How to Cook Rice
How to Cook Rice
You might be used to steaming rice, but you’ll get better results (and never risk burning it) when you boil it in lots of water and then drain it, the way you’d cook pasta. Once you get the hang of making it, you’ll and that it’s really easy.
kitchen gear
- Measuring cups
- Medium-sized pot with lid
- Strainer
- Large spoon
- Fork
- Pot holder
- Clean dish towel
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown or white rice
Instructions
- Fill the pot halfway with water, then cover it and set it on the stove. Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil (you’ll know it’s boiling because you’ll see little bubbles breaking at the surface).
- Meanwhile, put the rice in the strainer and rinse it under cold running water.
- Add the rinsed rice to the pot, stir well, and boil uncovered until the rice is tender (pull some out with the fork, rinse it under cold water, and taste it), about 18 minutes if you’re using white rice or 30 minutes if you’re using brown rice. Return the strainer to the sink.
- Use the pot holder to pour the cooked rice into the strainer in the sink and drain it really well.
- Return the rice to the now-empty pot. Cover the pot with the dish towel and then the lid. Leave the rice to steam, off the heat, for 10 minutes.
- Stir the rice with the fork and serve right away or use it in your recipe.
Notes
What Kind of Rice Should I Use?
We usually specify a particular type in our recipes, but feel free to use whatever you like.
- Many kinds of rice, including both brown and white rice, come in long-grain and short-grain varieties. Long-grain rice cooks up dryer and fluffier; short-grain rice cooks up chewier and stickier.
- We prefer brown rice as a rule, because it is nutty-tasting and satisfying, and it is so good for you, too.