White rice may well be one of the most simple dishes ever to prepare. It also is one of the easiest to screw up. Grains, in their many forms, can be tricky to cook. We’ve talked before about how to properly cook brown rice to avoid overcooking it (and making it gummy) and under-cooking it (where it turns out crunchy). So if you don’t have a rice cooker where you can just throw it in there with some water, and let the machine take care of the rest, we’re going to help you out. There is a trick to cooking white rice, and here’s how to do it!
How to Cook White Rice
Start by rinsing rice in cold water and straining the water out. This gets rid of any dusty starchy coating on the outside of the grains
Using the following proportions for cooking white rice: 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of uncooked rice. Add 2 cups of water to a saucepan, along with 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil. When water is boiling, add 1 cup of white, long-grain rice, turn heat down, and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes. The key is to make sure that the water is fully absorbed before taking it off the heat. A few minutes before the rice should be done, you can take the lid off and check to see if there’s still some water left in the saucepan. Make sure not to stir too much – that can lead to mushy rice, and that’s not good unless you’re trying to make risotto.
Side note: Don’t take the lid off too much while the rice is simmering. This will release the heat and steam that the rice need to fully cook properly. Once the rice has absorbed all of the water, take it off the heat, and fluff gently with a fork. Now it’s ready to serve!
Do you have any tried and true tips for cooking the perfect pot of white rice? Or do you have a special or innovative way of cooking your white rice? If so, let us know and share in the comments!
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