How to cook rice in a pot on the stove (my default), microwave or oven! My method to make steamed rice is simple and foolproof – no rinsing, no colanders, or any of the other fussy techniques called for in other recipes. Your rice will be fluffy and tender every single time – never gluggy or mushy. And I’m a rice snob! Show
Use this recipe for: short, medium and long grain white rice. See separate directions for: jasmine, basmati and brown rice. JUMP TO VIDEO | RECIPE | Stove | Oven | Microwave | Everyone should know how to cook rice perfectly – without a rice cooker! So today, I’m sharing how I cook rice, 3 different ways:
Which rice to use for this recipeUse this rice recipe for:
See separate recipes for:
DO NOT use this recipe for:
Wondering about the difference between rice types?The general rule is that the shorter the rice grain, the stickier the rice. Sticky doesn’t meany gummy! It just means the grains stick together more, rather than being crumbly, so they are easier to eat with chopsticks. The longer the grain, the less sticky it is. Basmati is the least sticky rice (Indian food isn’t eaten with chopsticks!), short grain is the most sticky. (eg. Sushi rice is a type of short grain rice, and it has to be sticky in order for sushi rolls to stay together. You can’t make sushi rolls with basmati rice!) Rice to water ratioFor 1 cup of rice, you will need 1.5 cups of water for to cook rice on the stove or in the oven. The water needs to be increased to 2 cups to cook rice in microwave. If you rinse the rice*, reduce the water by 2 tablespoons per cup of rice. * You don’t need to rinse rice to have fluffy rice if you use the right cooking method and rice to water ratio! More on the to-rinse-or-not-to-rinse debate below. JUMP TO Video | Recipe How to cook rice on the stove (my default method)
JUMP TO Video | Recipe This is my default way of cooking rice, and of the 3 methods I’m sharing today, it yields the best result – the closest to using a rice cooker. All the rice cooks evenly, the grains are tender but not mushy, and the surface of the grains are not mushy and gummy. There is no need to rinse rice if you use my rice cooking method! JUMP TO Video | Recipe How to cook rice in the ovenUseful for hands off, big batch rice cooking.
* Boiling water helps rice cook more evenly in the oven because the water doesn’t require time to come up to temperature in the oven (which can take over 10 minutes). JUMP TO Video | Recipe This is my next preferred method to cook rice. It’s not as perfect as rice cooked on the stove because some of the rice on the edges gets a wee bit crispy. But it is still very very good and the small compromise is worth the convince of this entirely hands-off method of cooking rice. Some people think rice should not be sticky at ALL, but that’s not right! Rice is supposed to be a bit sticky, otherwise 5 billion Asians would struggle to eat rice with chopsticks! JUMP TO Video | Recipe How to cook rice in the microwaveUseful emergency method! I use this when I’m scrambling for rice props in photos!
* Most microwaves heat things from the outside in. Using boiling water helps rice cook more evenly. JUMP TO Video | Recipe Cooking rice in the microwave is just as fast as using the stove, but it’s more hands off. BUT microwave rice is not quite as good as cooking rice on the stove. The rice doesn’t cook quite as evenly, but the difference is marginal and I’m pretty sure only rice snobs can tell the difference! You might turn your nose up at the thought of microwave rice… but it’s super handy to know how! When I’m cooking on the job and need rice for stir fries or curries or something else I’m shooting, rice gets made in the microwave more often than not – for sheer convenience. Things get pretty hectic around here on shoot days! Here’s a look at the rice cooked in the microwave. Hard to capture the texture in photos, but it is fluffy and doesn’t have that unpleasant gluey surface on the grains. You can see it better in the recipe video below! JUMP TO Video | Recipe The biggest mistake you’ve been making all your lifeThe biggest mistake people make when cooking rice is using too much water with most recipes calling for 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice for stovetop cooking. This virtually guarantees overly soft rice with gummy surfaces. The problem of too much water is then exacerbated by rinsing the rice, with promises that removing the excess starch will make your rice fluffy. Ever weighed your rice before and after rinsing? All that extra weight = water. So actually, recipes that call for 2 cups of water AND rinsing rice end up using almost 2 1/4 cups of water for 1 cup of rice = overly soft rice with gummy surfaces. The perfect rice to water ratio is 1:1.5 for the stove. If you insist on rinsing the rice, reduce the water by 2 tablespoons. JUMP TO Video | Recipe There is no need to rinse rice to make it fluffy!There’s a widely held belief that rinsing rice is the key to to successful rice, that doing this washes away excess starch on the rice grains which makes the rice extra fluffy. Yes that’s true, it does wash away excess starch. But your rice will still be beautifully fluffy even without rinsing if you use my 1:1.5 rice to water ratio and cooking method for the stove (or other methods above). The only reason to rinse rice are under the following circumstances:
If you DO rinse rice, you need to reduce water by 2 tablespoons for each cup of rice because the rice has some remaining water clinging to it (weigh your rice before and after rinsing – the weight increase is all water!). How do you wash rice?Easiest way is to use a bowl, fill with water and swish rice around, then pour water off. Do this 4 times or so. Note: The water will never get completely clear. JUMP TO Video | Recipe Troubleshooting!
