Got rice problems? Here’s exactly how to make perfect rice, so you never end up with mushy rice or hard pieces ever again!
Let me start by saying how difficult it is to take pretty pictures of rice. It’s just…… rice, you know?
I feel a bit odd sharing this “recipe” as it’s hardly a recipe so much as it is a method.
Rice was one of those things that took me a while to really “nail.” I tried following recipes on the bags of rice themselves or following the advice of friends and family but I always seemed to end up with a huge pot of mess. I kept asking myself, “Why is my rice mushy?”
Sometimes the rice would still be crunch, other times it was total mush. Sometimes I’d find a pool of water in the bottom of the rice pot, other times the bottom half-inch of rice was a blackened burnt mess.
This method produces tender, fluffy rice like the kind they serve in Thai restaurants. You know what I’m talking about, right? When you can see each individual grain of rice, rather than just a glob of white mush? Yeah, that’s the good stuff. I had to find out how to make rice not sticky.
Now that I cook rice about 17 times per week, I’ve got the whole thing figured out and figured I’d share it with you!
This method is not just how to cook white rice. This method will work with long-grain white rice, Jasmine rice, and basmati rice. Don’t try to use brown rice!
The recipe below will make about 5 cups of cooked white rice – enough for a side dish at a family meal. Since it’s just the husband and me at my house, I like to make this rice and then save the leftovers in the fridge to make Thai-style fried rice.
OKAY. Take a breath.
Here’s the looooong explanation for what is really a SIMPLE process. I promise.
I also think it’s an absolute MUST to rinse your rice properly before you put it over heat. I’ve tried rinsing mine in a strainer with running water, but I’ve found the most effective way is to measure the rice, put it into your cooking pan, then add about an inch of water over the top and use your fingers to swirl the water around. You’ll be able to see the starch coming off of the rice as the water turns murky.
Then, pour the contents of the pot (both rice and water) into a fine strainer to let the water drain off. Return the wet rice to the pan, add another inch of water, swirl again, and drain again. Repeat that process one more time and you’re good to go.
I’m really not kidding about doing it 3 times. It’s essential!
Once you’ve drained the rice for the final time, return the rice to the pan and add the measured amount of water. Stir. Set it on your stove and set turn the burner on to medium heat. Wait patiently as it comes to a boil.
Don’t make a rookie mistake and turn the heat up to get it to boil faster. That will turn your rice into a mess of mushy nasty grossness. No one likes mushy nasty grossness.
Oh, and another thing. Don’t stir the rice EVER except for the one time you did it when you added the measured water.
Once it comes to a boil, keep an eye on it and wait until the water level dips below the level of the rice. Once you can see a few mounds of rice peeking out above the water you’re ready to use your…
SECRET RICE WEAPON.
Intrigued?
Well don’t get too excited, because it’s just a regular old kitchen towel.
Lay the kitchen towel over the top of the pot, then put the lid on the pot and ensure the whole thing is as sealed up as it can be. Lift the hanging edges of the towel up off of the burner so you don’t burn your house down, and fold them up onto the top of the pot lid.
What’s with the towel, you ask? Well, it absorbs the condensation coming off of the rice as it steams so it doesn’t “rain” back down onto the top of the rice, which makes it soggy. SCIENCE!
Turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Set a timer for 15 minutes and walk away. Have a beer and peruse my latest pins on Pinterest in the meantime.
When the timer goes off, turn the heat off and set another timer for 10 minutes. Finish your beer (or, you know, open another one). Leave the lid on the pot. Do not peek.
When that second timer goes off, remove the lid and the towel and use a fork to fluff the rice into those perfect individual grains.
Voila! Now you know how to cook perfect rice.
Phew! That was kind of a long post to write all about plain old rice. But hey, there’s no point in you making a delicious Panang curry or a fragrant Indian Chicken Korma if you completely botch the rice, right?
