Six tips for making perfect rice every time.
If you're looking for the perfect recipe that will give you fluffy rice every time, this post is for you.
I like sticky rice fine, but my preference is for the drier pilafs that sift through my fingers with ease. For example, cardamom scented Biryani, a Persian rice dish studded with dried fruit, or the simple pilaf I make regularly, tossed with grilled vegetables. These rice dishes call my name.
Problems Cooking Rice
For a long time, my rice was inconsistent. Sometimes it was spot on perfect, but any preening on my part was brief. Most of the time, I either didn't add enough liquid, resulting in something edible, but also audible, or I over-corrected with too much liquid. It's shocking how much difference a mere 2 tablespoons makes. If this has happened to you too, you know this results in gloppy rice.
Yes, I know I could have bought a rice cooker, but frankly I already have enough small kitchen appliances to open my own home appliance shop.
So I turned this rice challenge into a project. I researched tips and then test-drove a bunch of them in my noncommercial grade “test kitchen”. It was all pretty scientific with a notebook I titled “FOOD”, to record my results. At the end of it all, I came up with Six Tips that will guarantee a perfect rice pilaf every time.
Six Tips For Perfect Fluffy Rice
1. Use a heavy bottomed pot to prevent burning or scorching. It's harder to control a heated surface that is thin.
2. Sauté the rice in a little olive oil until lightly toasted.
- This accomplishes 2 things: toasting kicks up the flavor of the rice, and the oil coats the grains, allowing them to slide past each other without developing starchiness.
- Note: Soaking uncooked rice grains for 30 minutes, following by a thorough rinse, results in reduced starchiness in rice dishes as well. But it requires budgeting an additional 30 minutes of prep time, and eliminates the punched up flavor bonus.
3. Use a ratio of 2 cups of water or broth to 1 cup of rice.
- Too little liquid often results in partially cooked rice stuck to the bottom of the pot, a seemingly permanent condition. Too much liquid, results in gloppy rice.
4. Add salt when the broth or water is stirred into the rice. Don't wait until the rice is cooked.
- This ensures an even flavoring throughout the rice. I often add other spices like cardamom or cinnamon with the salt.
5. Cover the pot while the cooking liquid is simmering, be sure to keep it at a low simmer, and don't be tempted to stir it.
6. When the rice is done, remove from the heat and keep it covered for 10 minutes before tossing it with a fork.
- This gives the rice time to more evenly distribute their moisture. Otherwise the rice on the top will be dry and almost flakey, the rice on the bottom wet.
Perfect Fluffy Rice
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup basmati white rice
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Rinse the rice, drain, and dry with a towel.
- Warm the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Pour in the rice and toss with a wooden spoon to evenly coat the grains. Toast the grains for 5 - 10 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir the vegetable broth or water into the rice, and add the salt. This is a good time to add any other spices and herbs you're planning on for flavoring the rice.
- Bring to a boil, stir, cover, and reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes without stirring.
- Remove the pot from the heat, but keep covered for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork.
Notes
Nutrition
Note: Brown basmati rice requires an additional 1/4 cup liquid for every cup of rice and requires a longer cooking time of 30 – 35 minutes. Follow all of the other directions for cooking white rice.
For recipes using rice, check out these dishes!
Vegetarian Jambalaya Stuffed Red Peppers Casserole
Paneer Biryani with Cucumber Raita and Mint Chutney
Mujadara with Roasted Tomatoes and Greens
Green Mint Chutney Tossed in Rice with Tomatoes and Nectarines
Persian Yogurt Soup (Ashe Mast)
Norma Chang says
Great rice cooking tips. Tip #5, don’t stir is very important.
The Chinese dim sum dish Lotus Leaf Wraps (Lo Mai Gai) is made with white glutinous rice also known as sticky rice so no matter how you cook it, it will be sticky.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Good to know Norma! Thanks, I’m definitely not an expert on Lo Mai Gai. Thanks for the information 🙂
Choc Chip Uru says
I eat too much rice as it, this looks so delicious 😀
Yet another excuse to stock up on rice!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I love rice! And I probably eat more of it than I should too 🙂
Rita says
Great info Susan! My hubby (an engineer) is the rice maker in our kitchen. We’ve pretty much switched to brown rice (Tsuru Mai brand) even for a Chinese stir-fry side. He’s got the cooking method “down”! Love the chewy texture.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Me too, I really like that chewy texture. I’ve been doing a lot more brown rice, but I’ve been working on a mango-pineapple rice dish and it just doesn’t photograph as well with brown rice. Ah, the sacrifices we make for art LOL.
