Don’t let your fear of cooking rice keep you from enjoying so many delicious meals! Rice can be a challenging dish to cook properly. If too much water is used, it’s gummy. If not enough water is used, it’s firm and burnt to the bottom. Let’s put all your fears to rest and discover the foolproof way of cooking perfect rice every time.
This post is part of our Basic Cooking Skills series. Each week we will be doing a deep-dive into one basic cooking skill and a brand new recipe to accompany it to practice that newfound skill. Check back throughout the series for updates and new posts.
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I LOVE rice and, as you can tell, am always incorporating into our meals.
It is too delicious of a food to ignore! Rice can be utilized in practically any cuisine and can be used in Vegetable Stir Fry, Crockpot Cajun Chicken, Chicken Curry, New Orleans Gumbo, Greek Lemon Chicken Soup, as a side for Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, or stand on its own as Crispy Persian Rice.
Learning how to confidently cook rice will shape your meals forevermore.
Let’s jump right in. There’s no time to waste!
How to: Cook Rice Flawlessly
- Bring water to a boil and season with salt.
- Add rice to the water and return to a boil.
- Cover and reduce the heat, allowing the rice to simmer.
- Simmer for roughly 15 minutes or until dimples form in the rice.
Cooking Rice Guide
Materials needed
Optional Methods
Water to Rice Ratio
The gold standard for the water to rice ratio is 2:1.
2 cups of water for each 1 cup of rice
This can vary depending on cooking method or kind of rice, so be sure to check the instructions before using. However, this is your go-to for white rice on the stovetop
Soak or Not to Soak
Starch and other tiny particles tend to stick on rice. They may not seem like much, but these starches can cause the rice to be extra sticky.
To avoid this, the rice grains just need a quick soak in cool water.
Add your rice to water in a bowl and swirl it around. You should notice the water getting cloudy — this is the starch!
Drain the water and repeat 2 or 3 times until the water starts to drain clear.
This process only takes a few minutes but can have a lasting effect on your dish!
Adding Lots of Flavor
An easy trick for extra flavor is swapping out some of the water for chicken broth or vegetable broth. Homemade chicken broth is even more flavorful than store-bought so I always opt for that if I have the choice.
Butter is commonly melted into rice for increased flavor and can be stirred in before cooking or after.
Add chopped herbs and diced aromatics (garlic, ginger, etc.) in with the rice for added savoriness and unique flavors.
My favorite combination is cilantro and ginger as a side for Indian Curry!
Instant Pot Rice
Stovetop rice used to be my go-to method when preparing rice, but the Instant Pot has taken the #1 spot now!
I’ve never owned a rice cooker so I can’t speak to those, but Instant Pot rice is so effortless and hands-off. I get picture-perfect rice every time without fail and don’t have to hover around the stove like I would with stovetop rice.
I cover in detail in a nothe rpost how to make perfect instant pot rice so be sure to check it out and get all your questions answered!
Implement your new skill
Coming up next Thursday is a yummy rice recipe that will allow you to try out your new knowledge. Be sure to keep an eye out!
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What are some of your favorite rice dishes to enjoy? The comfort of a warm rice dish is unbeatable this time of year!
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I used to never cook rice. Felt like it was too much work (I know it’s supposed to be simple and easy. I was just being impatient and always bought the instant microwave kind). BUT I recently got an InstantPot and it has changed my kitchen skills dramatically. I love making new things, including rice dishes, in the InstantPot.
You can’t go wrong with an instant pot!! Game changer
I have a secret to reveal! I am terrible at cooking. I love baking and I am good at baking however cooking really isn’t my strong point. This post is fab and is so informative thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so glad it’s helpful! Baking definitely isn’t my strong suit so I will have to learn a lot more before sharing tips for others😂
Hi Kalin. Thank you! Something so simple and yet … I didn’t know. I have to confess, I got so fed-up with trying to get ‘real’ rice cooked properly that I resorted to boil-in-the-bag rice. Armed with your advice I’m going to try the real thing again 🙂
Best of luck to you!! The boil-in-a-bag is so handy sometimes though!! I totally understand
Rice is so tough to cook – and to portion, it’s one I always get wrong. Some great tips in this post, thank you!