Then your food is just sad and lonely and all of that yummy sauce goes to waste because there’s nothing to soak it all up! Tragic, I tell you.
OK friends, so you don’t have to try to extract the “recipe” out of the above instructions, here’s a handy printable for you to keep in your kitchen (might I suggest the awkward cabinet above your stove?) until you have it memorized.
Here’s How To Cook Perfect Rice!
How to Cook Perfect Rice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 c. long-grain white rice, jasmine rice, or basmati rice
- 2 c. water
Instructions
- Measure out 1 1/2 cup of white rice and pour it into a saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid. Move over to the sink and run some room-temperature water over the top of the rice until it covers the rice by about an inch. Use your fingers to swirl the rice and water around the pan. Drain the water off of the rice using a fine mesh sieve or through your hand if you don’t have one. Repeat the process of adding water, swirling, and draining two more times.
- Once you've finished, measure 2 cups of water and add it to the pot. Stir the rice as you add in the water, but do NOT stir it again once you've turned the heat on - ever.
- Set the pot over medium-heat and patiently wait as it comes to a boil. Let it boil until the water level drops below the level of the rice (the rice will be peeking through the top). Turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible, place the kitchen towel over the top of the pot, and cover the rice with the pot’s lid. Bring the edges of the towel up and twist around the handle of the lid so they aren't dangling down near the heat element.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes and walk away. Once that timer goes off, turn the heat off entirely and let the rice sit for 10 more minutes before taking off the lid. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
Yield 5 Serving Size 1Amount Per ServingCalories 144 Total Fat 0g Saturated Fat 0g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 5mg Carbohydrates 31g Fiber 0g Sugar 0g Protein 3g
Comments
Thanks for sharing this. Simple things done very well seem like the most important elements of a successful meal. I’ll definitely give this a try!
This recipe turned out perfect! Thanks!
Thank you!!! I have gone trough way too many mushy and crunchy rice nights and this worked perfectly for me tonight! I followed the instructions exactly, except I strained just using the lid when rinsing (no strainer) and it was AWESOME! Perfect for my orange chicken. Thanks again!
I’m so glad to hear this, Stacie! It seems like such a simple task, but I swear there’s a million ways to mess up rice. Thanks for reading!
wow this was life changing. Thank you so much i think this is the best rice I’ve ever had!
YAY! I just love hearing this, Rachel 🙂 It’s the only method I ever use!
Thanks I love this and will try it.
Great, Debbie! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
what about brown rice.
Hi, Dena! I’ve used this method with brown rice and sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn’t. Brown rice is a totally different kind of animal! I’ll be sure to post a recipe if I ever figure out how to perfect a method.
I highly recommend Alton Brown’s Baked Rice recipe. Comes out perfect every time
I meant for brown rice
Thanks, Nancy! I’ll have to check it out 🙂
This rice was perfect! Any idea what changes I should make if I want to double the recipe?
Hi Ashley! I double this all the time – just make sure you use a much bigger pot, as you don’t want to rice to become too dense and get sticky 🙂
I just tried this and it really works! I have never been able to make rice reliably and had resorted to buying ready rice which really isn’t very good not to mention expensive! Now that I know this technique I’ll be able to make rice consistently at home! Thank you for positing this!
Hi, Brenda! I’m so happy to hear you like my method 🙂 Thanks for reading!
I tried it with Mexican rice, worked great but I did have to add 3cups of liquid instead of 2. After 14 years of messed up rice, I finally made some that’s really good!
Hi, Rocio! I’m so glad you liked it. 🙂
Is the timing the same if the recipe is doubled?
I double this all the time and use the same timing– just make sure you use a much bigger pot, as you don’t want to rice to become too dense and get sticky 🙂
Thank you – it’s cooking right now. Came out amazing when I made it last time using the original measurements!! 🙂
Amazing that after all my years of cooking I am still learning. This is great and the rationale for why makes it so much easier to follow EXACTLY the “how to” part. Thanks so much…. oh, BTW, I think your pic is great!!;-)
Thank you for the kind words, Patricia!! I know exactly what you mean – always more to learn!!
