction than "add 1 part of rice to 2 parts water, boil, then reduce the heat, stirring occasionally, until it is something you want to eat," then there is probably no hope for you, and a rice cooker is the way to go. I guess I will just be thankful that I don't need another silly appliance taking up my kitchen space.

My rice cooker was a godsend in college when I was cooking in a kitchenless dorm! I've done so many different grains, lentil soup, Spanish rice, cooked veggies etc etc...if you're creative it's not as much of a uni-tasker as you think! It's one of the kitchen items I use the most even though I have my own kitchen now!

My fancy programmable rice cooker takes forever and browns the bottom. The $10 Target version works perfectly every time.

My family (Korean) prefers stickier rice that holds together a bit. Fluffy isn't prized by everyone.

I have a very good trick when I make rice. I add a few drops of lemon and a pinch of sugar the boiling water. It really creates wonders.

I've lived in China for work for a few month and I got addicted to sticky rice, so I normally cook chinese style white rice (without salt or anything else, only sprinkled sesame seed when serving it). I've found an italian grown rice which suits perfectly to this kind of cooking method so I don't need to buy more expensive imported rice from abroad. And I bought a very simple, basic and cheap rice cooker which does the job wonderfully.

My Dad's family is from Charleston- historically a very rice centric people. We always used a stove-top Charleston Rice Steamer to cook the rice....you literally can not screw up rice in this thing even if you tried! It used to be you could only find them in country hardware stores in SC (which is wear my inherited rice steamer came from), but you can find them online now. My old roommate actually got rid of her electric rice cooker and bought a rice steamer online after using mine a couple of times :-)

Growing up, my family had a rice cooker...me! lol
But seriously, rice on the stove is not hard at all. I learned from my mom and grandma. I also always make it in a skillet. I didn't realize people cooked rice in a sauce pan.

I make my rice more like commenter Sofia than the recommendation in the post. But I'm Central American so not sure if that's the difference.

Red rice is the best. All of my aunts made it but my mom's was the most sought after. She made it with butts meat (pork, we're southern), peppers and sausage for flavor. The crispy, no-yet-burnt, rice is great when the red rice cakes up in the pot. So glad my sister now knows the recipe :)

I learned how to cook plain rice from my mom, which means it's usually slightly burnt/crispy.

My favorite brown rice is Lundberg- I use a 1:2 ratio with broth, in a foil-covered 9x13 dish, 1 hour @ 400 degrees, then turn off oven and let sit for 1 hour. Nutty and perfect.

My favorite basmati rice is Tilda- the beautiful blue bag of perfection- boiled in salted water and drained. Snap.

Anyone else do the the knuckle way? Put rice in pot, wash it until the water runs clear. Put cold water in so that it is one finger knuckle's depth above the level of the rice. About 1.5 cm. put the lid on, put it on the heat and bring it to the boil as soon as it boils turn the heat right down leave it until no more steam comes out. Then it's done!

I cook brown rice every evening (usually short grain). First I put the rice in the pan, no heat on. I cover it with just-boiled water from the kettle. I let it stand for at least 5 minutes and then I rinse it thoroughly in sieve. Rinse the pan out too. Then I put the rice back in pan and add twice the volume of water (i.e. if I'm cooking 1 cup of rice, I add 2 cups of water - and these are measured in the same cup, we don't even have different wet/dry measuring cups here in the UK). Medium-high heat with the lid on, until it's boiling along, and then I reduce the heat and put the lid at an angle. It's done when all the water's absorbed. NO STIRRING! All that does is break the grains and make it all sticky. If I'm making a very large quantity (more than 2 cups), I slightly reduce the ratio of water to rice, so for 3 cups of rice, I'd use maybe 5.5 cups of water.

I had never heard of boiling the water first!! Just an extra step in most cases, IMO. I rinse the rice til clear, put in the heavy-bottomed pot and add just about double the amount of water.. I cook over medium heat and leave the top on unless things are looking too done before the waters gone. In that case I would tilt the lid. Easy peasy!