YPDIW: Rice
Rice is a delicious thing to have either as a side dish or to mix into a stew or curry to soak up all of that tasty broth or sauce.
On paper, rice is one of the easiest and simplest things you can possibly cook, but of course, it’s usually the simplest dishes that can have some of the biggest pitfalls. Here are some of the more common mistakes with cooking rice and also how to do it the right way.
To cook rice, you only need two things; rice and water, what could go wrong?
However, one of the most common mistakes that people make is not using the proper amount of liquid for the amount of rice that they’re cooking.
If you use too much liquid, then the rice could absorb it all and turn into mush, but if you don’t use enough liquid, then you’ll be adding more and more liquid, thus messing with the cooking process and therefore the rice takes twice as long to cook.
Even worse is there’s a chance the rice could burn at the bottom of the pot but still be hard on the inside from there not being enough liquid for it to absorb and cook.
Even if you have the right amount of water, I also see people treat their rice like they treat pasta, dump it into a huge pot of boiling water, and then proceed to boil and boil and boil the rice.
That rapid boil is going to break down the starch molecules of the rice too much and, as a result, it will turn to mush in a matter of minutes.
Another common mistake is frequently stirring the rice as it’s cooking.
This is not risotto, you don’t want to beat the starch out of the rice because what can happen is that starch will grab onto the rice and give it a somewhat gummy mouthfeel.
What you’re left with is mushy, gummy, unevenly cooked rice that nobody wants to eat.
Now, I will show you the right way to cook rice at home. Rice cookers are nice if you are feeding a family because the cooker will keep the rice warm for you as you get the rest of dinner ready, but if you’re just cooking some rice for yourself, then here are the rules to follow.
Start by using the right amount of liquid.
Differenty types of rice will need different amounts of liquid, the general ratio for long grain white rice is a 2:1 liquid-to-rice ratio, this is the perfect amount of liquid to allow the rice to swell up and absorb the liquid without turning to mush.
So, for 1 cup of rice, you’ll need 2 cups of water or broth.
To get started, place the rice and liquid into a cold pot, then bring that to a boil. By heating the rice with the liquid, it will ensure that the rice cooks evenly.
Once the water is at a boil, add a bit of salt, cover the pot, then turn the heat down to low. You want to maintain a simmer to allow the rice to slowly absorb the liquid and become tender. It should take about 20 minutes to cook.
After 20 minutes, check the rice. If there’s no residual liquid left in the pot, then taste the rice and see if it’s tender. If it is, great, if it’s still a little crunchy then add enough liquid to cover and let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
Once the rice is tender, turn the heat off and leave it for about 10 minutes. It’s just like with cooking meat, you want to allow the rice to rest so it’ll be fluffier and more tender. Plus, this gives you time to finish up the rest of your meal.
When you’re ready to serve, drag a fork through the rice to gently fluff it up, season to taste, and then serve. You can leave it as it is, top it with chopped herbs, nuts, or however you like to serve your rice.
If you’ve done everything right, then you’ll have fluffy, tender, perfectly cooked rice every time.
