How to cook rice - perfectly and easily

Name: How to cook rice - perfectly and easily
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 24 min
Yield: 3 cups cooked rice
Ingredients: 1 cup white rice; 1 1/2 cups water; 2 cups white rice; 3 cups boiling water; 1 cup white rice; 2 cups boiling water

User Reviews

5.0

339 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
1 min
Cook Time
1 min
resting
10 mins
Total Time
24 mins
Servings
3 cups cooked rice
Calories
205 kcal
Course
Side Dish
Cuisine
Asian, Chinese, American, Chinese-American Fussion

How to cook rice - perfectly and easily

Kai Walton

Report

Recipe video above. Use this recipe for short, medium and long grain white rice. See separate recipes for: jasmine, basmati and brown rice.Stovetop yields the best result for perfect, evenly cooked fluffy rice. This is my default, favourite method. Oven is best for large batch as it cooks more evenly than on the stove (we use the oven at RecipeTin Meals). The microwave method is handy to know because it's fastest!DO NOT RINSE your rice, you do not need to rinse for fluffy rice (read in post for more information). Exception: if you are concerned about cleanness (eg purchased from sacks at markets). If you rinse your rice, reduce the water by 2 tablespoons per 1 cup of rice (to account for waterlogged rice) else your rice will be overly soft and a bit mushy.

Share:

I Made This!

254 people made this

Print

69 people printed this

Save this

203 people saved this

Ingredients

Servings

Stovetop (my default method):

1 cup white rice - short, medium or long grain, uncooked (Note 1)
1 1/2 cups water

Oven:

2 cups white rice - short, medium or long grain (Note 1, 2)
3 cups boiling water (Note 3)

Microwave:

1 cup white rice - short, medium or long grain (Note 1)
2 cups boiling water (Note 3)

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

Before you start:

Check rice type: This recipe is for the following white rice types: long grain, medium grain, short grain (excluding sushi rice). See separate recipes for: basmati, jasmin and brown rice.
DO NOT RINSE your rice (read intro above for why).

Stovetop (my default):

Bring to simmer - Place water and rice in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Once the entire surface of the water is bubbling gently(and it gets a bit foamy, see video), turn heat down to low and cover with lid.
Cook 13 minutes - Cook for 13 minutes. Do not stir, do not remove lid. Water should now all be absorbed - tilt to check.
Rest - Remove from stove, still with lid, and leave for 10 minutes.
Fluff - Remove lid, fluff with rice paddle or fork, and serve!

Oven:

Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan forced).
Pot - Use a small casserole pot about 24cm/10" wide with a lid. (Note 4)
Bake 35 minutes - Place boiling water and rice in pot, cover with lid and bake for 35 minutes.
Rest & fluff - Remove from oven, and leave for 10 minutes with the lid still on. Remove lid, fluff with rice paddle or fork, and serve! (Makes 6 cups)

Microwave:

Place rice and boiling water in tall microwave proof container (Note 5).
Microwave on high for 12 minutes with NO LID (1100 - 1200W microwaves).
Rest & fluff - Remove, cover with lid, leave for 10 minutes. Remove lid, fluff with rice paddle or fork, and serve!

Notes

Rice types - use this rice recipe for:
DO NOT use this recipe for:
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.
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).
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.
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.
QUANTITY of cooked rice: 1 cup of uncooked rice = 3 cups (packed) of cooked rice.
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.
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.
Nutrition per 1 cup cooked rice.
long grain white rice
medium grain white rice
short grain white rice except sushi rice
basmati rice (also see separate basmati rice recipe here)
jasmine rice (uses less water) - recipe here
brown rice (boil and drain is best method) - recipe here
sushi rice (stickier rice – use the directions in this recipe)
wild rice (cook per this recipe), black rice, or other special rices
risotto rice – use a risotto recipe
paella rice – use this Paella recipe
quinoa – follow this recipe

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 205cal (10%) Carbohydrates 45g (15%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Sodium 2mg (0%) Potassium 55mg (2%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Calcium 16mg (2%) Iron 1mg (6%)