Try this method, and it turned out PERFECT! Thank you!!! I made a post on my blog, and linked it back to you 🙂 http://wherefloursbloom.com/2014/04/24/how-to-cook-perfect-rice/
Great, Karen! I’m so glad you like my method!
I learned to make rice while traveling in India. They used 2 parts water to 1 part rice. They would bring it to a boil over medium high heat. They let it boil for maybe a minute and then covered it with tight fitting lid and turned off heat. (cooking fuel is expensive) The rice sits in the pot on the warm but turned off burner for at least 20 minutes. Fluff as usual.
I don’t understand why people rinse off rice. Any germs will be killed by cooking. I am also thinking there are beneficial nutrients on rice that would be rinsed off. Any nutritionists out there have an opinion?
Hi there! Thanks so much for leaving a comment. I think some of the differences in rice cooking technique is based off of the type of rice – some have more starch residue left on the grain than others, so rinsing the rice helps remove the starch and keep the rice from sticking together in one big clump. Perhaps Basmati rice has less starch?
People rinse off rice because it gets rid of a lot of contaminants, one of which is arsenic. Most asians rinse off their rice before cooking and they usually use a rice cooker or cook rice in a large pot of water and then drain it with a colander, the more water to rice ratio while cooking the less sticky the result will be.
I am so glad I came across this pin! My boyfriend and I are always trying to make that perfect rice for our meals – sometimes I even cheat and run to the Chinese place next to my usual grocery store and buy rice to have with our dinner! Definitely printing this off and will try this week. Thanks for sharing!
That is too funny, Cassandra! I used to always order extra white rice portions at the Chinese place by our house so I could have extra for dinners later in the week. For such a staple food, rice is easy to mess up!
Great, but time consuming way, i prefer to wash my rice in running water, place in plastic bowl, add fresh water to recommended amount then blast on high in the microwave ( Used largest plastic bowl available so the water doesn’t go over the side whilst cooking) I generally run it under cold water once cooked, to stop the cooking process. can then be cooked well in advance of rest of dish and reheated when needed…..:-)Still with you on the beer whilst cooking though….;-)
I might have to try that! And yes, beer is always necessary 🙂
Alternatively, rice cookers are inexpensive and foolproof and require no attention once it’s cooking 🙂 Definitely worth the investment if you make rice with any regularity. My $30 rice cooker is used at least a couple times a week and still works perfectly after almost 5 years! Just wanted to throw it out there because before my husband wanted to buy one I didn’t even know these existed, so maybe there are still others 😉
I like my rice cooker but find that it doesn’t do a great job of cooking rice as individual grains; mine always comes out kind of sticky!
Thank you! – I thought it was just me.
Whenever I use the rice cooker it always seems a bit gluggy too.
So I do it in a pan medium heat with a 2 to 1 water rice ratio never tried the tea towel but will next time.
My wife is from Shanghai and she uses the rice cooker and gets a far better result than I do, there must be some technique trick with a rice cooker too!
I’ll watch her very carefully next time.
I don’t care how many comments there all ready are. I have to tell you that I love you. Like, seriously. You are now added to my hero list. My mom, Superman, Jesus, you. (Not necessarily that order…) I used to love rice then I bought this HUGE bag of rice that was TERRIBLE! I thought I had measured wrong or set the timer wrong or something wrong every time I cooked it. I realized eventually that it was just rotten terrible AWFUL rice. Until now. I tried it. Thought what could it hurt? What could it hurt indeed! It was perfect! My husband asked what I was doing with the dish towel like a crazy woman and I told him “Supposedly (oh me of little faith!) making ‘perfect’ rice.” He was like, “Oh, sticky rice?” I said, “I don’t know…just perfect. That’s all she described it as!” Now I know why! There is no other way to describe it. It is perfect. It’s fluffy, sticky but so NOT sticky, smooth, soft, little granules of heaven. Again, thank you. I love you. You deserve a raise!
