Best way to cook rice?

[Inge]

Im useless! Frozen rice is abit too expensive and you dont get much so im back to using dried rice. No matter what technique I use I never get it right. Its either too hard or too sludgy and wet Im thinking of getting a slow cooker as I want to get into making stews and things again, is it an idiot proof way to cook rice(in a slow cooker)? Also any tips on cooking rice on the hob easily?

 

[henrysmumkaz]

I have no idea about using a slow cooker to cook rice... I have a rice cooker. Got it from Argos I think. Wasn't expensive and I highly recommend them!

On the hob, you put two and a half times the amount of cold water into the pan. So.. one mug of rice + two and a half mugs of rice. Then stir occassionally while its simmering. Be sure to use a non stick pan though. Its so easy to burn it all to the bottom of the pan. Don't stir too often though otherwise it turns to mush.

 

[lambchops]

Long grain rice from anywhere like, asda tesco etc..not the easy cook stuff, just standard long grain rice. Boil a pan of water till its bubbling away...i have small like coffee cups, not mugs i use to measure mine and a level small cup does 2 people easily. measure that out, then once your waters bubblin away chuck in the rice and stir it round straight away especially accross the bottom of the pan cos it sticks fast cos of the heat so if you do that straight away it wont stick. Turn the gas slightly down to a simmer, 12 mins on a timer, whip the pan off tip it back out over the colounder and then boil a kettle and pour it over the rice to rinse it, give it a stir and your good to go! Too long and it will go like pudding rice, too soon and youll be crunching it! i find 12 mins is perfect!

 

[// arcadia]

Boil large amount of water in pan add salt.

Rinse rice.

Add rice to pan.

Return to boil.

Turn down and simmer for 12 mins.

Sieve.

Done.

 

[ttc_lolly]

Rinse or soak rice, and then to cook you usually need double the amount of water, e.g. 1 cup of rice = 2 cups of water

 

[nikkip75]

I warm a drop of oil in a pan. Add a cup of rice to it (small cup for 2 people) stir to coat in the oil. Add 2 cups of boiled water to every cup of rice. Add a pinch of salt give it a stir and put a lid on, turn the heat down to the lowest it can go and leave it until all the waters soaked up, usually about 10 minutes. Fork it into a bowl and cover with clean tea towel for a few minutes.

Makes perfect fluffy rice every time! I got this from the Delia smith site.

 

[Inge]

Im cooking some tonight so will try the 1cup to 2 cups water trick. Rice sounds so easy but its so hard to get right. I make perfect pasta everytime but cant manage rice

 

[J04NN4]

Although I say so myself I make the best rice. The main trick is rinse, rinse, rinse. It's the starch that makes it go gloopy so:

1: stick it in the sieve and rinse it under fast running cold water until the water comes out clear rather than white.
2: put it in the pan with some water, it doesn't really matter how much but about 1 part rice, 2 parts water should do
3: you can just boil until it's cooked from here but I like to steam it (instructions below)
4: when it's cooked rinse it again - boil a whole kettle of water and pour it over the rice after you've drained it. Done!

If you want to steam it just take it off the boil after about 5 minutes at step 3 - just as the grains start dancing round the pan. Then do step 4 and put it on to steam for a further 15mins or so. I don't even bother with a steamer - just plonk the sieve back onto the pan (still on the hob) with a couple of inches of water boiling underneath it.

Seriously, this makes the most perfect rice! For such a simple thing it is so hard to get right.

 

[rwhite]

Rinse or soak rice, and then to cook you usually need double the amount of water, e.g. 1 cup of rice = 2 cups of water

This! Make sure that when rinsing the rice, rinse til the water runs clean, if it's still cloudy it needs more rinsing. Turn the tap on to full blast if you need to, as long as it won't splash all over the show.

Also, make sure not to stir it when it's cooking (one or two times is okay, but other than that can make it starchy and sloppy).

We have a rice cooker now because I'm lazy though, they're not too expensive and very easy

 

[Sarahkka]

I use the same method as nikkip75, but wanted to add that the 2:1 rule for H2O to rice can vary depending on the rice you use. It can vary between brown and white, long and short grain, etc. Not by a lot, but enough that you might get mushier or crunchier if you don't look it up first. I learned this through trial and error, so thought I would share that tip to help!
Also, if you are making a risotto, you should stir it frequently, but if it's just plain rice, you should leave it, etc - several factors to consider!

 

[debywise]

Cook it with love!

 

[summer rain]

I use an Asian method of cooking rice, it takes some trial and error as cooking times will depend on your cooker, type of pan etc but it only took 2 attempts to get it perfect. It produces seperate, fluffy grains of rice but not too soft and not at all mushy. Ideally you need a pan with a lid that vents off a small amount of steam but not much as it really helps in knowing when the rice is done. I generally use basmati rice but this method will work with most other types of white rice.

