How to cook rice- this post shows you three easy tips to give you perfect fluffy rice every time! Instructions for cooking long grain white rice and brown rice.
How to cook rice
Rice. Is it a staple in your house? It sure is in mine!
Unfortunately, we’ve put up with sub-par rice for way too long. Sometimes it would be bland bland rice, and half of it sticking to the bottom of the pot. OR I’d end up with undercooked, crunchy rice. Does this sound familiar?
After digging around, I’ve found out it’s incredibly EASY to get perfect rice, and I want to share my findings with you, so you can learn how to cook rice and get it perfect and fluffy every time.
This post covers
- how to cook rice- my 3 tips for getting perfect, fluffy rice
- cooking instructions for perfect long grain white and long grain brown rice
- tips to add more flavor to your rice (for very little effort!)
Looking for some easy ways to add flavor to your rice? Check out this post with 7 Easy Rice Recipes!
My 3 tips for PERFECT rice
We all know that getting fluffy rice depends on getting the correct water/rice ratio (which differs by each type of rice), as well as the proper cook time, but a few other variables can also influence it.
- Rinse your rice- Rinsing your rice removes extra starch that can make it stick together and get gummy. Some people rinse using a colander, however I’ve found the most effective way is to cover the rice in the pot with 2-3 inches of water. Swirl, dump the water (through a colander or just carefully without). Repeat 5-6 times for long grain white rices or until the water becomes more clear. For long grain brown rice, I only needed to do it 1-2 times.
- Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the cooking liquid- I can’t remember where I read this, but I was dubious. I thought the rice would clump together like sushi rice and I thought it would have a vinegar flavor. HOWEVER it produces the fluffiest rice, and you can’t taste the vinegar at all! We have used white vinegar but switched to apple cider vinegar since we are always looking for more ways to add it to our diet.
- Rest your rice- take your rice off the burner and let it sit (no peeking!) for 10 minutes. This helps the moisture to evenly distribute in the pot so you don’t get dry crunchy rice on the bottom of the pot.
I have tested these tricks for three types of long grain white rice (one bag just said ‘long grain white’ and I suspect it is ‘long grain American rice’ but I’ve also tested basmati and jasmine rice), as well as for long grain brown rice.
All four types of rice benefited from these three tips…in fact, I’ve never had such moist, fluffy brown rice before!
Here are the water ratios/cook times that worked for me:
- jasmine rice- 1 cup rice : 1 1/4 cups cooking liquid; 12 min cook time, 10 min rest time
- basmati rice- 1 cup rice : 2 cups cooking liquid; 15 min cook time, 10 min rest time
- long grain rice- 1 cup rice : 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid; 12 min cook time, 10 min rest time
- long grain brown rice- 1 cup rice : 2 cups cooking liquid; 40 min cook time, 10 min rest time
How do I cook brown rice? See this post on How to Cook Brown Rice!
How can I add more flavor to my rice? I love cooking my rice in chicken or vegetable stock, and I highly recommend adding salt to your cooking liquid. This helps every grain of rice absorb the right amount of seasoning.
You could also check out the following rice recipes:
(these were tested with basmati rice, but you can adjust the liquid ratios for other long grain rices)
- Herb Lemon Rice Recipe
- Coconut Rice
- Saffron Rice
- Mexican Rice Recipe
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Pesto Green Rice
- Turmeric Yellow Rice
How to Cook Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups water or broth
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vinegar (white or apple cider vinegar work)
Instructions
- In the bottom of a medium pot, cover the rice with 2-3 inches of water. Swirl until the water becomes cloudy and pour off into the sink (you might want to pour through a colander). Repeat until water is not cloudy (5-6 times for long grain white rice, 1-2 times for long grain brown rice).
- After rinsing, add the water/broth, salt and vinegar to the pot.
- Cover and bring to a boil (look for steam coming out from under the lid). Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid or stir the rice.
- When 15 minutes are up, remove from the burner and allow to sit for another 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid until the time is up.
- When the 10 minutes rest time is up, remove the lid, fluff rice with a fork, and serve.
Nutrition
Mary
Thank you a bunch for this recipe video. I have been in self isolation far away from home as my son and I cannot travel on account of his SLE. This site has been the guide I so much needed. Cooking rice is the combination of art and science. Thanks a milly.
I sometimes see chefs sprinkling salt and olive oil when preparing rice, whats your take on this?
And would you get the same results if you used short or medium grain variety?
Denise
Hi Mary! Sending lots of love your way through all of this. I am so happy to hear you’ve enjoyed the recipes on my site! I never personally add olive oil after cooking my rice, but I do find that a few teaspoons of coconut oil can really give it a great texture. I would try ghee or butter if you don’t have coconut oil. As for medium and short grain rice, I am not 100% sure as those are not varieties we often cook. Wish I could be of more help!