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JUMP TO Video | Recipe USEFUL TO KNOW
What to serve with riceAh, the fun part!! Here’s just a few suggestions:
To be honest, I think that rice goes well with anything that’s saucey – Asian or not Asian. Because rice is a neutral flavour, it works well with anything! Congratulations – you’re now a Rice Master!If you’ve made it this far, you’re now armed with the basics for how to cook rice perfectly! You’ll be able to make rice anytime, anywhere, without any special equipment. A world of deliciousness awaits you – think of all the things you’re going to be on your rice, and cook with your rice! – Nagi x Watch how to make itSubscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates. Servings3 cups cooked rice Tap or hover to scale Recipe video above. Use this recipe for short, medium and long grain white rice. See separate recipes for: jasmine, basmati and brown rice. Stovetop is the most versatile method and yields the best result for perfect, evenly cooked fluffy rice. This is my default, favourite method. The oven is the next best (min 2 cups rice recommended) – handy for big batch, hands off cooking, but it takes the longest. The microwave method is extremely handy to know because it's hands off AND fast, and it's the method I use when I'm pressed for time – or on hectic shoot days! Stovetop (my default method):
Oven:
Microwave:
Check rice type:
Stovetop (my default):
Oven:
Microwave:
1. Rice types – use this rice recipe for:
DO NOT use this recipe for:
2. More rice for oven – rice cooked in the oven is prone to crispy edges if you cook a small quantity. The minimum I recommend cooking in the oven is 2 cups. 3. Boiling water for oven and microwave – allows rice to cook more evenly (water takes longer to come to temperature in oven, and in microwave, they generally cook from outside in which leads to uneven cooking of rice). 4. Oven baking vessel – medium size 24cm/10″ ceramic or cast iron pot with lid is ideal. Otherwise, use a 20cm/8″ pan and foil. If you scale up, use a larger pan. 5. Microwave container – you need a tall microwave proof container, preferably round (cooks more evenly), that’s 3 to 4 times the height of the water level with the rice in (water bubbles up). May need to increase cook time if your microwave is not as strong. 6. QUANTITY of cooked rice: 1 cup of uncooked rice = 3 cups (packed) of cooked rice. 7. STORING – fridge for 4 days in an airtight container, freezer for 3 months. Once refrigerated, rice becomes dry, making it perfect for using in fried rice. To reheat for serving (eg for stir fries or curries), sprinkle with 2 tsp water per 1 cup cooked rice, cover with lid or cling wrap and microwave – water will make moist again. 8. Cooking rice at HIGH ALTITUDE: Add 1 minute stove cook time for every 300m/1,000ft above sea level (because boiling point of water is lower = longer cook time). Depending on how heavy weight your pot is, you may find you need to add 1 – 2 tbsp extra water (to compensate for loss of liquid via steam due to longer cook time), but tweak that in subsequent batches. 9. Nutrition per 1 cup cooked rice. Calories: 205cal (10%)Carbohydrates: 45g (15%)Protein: 4g (8%)Fat: 1g (2%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Sodium: 2mgPotassium: 55mg (2%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Calcium: 16mg (2%)Iron: 1mg (6%) Keywords: how to cook rice, how to cook rice on the stove, ratio of rice to water, steamed white rice Life of DozerHis current favourite toy. It’s so appropriate 😈 How much does 1 cup of rice serve?One cup of dry rice will make enough cooked rice for two to three adult servings. (Or two adults and two small children.) The cool thing about this recipe is it is proportional. Always use one part rice to two parts water.
What does 1 cup cooked rice mean?One cup of already cooked rice. If it were uncooked it would specify. You can also make an educated guess from the cook time of the recipe and the amount of liquids involved. If there is a short cook time and not a lot of liquid, it'll likely be already cooked rice.
Does 1/2 cup dry rice make 1 cup cooked?Rice doubles when cooked. It's two to one ratio. To get 1 cup of rice, cooked, it's 1/2 of uncooked rice.
Is one cup of cooked rice a serving?The proper portion size for one serving of rice is 1/2-cup cooked, which is about the size of a cupcake wrapper.
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