Firstly bear in mind rice increases in volume by 2.5 to 3 times during cooking, so I just estimate an amount bearing that in mind. If you're not sure though I find 2 teacups full of rice is ample for 4 people. Then wash the rice really well in a sieve, using warm water will get rid of the excess starch better than cold, it's important to get rid of this as this is what makes rice sticky and mushy when cooked which is not what you want. You could alternatively soak the rice in cold water for two hours beforehand, and then quickly rinse before cooking.

Add the rice to your pan on its own, I don't add salt or anything although on occasion I'll add a thin slice of lemon or lime. Don't add any oil or anything. Then add enough cold water so that when you insert a finger into the pan, when your finger is touching the rice at the bottom your finger is only submerged to the first knuckle crease the one slightly below your fingernail. Then bring the pan to the boil as quickly as possible over a high heat, when the rice is boiling stir once and then put the lid on the pan. Quickly put the heat down to very low and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until when you lift the lid off all the water has been absorbed. This is where a pan with a slight steam vent comes in handy as you can tell the rice is ready when the steam coming out becomes very scant and hard to see. Test the rice, if it's slightly under done don't worry. Take the pan away from the heat quickly put a folded tea towel over the top of the pan and then replace the lid on top, the residual heat and steam in the pan will finish cooking the rice in 15-20 minutes. When the rice is done fluff up with a fork and serve ASAP xx

 

[rwhite]

I use an Asian method of cooking rice, it takes some trial and error as cooking times will depend on your cooker, type of pan etc but it only took 2 attempts to get it perfect. It produces seperate, fluffy grains of rice but not too soft and not at all mushy. Ideally you need a pan with a lid that vents off a small amount of steam but not much as it really helps in knowing when the rice is done. I generally use basmati rice but this method will work with most other types of white rice.

Firstly bear in mind rice increases in volume by 2.5 to 3 times during cooking, so I just estimate an amount bearing that in mind. If you're not sure though I find 2 teacups full of rice is ample for 4 people. Then wash the rice really well in a sieve, using warm water will get rid of the excess starch better than cold, it's important to get rid of this as this is what makes rice sticky and mushy when cooked which is not what you want. You could alternatively soak the rice in cold water for two hours beforehand, and then quickly rinse before cooking.

Add the rice to your pan on its own, I don't add salt or anything although on occasion I'll add a thin slice of lemon or lime. Don't add any oil or anything. Then add enough cold water so that when you insert a finger into the pan, when your finger is touching the rice at the bottom your finger is only submerged to the first knuckle crease the one slightly below your fingernail. Then bring the pan to the boil as quickly as possible over a high heat, when the rice is boiling stir once and then put the lid on the pan. Quickly put the heat down to very low and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until when you lift the lid off all the water has been absorbed. This is where a pan with a slight steam vent comes in handy as you can tell the rice is ready when the steam coming out becomes very scant and hard to see. Test the rice, if it's slightly under done don't worry. Take the pan away from the heat quickly put a folded tea towel over the top of the pan and then replace the lid on top, the residual heat and steam in the pan will finish cooking the rice in 15-20 minutes. When the rice is done fluff up with a fork and serve ASAP xx

Interesting to know that warm water works better than cold when rinsing, thanks! Will definitely be trying that out, it can take so long sometimes when there's a lot of rice to rinse, especially if it's not a fragrant rice as I find those usually aren't overly starchy like normal white rice can be.

 

[megrenade]

get a rice steamer.. 1 cup of rice to 1 cup of water.. press "start" - cooks it perfectly EVERY time.

 

[Angelicous]

Summer Rain's way is excellent if you haven't got a rice cooker

If you have to use a pan, then start on high and then turn low to get rid of excess water at the end. But seriously... as an asian, the most used thing in my kitchen is my rice cooker. Just not worth the hassle and cleaning otherwise!

 

[Inge]

might look into rice cookers. Any supermarkets/high street shops sell them at "ok" prices?

 

[Angelicous]

Look out at sales etc. I've seen them for as low as £20 but I'd say usually around the £40-£50 mark.

Do NOT get taken in by fancy schmancy ones - I've seen ones that bake bread/cakes, do risotto etc. Just not worth the extra £100!!!! (My sis bought a posh one.. she's never used it to do anything but cook rice - which it doesn't even do as well as a cheaper cooker lol)

 

[morri]

It is nt that hard as long as you watch it. put about 100 ml water per 100g of rice in a pot(a small pot) and boil the water. takes about 30 min, you'll see it is ready first: taste it , second water is going and the rice is getting bigger.

Don't forget to stir the rice especially if it is close to being ready. Once it is to your taste pour the contents out over a sieve and rinse it with water .

 

[summer rain]

Summer Rain's way is excellent if you haven't got a rice cooker

If you have to use a pan, then start on high and then turn low to get rid of excess water at the end. But seriously... as an asian, the most used thing in my kitchen is my rice cooker. Just not worth the hassle and cleaning otherwise!

I've tried rice cookers and I find them more difficult than using a pan tbh xx