The best way to Prepare dinner White Rice

Rice is virtually in each kitchen — it’s the first meals staple for greater than 50% of the world’s inhabitants and the primary ingredient in dishes from risottos, biryani, and rice puddings to pilafs and snacks. However nearly all of us at one time or one other have lifted the lid to a easy pot of cooked white rice solely to find it was too watery, or too mushy or onerous — and even worse, burnt. Getting rice proper isn’t troublesome, however you do have to know some fundamentals about how the varieties of grains fluctuate and the specifics of cook dinner every sort of rice grain. We labored with the consultants within the Meals & Wine Take a look at Kitchen to nail down the most effective strategies. They simmered and steamed white rice varieties on the stovetop, zapped them within the microwave, boiled the grains pasta-style, and ready it in a rice cooker to find out one of the best ways to cook dinner an ideal pot of white rice. Right here’s a roundup of these exams and ideas for making nice rice each time. 

Is a rice cooker one of the best ways to cook dinner white rice?

The hands-off comfort of utilizing a rice cooker made this technique rank amongst our high favourite cooking approaches, particularly for medium-grain rice. (The water-to-rice ratios for rice cookers fluctuate, so observe the producer’s directions on your particular rice cooker.) Cooking rice pasta-style (including the grains to a big pot of boiling water) yielded distinct grains that have been nice in a rice salad. However our high outcomes got here from cooking rice on the stovetop in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. 

Why does cooking white rice on the stovetop work finest?

Every of the white rice varieties we examined — American lengthy grain, basmati, jasmine, medium grain, and brief grains — cooked properly with a heavy-bottomed pot or saucepan and tight becoming lid on the range high. The grains emerged from the pot tender and sticky if they need to be (short-grain rice) or fluffy and never sticky in any respect in the event that they shouldn’t (long-grain varieties). Variables like getting the ratio of water proper and prepping the grains play into the outcomes. However leaning on the range as your tools of alternative is a vital first step. Washing and or rinsing the rice is the following necessary step.

Ought to I wash or rinse rice?

In the event you’ve cooked rice that clumped collectively or had an disagreeable, slick mouthfeel, there’s an excellent likelihood you skipped the very important steps of washing, rinsing or soaking the grains earlier than you started cooking. In a couple of circumstances, like risottos and rice puddings, you possibly can skip washing and soaking to make the most of the creamy properties of the grains’ pure starches however in all different circumstances you need to do that. Rinsing and washing rice helps take away extra starch and different undesirable chemical compounds that may trigger the grains to clump collectively. Soaking (carried out for brief grain rice and lengthy grain basmati) softens the grains and promotes a shorter and extra even cook dinner. 

How do I wash and cook dinner white rice?

To cook dinner white rice on the range, observe these strategies from our test-kitchen consultants for every sort of grain. Lengthy-grain rice consists of varieties like Carolina Gold, basmati, and jasmine, will likely be agency and fluffy when cooked after which will separate into outlined grains. Medium-grain rice is plump however considerably lengthy in form. It’s accessible in varieties comparable to Calrose, arborio, and carnaroli, and is commonly used for soups, and casseroles attributable to its starchy, creamy nature. Brief grains are nearly spherical in form and are sticky and comfortable when cooked. Brief-grain rice is extra absorbent and requires much less water for cooking. It’s usually used for making sushi and paella. You’ll discover Koshihikari and Bomba amongst these varieties. 

American Lengthy-Grain Rice   

Wash and rinse the rice: Place 1 cup rice in a medium bowl and add chilly water to cowl. Swish the rice and water utilizing your palms to agitate for 10 to fifteen seconds. Pour off the water and repeat yet one more time. Pour the rice right into a high-quality mesh strainer and rinse beneath chilly water for 10 to fifteen seconds. Let rice drain fully, about 30 seconds. 

Prepare dinner the rice: Place drained rice, 1 1/4 cups faucet water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; gently shake the pan to make sure rice is evenly submerged. Deliver to a simmer, uncovered, over medium-high, then cowl with a tight-fitting lid, and cut back warmth to low. Prepare dinner for 18 minutes. Preserve lined and take away pan from warmth; let rice steam, lined, for 10 minutes. Uncover, and fluff rice utilizing a fork. Add further salt to style, if desired. Switch to a bowl, and serve (if not serving instantly, cowl with a clear towel for as much as half-hour). Makes 3 cups.

