The secret to perfectly cooked rice: 8 tips and techniques you need to know

Rice is one of the staples in cuisines worldwide – Whether brown or white, rice is something that many of us eat regularly with every meal. Although simple, making a perfect rice bowl can take time and effort.

We all want fluffy rice but have had experience burning rice at least once. Thus, knowing the proper techniques for cooking rice can make life a lot easier. If you’ve been wondering how to nail the rice cooking process every time, you are in the perfect spot!

In this article, let’s discuss all the secrets behind perfectly cooked rice, i.e., the best tips and techniques you must know before making rice!

Rice cooking hacks that you must know

1. Pick the right kind of rice for you

Like most other food options, rice also comes in several different varieties, which can get confusing. Some rice types are sticky, while others are denser, and others are fluffier.

It entirely depends on your preference which one you decide to cook. So look through all the options, research, and choose the perfect kind. One can’t be used as a replacement for another, so ensure you spend enough time picking the correct type of rice.

2. Use a bit of salt to season the rice

You can choose when to add salt, before or after, but we suggest adding salt to the rice. Maybe toast the rice with some butter and salt before adding water and cooking it.

You can skip this step if you don’t want to add salt to your cooked rice, but some people do this for extra flavour. You can also choose to do this after the rice is perfectly cooked. Depending on your preference, decide whether you want to add some salt while cooking the rice.

3. Wash the rice before cooking it

This might be a controversial question, should you rinse the rice before cooking? We recommend rinsing the rice because it will help you clean it before cooking and allow the rice to not stick together while on the stove. Rinsing also helps remove excess starch and leave behind non-gluey rice, which is perfect for cooking afterwards.

4. Resist stirring the rice while it is cooking

Grabbing a spoon, hovering over the pot, and stirring the rice as it cooks can be tempting. We recommend avoiding this temptation and letting the rice cook on its own. Mixing the rice while cooking might become dense and gluey, which is not ideal.

It is also essential to not take the lid off while the rice is cooking, so the steam does not escape. The steam helps the rice cook ideally, so avoid the temptation to take the lid off when you cook rice in a pot.

5. Whenever you cook on the stove, use a heavy pot

Many people cook rice in a rice cooker, but you can use a pot instead. We recommend a heavy pot if you cook rice on a stove. Since you cannot remove the lid while the rice is cooking and must avoid stirring, the rice might get burned at the bottom.

To avoid that, you should use a heavy pot for cooking rice. That way, you can ensure the high flame does not ruin the rice as it cooks. A heavy pot evenly distributes the heat to the rice content and cooks it all.

6. Set the stove on low heat and let the rice simmer

Now that you have added some water to the rice and placed the pot on the stove, it is time to leave it alone. Ensure the stove is on the lowest setting so your rice doesn’t burn while cooking.

We suggest letting it simmer for about 15-20 minutes. This will help remove residual moisture and leave fluffy rice behind to enjoy. So whenever you want to make rice at home, let it cool after it is done.

7. Allow the cooked rice to cool down

You will want to eat the rice as soon as it is done. But the key to perfectly cooked rice is letting it cool down after it is done. Step back for 10-15 minutes to allow the moisture to spread across the rice and make it more consistent. Once the rice cools down, you can enjoy perfectly cooked rice with whatever dish you like. Rice goes so well with chicken chasseur, curry, or even in a salad.

8. Before serving the rice, fluff it up!

The final step is to take a fork and gently fluff up the cooked rice. Fluffing the rice will enable you to ensure that the rice grains don’t get stuck together too much. Serve the perfectly cooked rice with any side dishes at your dinner!

Conclusion

Cooking a delicious bowl of rice might sound easy, but you need some intelligent techniques to make it happen every time. Otherwise, it is easy to burn the rice or ruin its texture because of small mistakes.

This article discussed some of the secrets to cooking rice perfectly each time. We hope these tips will help you the next time you wish to cook rice at home and impress your loved ones!