How to Cook Rice

Today, it’s all about how to cook rice, it’s actually easy. Do you have a hard time cooking rice properly? Please don’t feel bad about it, you’re not the only one. Many people struggle with cooking rice because there is a method to it that you need to follow.

Once you get that method down, you can quickly get the hang of making rice at home, and you might even eventually decide to experiment with different ingredients and flavors. After all, rice is an excellent side dish to serve with many foods, including chicken, salmon, broccoli, pork, and more.

Here’s the deal, we can use a rice cooker or a pressure cooker, I get it. But, we need to know how to cook rice in case of an emergency on a Butane Stove or a gas stove if you have one. In case you missed this post, Rice: Everything You Need to Know

How To Cook Rice

Choose the Type of Rice You’re Going to Use

The type of rice you’re using has a lot to do with making sure it comes out perfectly. When you’re at the grocery store, and you’re looking at different bags of rice, you might notice that some of the bags say “medium-grain” and others say “extra long grain.” If you’re using medium-grain rice, use an equal amount of water and rice in the pot.

So, if you’re planning to cook two cups of rice, you’d add two cups to your pot. If you’re using extra long-grain rice, you’d need to use two cups of water for each cup of rice. Keep this in mind when you’re selecting the size of the rice you’re going to prepare.

The brand of the rice isn’t too important. While some people may argue that they like one brand better than the other, it’s not that big of a deal. You can use what is available to you and what you feel comfortable using.

Add Oil to Your Rice Pot

Grab a pot large enough to cook rice. In some cultures, the pot used for rice is known as a Caldero. You must have a non-stick pot with a lid to ensure that you can properly cook the rice on your stovetop. Next, add a tablespoon of oil to the pot.

While the exact type of oil isn’t too important, it’s best to use olive oil or vegetable oil. Turn the heat of the stove to medium-high heat and allow the oil to get hot. Colombian Caldero, 4.8 Quart, Silver

Rinse and Add Your Rice

Measure the amount of rice you’re planning to use, pour it into a bowl, and begin rinsing it with cool water in the sink. Not everyone agrees with rinsing rice, but rinsing that extra starch off is a great way to keep the rice from having a mushy texture that you might not like.

Once you’ve rinsed your rice for a minute or two, be sure to hold the rice in place, pour out any of the extra water into the sink, and then add your rice to the cooking pot with the hot oil. Use a plastic or wooden spoon to give the rice a good mix.

Add Water and Salt to the Pot

Next, measure the amount of water needed to add to the pot based on the style of rice you’ve selected and how much of it you’re using. Add the water into the pot and then sprinkle a teaspoon or two of salt into the pot.

Mix the rice one more time, cover it halfway with the lid, and leave it on medium-high heat. Don’t go too far away, you want to stay close to the rice pot to watch when the rice absorbs the water.

Cover and let the Steam Work Its Magic

When you notice most of the water is absorbed, remove the lid from the pot and add a sheet of foil on top. Use the foil to cover the pot before placing the lid back on top. Lower the heat on the stove to the lowest setting possible and leave your rice alone for a minimum of 20 minutes.

Don’t touch the lid! You may feel tempted to open the lid and look inside to see how much progress you’re making, but that can disrupt things and leave you with wet rice that doesn’t taste very good.

Remove the Lid and Foil to Fluff and Serve

After 20 minutes have passed, you can remove the lid from the pot and carefully pull the foil off the top. Be careful with the foil because a lot of steam will come out from inside the pot. The steam can burn you if you’re too close to it.

You may notice that your rice looks perfect! Grab a fork to fluff it before using your plastic or wooden spoon to serve it. It’s that simple. If you follow this foolproof method, you can make traditional white rice with ease.

Another Way To Cook Rice

Deborah, I do rinse the rice. But I bring the water to a boil with added oil and salt. Pour the rinsed rice in and bring it to a boil again. Boil for 5 minutes, add the lid, and turn off the fire. Let sit for about 30-45 minutes. Usually, the rice is perfect and fluffy.

Add-Ins for Flavor

Some people like to use chicken bouillon when preparing their white rice. If you’d like to give the rice a bit more flavor, you can add the chicken bouillon into the pot with the oil directly before adding your rice into the pot and giving it a good mix.

The chicken bouillon isn’t an overwhelming taste, but it does bring more flavor to the dish so you wouldn’t need to add anything else to add flavor if you didn’t want to.

It’s common for some people to add corn to their rice. Yellow corn adds a sweet touch to white rice and is an excellent addition to different seafood and meat meals. If you’d like to add the corn to your rice, feel free to toss it in when you’re adding the white rice into the pot.

If you don’t like corn, you can consider using peas or chopped canned carrots. It all depends on what you prefer and would like to enjoy with your rice.

What to Eat on Your Rice

While you can eat your rice fresh out of the pot, some other ingredients taste great when added to it. Soy sauce is a popular ingredient used on white rice and fried rice. It adds a tangy taste.

Coconut Aminos are a keto-friendly option for those who’d like the tang without the excess sugar. You can also enhance the flavor of your rice by adding some chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice.

How to Freeze Rice

I love rice, I could eat it at every meal. So I grabbed some of my Souper Containers and filled them with rice after cooking it and filled the “cups” so I could freeze some individual servings.

Final Word

Cooking rice isn’t too hard. If you follow this method, you can get it down to a science and prepare delicious rice all the time. May God Bless this world, Linda

Copyright Images: Rinsing Rice AdobeStock_136870136 by Africa Studio, White Rice AdobeStock_215243566 by Kungverylucky, Different Rice AdobeStock_218205225 by Pixel-Shot.