Rosie
Thank you for reading Rosie! Rice can be a challenge for sure
Thank you for sharing such useful tips to be used in day to day life.
I hope it’s helpful for you 🙂
Good sharing. I also cook rice using rice cooker. Thank you for sharing.
It’s nice we have great gadgets that make it easier 🙂
Ah I’m not very good at making rice I’ll be honest, I often opt for using the microwave pouches instead. I love this post as it’s simple and one of the basics lots of people don’t know how to cook perfectly 🙂 thanks for sharing x
I’m so glad it could be helpful! Thanks for reading
Rice is a staple at almost every meal where I’m from. Most families, including mine, have rice cookers at home and it is very easy to operate! I’ve never cooked rice in any other way but with the rice cooker. Nevertheless, these tips could come in handy to anyone without a rice cooker. Thanks for sharing!
I’m gonna have to try a rice cooker now! One of my roommates had one but rarely used it, it’s so unfamiliar to me but sounds totally worth it 🙂
I love rice, I think it’s so underrated! I’ve never soaked it before cooking though, but definitely seems like best practice!
It can def be a hassle at times but is totally worth it!
I love my rice especially with a delicious chicken korma curry, I sometimes find it difficult to know when it’s cooked, it’s like pasta, it’s one of those items that just takes it time to cook!
yumm it’s so great with a nice curry! It’s really the dimples in the top that make me confident it’s done 🙂
I’ve never cooked rice before. I’ve always used the microwavable pouches instead but they are so expensive. I recently bought a packet of rice to cook and will use these tips to hopefully make it tasty and edible.
I hope it turns out great for you! I love to have those pouches handy for a quick heatup!
It seems so easy to cook rice, but there’s actually a lot of techniques involved to make it taste good! Thank you for sharing, I’m sure I’ll use it very soon.
Thanks for reading! 🙂
Wonderful tips as always! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much Amanda!
I seem to never cook rice properly, so this was a really helpful read. It tends to constantly get stuck to the bottom of my saucepan, so I appreciate your tips and insight! Always looking for more cooking information and your blog is a fountain of knowledge.
I totally get you, I used to always stick my rice to the bottom of the pan! It was a pain to clean and a shame to lose so much tasty rice.
I’m obsessed with the Zojirushi rice cooker – it’s the easiest way to prepare rice for a variety of dishes, but it definitely helps to know different methods and tricks.
Thanks for sharing this!
I will have to check it out! Thanks for sharing
I absolutely love rice, I’ve only just got the hang of making rice.
I’ll admit to always being a little scared of it! Not getting it right, the risk of poisoning from reheated rice etc which I know is silly.
It’s a firm favourite in our house x
Rice can be so finicky!! It’s so worth it when it’s done though 🙂
My husband recently cooked for a week. I feel like he would really benefit from this series, then I might get asked fewer questions every 2 minutes.
Haha I hope it helps the whole family!
I am awful at cooking, I am getting better, but you can still see the fear in my partner’s eyes when I say I’m going to cook something. This post is beneficial for me and will help when I attempt to cook again. Thank you for sharing! 😊
Aww I’m so glad to hear that! I’m definitely always learning too!
I practically live off rice haha! But surprisingly I have only just got the hang of making it. Whenever my boyfriend makes it though, it always sticks to the bottom of the pain, so this would be a very useful post for him! Thank you 😀
For so long I kept struggling with it and I really had to get down to the bottom of it 🙂
Thank you for sharing this post! I’ve always struggled with making rice. It never turns out quite right. With these tips I expect it will turn out great!
I hope it is helpful for you!
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I do love rice to be fair, especially if I have it with chicken or even a curry! I find rice so easy to cook as well 😁
I make rice every other day, it seems like!
Cooking rice is so though and used to be one of my pet peeves! I couldn’t stand starchy or dry rice until I managed to do it right! Still, portioning is not a skill I have as I cook enough rice for the neighbourhood! Thanks for sharing x
I love these tips and suggestions! I’ve been making some pretty good rice lately but sometimes I do have rice fails. This post helps to put things into perspective.
thanks for these great tips on cooking rice! i didn’t know there was so much technique!