Calli! This is the best comment ever. I actually copied and pasted it into an email to my husband so I could say “see?? I’m not crazy! The towel makes a difference!” I’m so glad that this helped you out. I make one big pot a week (with a few strands of saffron) and keep it in the fridge. It goes with everything and it’s soooo cheap. Thanks for leaving such an awesome comment!
Morning! Can’t wait to try this! I don’t have *tons* of trouble with rice, but I have *enough*, and I’ve finally broken free of the Minute Rice thing a few years ago, and am learning to cook! Wheeeeee!
Making your Chicken Tikki Masala tonight….want to make Basmati rice with it. Will it work the same with Basmati? I’m not a rice connoisseur. LOL Thank you. Looking forward to your newsletter and browsing more of your site! 🙂
Morning, Amy! I totally get you, rice can just be somewhat unpredictable! I can’t imagine going back to Minute Rice now! You can definitely use this method with Basmati rice, I do it all the time. Enjoy the recipes!
Thank you! Am going to start now. Masala in the crockpot, and it smells delish! Onto the rice. Yahoo! 🙂
OMG…..It says Basmati right in the recipe. :/ I got a bit giddy and didn’t even get to reading it fully. Oh dear. Thanks again!
No worries!! I tend to speed read, too 🙂
I’m SO glad I discovered your site today (courtesy if Iowa Girl Eats, I think — sometimes I just click on what looks interesting, and if I keep clicking I might well forget where I started) — but in this case I’m pretty sure it was IGE — although it’s entirely possible that there were some clicks in between IGE and you . . . Anyway — I’ve now been here for an hour(s?), happily reading your chatter and copying recipes — LOTS of recipes, a brilliant variety of recipes that are perfect matches for the kind of food I love to cook and eat. YOUR recipes for these foods are somehow more attractive to me than most because they give the impression of being simpler, easier, etc. Probably the first one I’m going to try (maybe even tomorrow!) is your naans. I love naans beyond all reasons, but have never made them myself because all the recipes I’ve read have seemed to be presented as such a challenge — like it would be a miracle if I managed to get it right! Yours is the first one that doesn’t strike me that way — maybe because yous is the first one that calls for baking the naans in the oven rather them cooking them on a griddle (which means having the perfect pan, getting precisely the right heat, the right timing, the right color before turning, etc. etc.). So I’m excited to see if I can do it right. I’ve been cooking for many (many!) decades and I’m pretty good at it, so I’m not hesitant to try any of your other recipes, but if I can succeed with the naans, you are indeed golden in my book. Well, really, you’re golden even if I don’t succeed, because you’ve given me such pleasure with your blog already, due to your choice of recipes, your beautiful photos, the appealing personality that shines through in everything you write, and of course your lovely face and demeanor. Because I’m really old now, I’ve cut back tremendously on the amount of cooking I do (I’ve become very slow at everything, I forget things, etc.), but you’ve renewed my enthusiasm for trying something new — at least for now. OK, I’ll stop — but I’ll be back!
I know how to cook rice but that towel trick intrigued me. 😀 hahah . I’ll try that and tell you what happen 😀
Give it a shot! I swear, it helps 🙂
I am definitely going to try out your method. If for no other reason than to compare results with the method I have used for years. The one that I have used is called the “ton-of-water-method.” Rinse the rice just like you suggest. Have a large boiling pot of water and sprinkle the grains in. Cook until just tender, or al dente, if you prefer – approximately 8 minutes but all rices are different. Dump everything through a sieve, and drain very briefly, then dump the rice back in the pot. Here’s where the methods circle up; use a cloth towel and put a tight fitting lid over the pot. Return the pot to the stove (not over the hot burner you used to heat the water), go drink a beer and finish work on the main dish. Come back to the rice in about 10-15 minutes and fluff. This works well with brown rice too, but you have to keep it in the boiling water for almost a full 20 minutes before it begins to get tender.