Jasmine Rice  

Wash and rinse the rice: Place 1 cup rice in a medium bowl. Add chilly water to cowl. Swish the rice and water utilizing your palms to agitate for 10 to fifteen seconds. Pour off the water and repeat 2 to three extra occasions till the water is generally clear. Pour the rice right into a high-quality mesh strainer and rinse beneath chilly water for 10 to fifteen seconds. Let rice drain fully, about 30 seconds. 

Prepare dinner the rice: Place drained rice, 1 1/4 cups faucet water and 1/2 salt in a medium saucepan; gently shake the pan to make sure rice is evenly submerged. Deliver to a simmer, uncovered, over medium-high, then cowl with a tight-fitting lid, and cut back warmth to low. Prepare dinner for quarter-hour. Preserve lined and take away pan from warmth; let rice steam, lined, for 10 minutes. Uncover, and fluff rice utilizing a fork. Add further salt to style, if desired. Switch to a bowl, and serve (if not serving instantly, cowl with a clear towel for as much as half-hour). Makes 3 cups.

Basmati Rice   

Wash and rinse rice: Place 1 cup rice in a medium bowl and add chilly water to cowl. Swish the rice and water utilizing your palms to agitate for 10 to fifteen seconds. Pour off the water and repeat 4 to five extra occasions till the water runs clear. Add chilly water to rice to cowl by a minimum of 1 inch; let soak, uncovered, at room temperature, for half-hour (rice grains ought to develop into plumped, opaque, and white). Pour the rice right into a high-quality mesh strainer and rinse beneath chilly water for 10 to fifteen seconds. Let rice drain fully, about 30 seconds. 

Prepare dinner the rice: Place drained rice, 1 1/3 cups faucet water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; gently shake the pan to make sure rice is evenly submerged. Deliver to a simmer, uncovered, over medium-high, then cowl with a tight-fitting lid, and cut back warmth to low. Prepare dinner for 12 minutes. Preserve lined and take away pan from warmth; let rice steam, lined, for five minutes. Uncover, and fluff rice utilizing a fork. Add further salt to style, if desired. Switch to a bowl, and serve (if not serving instantly, cowl with a clear towel for as much as half-hour). Makes 3 cups.

Medium-Grain Rice  

Wash and rinse rice: Place 1 cup rice in a medium bowl and add chilly water to cowl. Swish the rice and water utilizing your palms to agitate for 10 to fifteen seconds. Pour off the water and repeat 2 to three extra occasions till the water runs clear. Pour the rice right into a high-quality mesh strainer and rinse beneath chilly water for 10 to fifteen seconds. Let the rice drain fully. 

Prepare dinner the rice: Place drained rice, 1 1/4 cup faucet water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; gently shake the pan to make sure rice is evenly submerged. Deliver to a simmer, uncovered, over medium-high, then cowl with a tight-fitting lid, and cut back warmth to low. Prepare dinner for 18 minutes. Preserve lined and take away pan from warmth; let rice steam, lined, for 10 minutes. Uncover, and fluff rice utilizing a fork. Add further salt to style, if desired. Switch to a bowl, and serve (if not serving instantly, cowl with a clear towel for as much as half-hour). Makes 3 cups.

Brief-Grain Rice  

Wash and rinse rice: Place 1 cup rice in a medium bowl and add chilly water to cowl. Swish the rice and water utilizing your palms to agitate for 10 to fifteen seconds. Pour off the water and repeat 4 to five extra occasions till the water runs clear. Pour the rice right into a high-quality mesh strainer and rinse beneath chilly water for 10 to fifteen seconds. Let the rice drain fully. Switch rice to a medium saucepan and add 1 cup faucet water, shake to submerge rice and let soak, uncovered at room temperature for half-hour. (The rice grains will develop into plump, opaque, and white.) 

Prepare dinner the rice: Deliver the rice and soaking water to a simmer over medium-high, then cowl with a tight-fitting lid, and cut back warmth to low. Prepare dinner for 13 minutes. Preserve lined and take away pan from warmth; let rice steam, lined, for 10 minutes. Uncover, and fluff rice utilizing a fork. Add further salt to style, if desired. Switch to a bowl, and serve (if not serving instantly, cowl with a clear towel for as much as half-hour). Makes 2 1/2 cups.