How To Cook Rice
Today, it’s all about how to cook rice, it’s actually easy. Do you have a hard time cooking rice properly? Please don’t feel bad about it, you’re not the only one. Many people struggle with cooking rice because there is a method to it that you need to follow.
Once you get that method down, you can quickly get the hang of making rice at home, and you might even eventually decide to experiment with different ingredients and flavors. After all, rice is an excellent side dish to serve with many foods, including chicken, salmon, broccoli, pork, and more.
Here’s the deal, we can use a rice cooker, or a pressure cooker, I get it. But, we need to know how to cook rice in case of an emergency on a Butane Stove or a gas stove if you have one. In case you missed this post, Rice: Everything You Need to Know
The type of rice you’re using has a lot to do with making sure it comes out perfectly. When you’re at the grocery store, and you’re looking at different bags of rice, you might notice that some of the bags say “medium-grain” and others say “extra long grain.” If you’re using medium grain rice, use an equal amount of water and rice in the pot.
So, if you’re planning to cook two cups of rice, you’d add two cups to your pot. If you’re using extra long grain rice, you’d need to use two cups of water for each cup of rice. Keep this in mind when you’re selecting the size of the rice you’re going to prepare.
The brand of the rice isn’t too important. While some people may argue that they like one brand better than the other, it’s not that big of a deal. You can use what is available to you and what you feel comfortable with using.
Grab a pot large enough to cook rice. In some cultures, the pot used for rice is known as a Caldero. You must have a non-stick pot with a lid to ensure that you can properly cook the rice on your stovetop. Next, add a tablespoon of oil to the pot.
While the exact type of oil isn’t too important, it’s best to use olive oil or vegetable oil. Turn the heat of the stove on medium-high heat and allow the oil to get hot. Colombian Caldero, 4.8 Quart, Silver
Measure the amount of rice you’re planning to use, pour it into a bowl, and begin rinsing it with cool water in the sink. Not everyone agrees with rinsing rice, but rinsing that extra starch off is a great way to keep the rice from having a mushy texture that you might not like.
Once you’ve rinsed your rice for a minute or two, be sure to hold the rice in place, pour out any of the extra water into the sink, and then add your rice to the cooking pot with the hot oil. Use a plastic or wooden spoon to give the rice a good mix.
Next, measure the amount of water needed to add to the pot based on the style of rice you’ve selected and how much of it you’re using. Add the water into the pot and then sprinkle a teaspoon or two of salt into the pot.
Mix the rice one more time, cover it halfway with the lid, and leave it on medium-high heat. Don’t go too far away, you want to stay close to the rice pot to watch when the rice absorbs the water.
When you notice most of the water is absorbed, remove the lid from the pot and add a sheet of foil on top. Use the foil to cover the pot before placing the lid back on top. Lower the heat on the stove to the lowest setting possible and leave your rice alone for a minimum of 20 minutes.
Don’t touch the lid! You may feel tempted to open the lid and look inside to see how much progress you’re making, but that can disrupt things and leave you with wet rice that doesn’t taste very good.
After 20 minutes have passed, you can remove the lid from the pot and carefully pull the foil off the top. Be careful with the foil because a lot of steam will come out from inside the pot. The steam can burn you if you’re too close to it.
You may notice that your rice looks perfect! Grab a fork to fluff it before using your plastic or wooden spoon to serve it. It’s that simple. If you follow this foolproof method, you can make traditional white rice with ease.
Deborah, I do rinse the rice. But I bring the water to a boil with added oil and salt. Pour the rinsed rice in and bring it to a boil again. Boil for 5 minutes, add the lid, and turn off the fire. Let sit for about 30-45 minutes. Usually, the rice is perfect and fluffy.
Some people like to use chicken bouillon when preparing their white rice. If you’d like to give the rice a bit more flavor, you can add the chicken bouillon into the pot with the oil directly before adding your rice into the pot and giving it a good mix.
The chicken bouillon isn’t an overwhelming taste, but it does bring more flavor to the dish so that you wouldn’t need to add anything else to add flavor if you didn’t want to.
It’s common for some people to add corn to their rice. Yellow corn adds a sweet touch to white rice and is an excellent addition to different seafood and meat meals. If you’d like to add the corn to your rice, feel free to toss it in when you’re adding the white rice into the pot.
If you don’t like corn, you can consider using peas or chopped canned carrots. It all depends on what you prefer and would like to enjoy with your rice.
While you can eat your rice fresh out of the pot, some other ingredients taste great when added to it. Soy sauce is a popular ingredient used on white rice and fried rice. It adds a tangy taste.
Coconut Aminos are a keto-friendly option for those who’d like the tang without the excess sugar. You can also enhance the flavor of your rice by adding some chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice.
Cooking rice isn’t too hard. If you follow this method, you can get it down to a perfect science and prepare delicious rice all the time. May God Bless this world, Linda
Copyright Images: Rinsing Rice AdobeStock_136870136 by Africa Studio, White Rice AdobeStock_215243566 by Kungverylucky, Different Rice AdobeStock_218205225 by Pixel-Shot.
Thanks for reminding folks how to cook rice in an emergency. These days I’ve gotten lazy and mainly cook it in one of those smart rice cookers which are just about set and forget. Wonderful tools, but if the power goes out not so useful.
One important note: if rice is going to be your main food in an emergency it’s good to know how to reduce the arsenic that can be found in small amounts in a lot of rice. (see https://journals.lww.com/jpgn/fulltext/2015/01000/arsenic_in_rice__a_cause_for_concern.28.aspx for details)
Simple method for reducing arsenic in rice:
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-say-this-rice-cooking-hack-removes-arsenic-but-keeps-the-nutrients
Basically, you boil double the usual amount of water then add the rice and continue the boil for 5 minutes. Discard the original water (now contaminated with arsenic), and put the normal amount of clean water into the pot and cook as usual. Doing this will remove over 70% of arsenic from white rice (only 50% in brown) while leaving most nutrients alone.
Hi DmWalsh, thanks for the link, this will help all of us!!! I use my rice cooker too! But, you and I learned how to make white rice before rice cookers were a thing! I love it! Linda
I make my rice a tad different than you. I do rinse the rice. But I bring the water to a boil with added oil and salt. Pour the rinsed rice in and bring to a boil again. Boil for 5 minutes, add the lid and turn off the fire. Let sit for about 30-45 minutes. Usually the rice is perfect and fluffy.
Hi Deborah, oh, I like your way!! I’m going to add it to the post, thank you!! I think the more we teach people how to cook rice the better (without an electrical unit). Linda
Rinsing rice will reduce the amount of arsenic (which is highest in rice grown in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas, and lowest in basmati rice grown in India and California), but it also washes away the vitamins and minerals it is enriched with. The arsenic levels shouldn’t be of concern for adults consuming a varied diet. But if rice is going to be a staple for young children, their cancer risks could double if the rice is grown in arsenic-contaminated soils. Incidentally, governments around the world started mandating that rice be enriched with vitamins over 100 years ago when people first started eating white rice. That’s when beriberi became a widespread and potentially fatal condition.
You should only add salt to boiling water. Adding it before the water boils is a sure way to pit and eventually ruin the bottom of the pan.
Hi Jennifer, great comment, thank you! Linda
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I’m Linda Loosli. I’m the owner and editor of Food Storage Moms. I’m so happy you’ve found us. Our goal at Food Storage Moms is to help “one family at a time.”
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How To Cook Rice
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