Wow, I’ve never heard of that method, Mike! I’ll have to give it a try 🙂
Anetta,
After going with your method I have to say that yours is superior for fluffy, intact grains. The boil of the ton of water method does a lot of damage to the grains. It is, however, a good fit for brown rice that requires longer cooking and endures the boil intact.
Thanks for a great method!!
Mike
Thank you! I’m one of those girls that love making food and in general I’m quite good at it. Except when it comes to rice. Since I can remember every rice pot was either mushy, crunchy or burned. Bless my husband he still loves me and eats it like its the best meal ever. My first try and it came out perfect! Thank you! Your a rice-saver.
PERFECT! My son who complained about the “snowball” in his rice when I make it to accompany his favorite dish (curry goat), came into the kitchen a few minutes into the “add the dish towel stage.” His question was, “did you find a new way to try to burn the house down”? (I replied with your instructions.) When the rice finished cooking he said “perfect, no snowballs in my rice, so now the gravy can reach every grain!” Thank you so much for sharing this method…and NO CLEAN UP from the pot boiling over either! 🙂
I am just one person, do I have to cook all that rice for the method to work?
That would be a YEARS worth of rice for me!
You can half it! Just use a smaller pot.
It works with any 1:1.25 ratio (rice:water) I generally use 3/4 C rice and 1 C water when cooking just for me. But I find that it’s usually done in about 12 minutes after I turn the heat down.
I do the same thing, Mikael!
when you first put the pot on to come to a boil on med heat, do you have the lid on?
Nope, it is uncovered 🙂
Fingers crossed that I finally make good rice using this recipe! We will find out in ten minutes lol thank you for the recipe, I’ve tried everything ! So worth it because my kids love white rice
I found your website via your Lemon Chicken recipe, then saw this post. There are so many “fool proof” methods to cook rice out there. Being Filipino (we eat rice with everything), I grew up with perfect rice from the rice cooker (a good investment if you love rice) but after I moved out, I didn’t have one. So after many tries, I figured out this method where the rice doesn’t even stick to the bottom of the pan. It’s so easy even your decidedly unchefy partner can do it! So for those still trying to find their rice cooking method, give this a try:
Measure rice to water ratio 1:1.5 (1 c rice to 1.5 c water). Bring to a boil. Take pan off the heat. Leave covered for 25 min and DO NOT uncover until those 25 min are up.
Shan,
You take the pan off the heat immediately when it starts to boil ?
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve recently come to live by myself and now I can’t for the life of me make rice like my mother used to make for me. I’m cooking it right now — if I master this technique, I’ll have finished one of my many goals on the road to becoming a housewife! haha!
Thank you thank you that you!!!! I finally made perfect rice! This is life changing 🙂 followed the instructions exactly and I am amazed
Right!? It totally changed my life, too. I make a TON of rice now, and love using the leftovers to make fried rice 🙂
H! I will certainly try this method. BUT, I also recently bought a rice cooker, and I would LOVE to find a way to get this same result to work in that thing. Do you have any suggestions? What about a paper towel on inside top of the thing, OR a piece of a cut up dishtowel? ALSO, I have yet to find the correct rice to water ratio to make it come out “dryer” and not sticky. ANYONE? If you respond please be sure to tell me whether you mean “real” cups of rice and water or the rice cooker cup for the rice and the measurements on the pot for the water. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE
Hmm, I’m not sure, Linda! I don’t use a rice cooker, I’ve always had trouble with them 🙂
Thank goodness! I have tried for a long time to find a way to consistently make perfect long grain white rice and this technique really does the trick! I had resorted to converted rice for so long just to not have mushy, overcooked, rice. But converted rice is so bland. I am really glad I took another few tries and found this page and this methodology!
Thank you so much for posting this!
I love hearing this, William! It totally changed my mind about rice, too. I eat it with just about everything now!
