Here you’ll learn how to cook rice on the stove with our step-by-step instructions. Even if you own a rice cooker, as a home cook it’s important to be familiar with rice grain textures.
After all, cooking white rice only takes about 14 to 18 minutes at the most. Brown rice takes longer but on this page we concentrate on white rice.
A quick rice will help or even save your meal on many occasions as it makes an excellent accompaniment and side dish for a vast array of different foods. From lentils to fish to chicken, rice combines with almost any food and easily absorbs the aromas.
As we mentioned above, this rice cooking technique is for white rice. It works with long and short grain rice, Indian basmati and even sticky rice.
Basmati rice is our favorite. It’s one of the best types of rice for eating plain: It’s delicious even by itself, healthy and easy to digest.
Tips on how to make white rice
- For 1 1/2 cups of rice the best cooking utensil is a saucepan or casserole with lid of about 7 to 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter.
- A not-too-thin saucepan bottom also makes cooking rice easier.
- Finally, the ratio of rice to water is generally 1 measure of rice to 2 measures of water.
Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6
- 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces or 350 g) rice
- 3 cups (0.75 cl) hot water
- 1 level teaspoon salt or to taste
How to cook white rice
Preparation time: 4 minutes.
Cooking time: 14 to 18 minutes.
- First wash the rice: Add it to a strainer and put it under running water for a few minutes. Keep stirring the rice with your hand or a wooden spoon to rinse it better. Drain it.
- Add the water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the salt and stir briefly. Add the rice and stir briefly. Bring to a boil again and cook uncovered for 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
HIGHLIGHT: The 5 minutes can be extended to 7 minutes if you feel it’s necessary. When you see that there’s no excess of water on the surface and the rice begins to build small craters, it’s time to put the lid and turn the heat down. This usually happens after 5 to 7 minutes of cooking the rice uncovered.
- Turn the heat to low and cover. Continue cooking for 9 more minutes without stirring. The rice should absorb all the water.
- 14 minutes into the total cooking time, taste a few grains of rice to see if you have to cook it a few more minutes or it’s already done.
HIGHLIGHT: For sticky rice, when you turn the heat to low, leave the lid slightly ajar.
- When it’s done, remove from heat and allow it to rest covered for 3 to 5 minutes.
We hope our instructions on how to cook rice give you the confidence to learn this cooking technique even if you aren’t from a country with a tradition or cooking rice.
