Hey, friends! I have some fun news to share today – I wrote an article on the right way to cook rice, and Allrecipes picked it up for the relaunch of their how-to section! Head on over to Allrecipes to check it out!

How to Cook Rice

Rice is a wonderfully versatile dish served as either an accompaniment or a main course all over the world. Many familiar and delicious recipes require rice-cooking know-how. Learning how to make rice the right way opens up your culinary possibilities to dishes such as paella, stuffed cabbage rolls, or rice pudding.

Unfortunately, rice is easy to botch if you don’t know what you are doing. You can overcook the rice, undercook the rice, end up with a watery mess, or even a scorched pan.

Happily, there’s an easy fool-proof method you can use to cook three very common types of rice: white rice (long or medium grain), jasmine rice, and basmati rice.

This method utilizes a trick you may not have tried before: placing a kitchen towel in between the pot and the lid while the rice is steaming. The towel helps absorb some of the excess condensation so the water doesn’t “rain” back down onto your rice. This prevents your rice from getting mushy!

It takes about 30 minutes, so plan to start your rice early in your meal preparation process so you are not waiting for it while your food gets cold.

Start with this basic method, then try some of the variations below to mix things up!

Ingredients & Supplies:

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice (medium-grain, long-grain, jasmine, or basmati)
• 2 cups water
• Fine mesh sieve or colander
• 3-quart or larger pot with lid
• 1 Kitchen towel

Method:

1. Place the measured rice into a sieve or colander and rinse with room temperature running water until it runs clear. Transfer the wet rice to a pot, add two cups of water, and set on the stove uncovered over medium heat.
2. Wait patiently as the water comes to a boil. Let the water reduce down until it just barely sinks below the level of the rice.
3. Drape the kitchen towel over the top of the open pot, place the lid on top, and tie the towel corners over the lid. Turn the heat to low and set a timer for 15 minutes.
4. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let the pot sit, still covered, for 10 minutes to finish cooking.
5. After ten minutes, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork before serving. Re-cover to keep warm for later.

Variations:

• Add three or four strands of saffron to the pot during step one.
• Substitute chicken or vegetable broth for water.
• Add a pinch of cumin, coriander, and cayenne to add a Mexican flavor (or, substitute a quarter cup of the water for fresh salsa!).

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Allrecipes. The opinions and text are all mine.

Last Updated on November 26, 2014