Can you use coconut milk for the liquid?
I haven’t tried that, but if you give it a shot you might add a little bit of extra liquid since coconut milk is thicker and might reduce down and make the rice gloppy 🙂
I would love to look at your blog more, but there are too many adds. My computer can’t handle it. Maybe I’ll visit when I get a better computer.
I’m so sorry to hear that, Kim! Ads can definitely add time to download a web page. I really appreciate your support and understanding!
Many, many thanks! Followed instructions exactly and my rice…was…PERFECT!
Awesome, Debi!!
I am so going to try this! I have one question though. I have an electric stove, and the knob has warm, low, medium, medium hi and high. After boiling it, when you put it to the lowest setting, would I put it on the lowest setting of warm, or should I put it on the lowest setting of low. Warm really only keeps it warm, nothing else. I have been using an electric stove for 3 years now, and still trying to figure out how to perfect recipes on it. Sometimes recipes work, and sometimes, actually most of the time, I over cook/burn everything. Thanks!
Hm, good question! Mine has Low, Med-Low, Med, Med-High, and High. I use the “Low” setting. Maybe you could give it a try on the “warm” setting?
Great tips. I have to say though, once I started using a rice cooker, I’ve never gone back to stove top. The rice cooker is so easy and makes perfect rice and the best part… you don’t have to watch it. A good rice cooker is definitely worth the investment. 🙂
I’ve always had trouble with those things! What’s your secret?
I made this tonight and it was indeed the perfect rice. Thanks for sharing!
So glad to hear it, Tonya!
In your long instructions you say to rinse the rice 3 times, then on the printed ones you say to rinse it and then repeat 3 more times? That’s a total of 4 times?
3 times total! I’ve corrected the recipe card 🙂
Thanks, just making sure :-). You can also correct the number of beers to 3 or 4, I don’t mind that one LOL 😉
I will try this soon.
Have a good weekend!
HA! SO true 🙂
Anetta,
I also noticed that you’ve been to Greece and Turkey to get inspired about different foods. You should visit my home country Bulgaria also when you get a chance. You have been so close to it when you were in Greece ans Turkey.
There are plenty of good and inspiring dishes there too! 🙂
I would definitely love to do that!!
whoa! this worked great! thanks! no more crunchy rice.
So glad to hear it, Chrissy!
What sorcery is this?! I did this twice already and both time my rice was PERFECT! I can’t believe it! So many times I dreaded making rice, and it didn’t matter what kind or brand, it was always too wet or too burnt. Seriously, every time. The only perfect rice I ever made was the microwaved kind from Trader Joe’s. The second time I made it, I did 50/50 with broth/water, it was very flavorful. I don’t think I’ll be attempting any other recipe for rice besides this.
Love hearing this, Sarah!!
I followed your directions to a t. When it was finished and my rice looked wonderful I ran straight to comment here giggling like a little school girl lol. I think I found a new way to make perfect rice… no more mushy rice 🙂
Love hearing this! That’s totally how I felt, too 🙂
I actually use aluminum foil which has the same effect. I never thought of using a towel. Thanks for sharing!
Couldn’t believe it. Me and rice have never gotten along…never; that B&%#* has always given me problems. I was a little unsure about using a towel over a stove because I think of all the bad that can happen(ie fire) so to ease my fear I wrapped the ends of the towel to the handle top with a rubber band. I followed your instructions word for word and read through the instructions a couple of times before getting started. It worked! I kept saying “dear rice gods please let this work” and it did! It’s official you’re a genius! I feel like I can cook anything now. Thank you…thank you…thank you for sharing! Happy New Year
Yay!! I totally felt the same way when I finally mastered rice! So glad to be of help, Marie 🙂
Last night I followed your recipe for a single recipe of basmati rice and it worked perfectly and there was much rejoicing in the land. Tonight I followed your recipe again for a doubled recipe using long grain rice and got mush. I used a larger pot as you suggested. Any tips for troubleshooting what went wrong? Does long-grain rice need more rinsing? Because of using a larger pot, I used the largest burner on my gas stove. Is it possible it cooked too hot? Would that make it mushy?