ChefJohn says
Susan, Here’s a couple of notes about cooking rice that I was given back in the 50s. I guess things have changed a lot since then, but for fluffy rice, this still works for me.
I start with about 4 times as much water as the amount of rice I’m going to cook, and bring it to the boil. I then add about 1/2 Tablespoon of butter (you could use oil) and salt, The rice is then poured gently into the water, slowly enough to keep a “rolling boil”. Cook the rice at a very high simmer, so that the water motion keeps the grains circulating in the pot.
Taste a few grains every 30 seconds after about 8 minutes, until it’s done to your liking/requirements. When cooked, drain immediately under Cold running water, then, while still in the strainer, run hot water over it to heat it again. Repeat this 2 more times, then place in a warmed bowl. Fluff with a fork before serving.
I know this has little to do with the ‘absorption method’ you mention above, but it has always worked for me.
My English Grandfather, who was a French-trained Chef/Pastrycook called it “Rice of the seven waters”, never used the absorption method, saying that there was too much variation in rice grain size, starch content and change due to storage time before sale for the absorption method to be dependable.
As I said before, a lot has changed in the last hundred years or so, but this method has always worked for me.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
This is fascinating! I’ve not seen this method but I really want to try it. Between the large amount of water giving the grains plenty of room, the butter/oil that’s coating the grains a little, that’s preventing excess starch, I’m thinking. And the 4 rinses (2 with cold water, 2 with hot water) is removing a lot of what does build up. All this supports a fluffy outcome. What interests me is that this is a good solution for the variation we naturally get in our rice. I’m going to try this method next! Thanks so much for sharing.
mjskit says
I’m with you – I don’t need another appliance! 🙂 I’m pretty inconsistent with my rice so this post has been very helpful. I will be trying some of your tips. Thanks!!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I hope they work for you too, MJ! And hope you’re enjoying your summer 🙂
cheri says
Great tips Susan, as always great post!
Oui, Chef says
Great tips, Susan, I’ll use them all the next time I make a batch of rice.
Ali says
I LOVE these tips. My means didn’t too often consist of rice growing up, and when they did, it was usually minute rice or boxed Rice-a-roni. So when I got married, I added a rice cooker to our gift registry. I don’t know if it’s me or the rice cooker, but it almost always ends up pretty mushy… Needless to say, I will be using these 6 tips next time I make rice! Thank you!
Ali says
Oh goodness. I didn’t proofread. Means=meals. 😉
Rachel says
If you are using a rice cooker then use the same amount of water as you are using rice and add some olive oil and salt. it shouldn’t come out mushy
Ali says
My rice cooker’s instructions said to use a 2:1 ratio of water to rice. Or maybe I read it on a bag of rice… Well, I don’t remember where it was, but I know I read to use a 2:1 ratio, and I eventually realized that was wrong. I’ve stopped doing that though, and my rice is much better! 🙂
michelfrost says
Amazing Tips! I had tried this tips to make perfect rice & its result was awesome. I found perfect fluffy rice. Thank you for sharing it & keep sharing such type of tips with us..
Nikita Johnson says
It is excellent rice cooking tips. Now a days rice cooker is very famous cookware items. Everyone use it to make their cooking very easily.
Matilda Verdin says
This post is really informative and useful. I love to cook because I love to eat! I love food. Thanks for sharing your experience I always like to read health tips and food recipe. I will also try to make the delicious food. I want to become healthy and it only can happen by eating healthy food. I am very happy to get food guide.
Margaret @findbestreview says
I’ve never been able to cook rice well I always ruin it. But after doing it the way you said it turned out amazingly!! Thank you for sharing
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I’m so happy it worked so well for you!!!! Thanks so much for letting me know. I know I’m responding way late of you posting this, but for some reason, just now seeing it!