Hi, Christa! That’s so bizarre! That actually happened to me once, and it was with a store-brand rice. I took a look at the uncooked rice after, and noticed that it didn’t really look right. I wonder if age of the rice could be a factor… hmmm. The larger pot is definitely the way to go. Truth be told, sometimes I don’t even bother rinsing my long-grain rice, so I know it isn’t because of that. Every stove is different, so it might be that the burner runs too hot. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, but without being there in the kitchen with you, it’s hard to say what went wrong!
Thank you for this! I just made a pot and it is quite tasty with the perfect amount of chew and stick. Generally, I end up burning the pot. Not this time!
Thanks for the helpful tip. I’ve had nothing but trouble over the years with trying to cook perfect rice. The towel and rinsing definitely must have been the trick. The rice came out perfect. Won’t be using any other method for cooking my rice
I’m doing the rice right now. I’ve been mushing rice for the last 25 years and I’m tired of it. trying your way and it sounds great. Wish me luck.
THANK YOU! I have been trying FOR YEARS to make non-sticky, gloppy jasmine rice. I have succeeded at last due to your “method.” My jasmine rice turned out ‘perfect’ last night, fluffy and tasty with a chicken pineapple stir fry atop.
Yay, I love hearing success stories!!
Thank you for this great rice recipe! It worked perfect! This may be a silly question, but I am serving this rice plus Korean Beef for family next weekend. I would like to make it ahead of time and reheat. Is there a “proper”way to warm rice…..or just put in microwave?
I usually just put it in the microwave. Any other readers have advice on this one?
Thank you!! I have fluffy rice. I am dancing a jig in my kitchen right now. (Folks follow the recipe exactly.)
Oh gosh! I tried this ‘recipe’ twice this morning & for some reason it’s not working for me! I followed directions to a T both times… My rice came out gooey in the middle & not cooked at all on the outside! Is my pan too big? Hellllp! Lol.
What size pot are you using? And what brand/type of rice?
Awesome! So ready to use this technique for my green curry tonight, I always end up with mushy rice or crunchy rice. 🙁
I just made some rice using your method here. Can I just say, I love how it turned out. When I’ve followed the package directions the rice is always kinda gluey and mushy. With this method, I love the way the rice separates into individual grains. This is my new method of making rice now! Thanks again!
Hi, i can’t wait to try your method. i bought a bag of mahatma jasmine rice, and they recommend not rinsing before cooking, in order to retain vitamins. What are your views on that? Should I rinse, or not?
I’ve successfully cooked Mahatma Jasmine Rice without rinsing, but it did seem to stick to itself a bit more. I’d say, try it both ways and see which one you prefer! If you’re worried about the stickiness, add a little dollop of oil into the pot before boiling it 🙂
I am a Texan who lives in Singapore. I swear everyone here has a rice cooker but I have no room for another appliance. This technique made fantastic rice! Served it with Coconut Shrimp Curry from the jocooks.com blog. One of my all-time favorite recipes. I will use this technique from now on. Thanks for sharing!
THANK YOU! This is life changing. I just made 2 batches of perfect rice!!!
Okay, I must have done something wrong. I didn’t stir it, and I used the towel, and I rinsed it 4 times (because after 3 it still looked cloudy), but when I took it off the heat it was still sticky, and the bottom layer was sort of soggy with excess water, and the top layer wasn’t cooked through. The only thing I can think of is that when I was bringing it to a boil the heat was medium-low, and the water level started dipping below the rice before it started bubbling, so I guess I never had a real boil. Would that cause the problem??
when you set the time f or the 2 nd time and turn the heat off do you leave the rice on that heated burner or do you move off and put it aside for those extra 10 min.
Leave it on the warm burner 🙂