When it comes to cooking up the most amazing meal, white rice can be a real hit among diners.
It is one of the most commonly used sides for dishes and it pairs well with so many different things.
But bizarrely, despite it being such a popular food type to use and consume, many people still struggle with cooking it.
As a result, we often hear people ask how to cook perfect white rice.
Not to worry though. We’ve got everything you need to know in this guide. We’ll look at how you can cook the perfect white rice and a whole lot more!
Read below to have all of your questions answered.
How To Cook Perfect White Rice: The Basics
Before you actually start on your journey of cooking the perfect white rice, you will need to know some of the basics.
These points are incredibly important and they will help you out on your way to make a splendid dish.
What Goes Well With White Rice?
White rice is especially versatile. Many favorites you might enjoy throughout the week that go with white rice include Asian dishes, such as a stir fry or curry.
However, spicy dishes like chili go exceptionally well with white rice.
Chicken is often served with rice and it’s considered to be one of the best dishes for health conscious people.
Do You Need To Rinse White Rice Before Cooking It?
It depends. Long grain white rice doesn’t need to be rinsed, but other types of rice often need rinsing before cooking, in order to remove any excess starch.
Some people still decide to rinse long grain white rice, but this can result in an unpleasant and mushy rice, so it’s best to only rinse the rice that needs it.
How Much Water Should I Use?
The water to rice ratio is especially important and generally, this ratio will change depending on the type of rice you are using.
The ratio with white rice is two cups of water to one cup of white rice.
It’s important to remember that when rice cooks, it expands – so you have to ensure you are using a pot large enough to accommodate this process.
Simmering – What Does It Mean?
You will often hear or see someone say something like “let the rice simmer”, but it’s a term that can get confusing.
In short, once your water has come to a boil, you should season the water with salt and anything else you wish and then add the rice.
You need to then reduce the heat and cover the pot to keep the water and the rice at a simmer – which pretty much means below boiling point.
In practice, you will notice the top of the water is gently bubbling but not boiling.
How To Cook Perfect White Rice: Method
First, you need to bring the water to boil using a medium saucepan and then add your choice of seasoning – commonly this is salt and butter (but if you use butter, allow it to melt).
Once the water has returned to a boil, add in your rice and slowly stir it in.
Allow the water to then return to a light simmer, stir the rice once more and then place your lid onto the pot. At this point, you need to reduce the heat.
The rice needs to continue to simmer, so you may need to repeatedly check on the progress by opening the pot’s lid from time to time – but ensure that the rice cooks while the lid is on.
You should see the rice has absorbed all of the water after around 17 minutes.
However, it’s important to note that the time may vary depending on how much rice you are cooking – sometimes it can take up to 25 minutes.
Once the rice has been cooked, turn the heat off and allow 2 minutes for the rice to finish absorbing any more of the water that remains.
After this, open the lid and use a fork to fluff up the rice and then allow it to sit again for a further 2 minutes.
This should also remove any excess moisture that remains on the rice and give you an excellent finished product.
Time
As we mentioned earlier, to properly cook white rice in the ratio we spoke of (2:1), then it should take 17 minutes.
However, this varies depending on the amount of rice you are cooking, the pot you are using, the stove you are using and much more.
As a result, do not think that 17 minutes is it and you’re done.
Not only may it take a little longer to completely cook the rice, but you need to also allocate some time for it to sit and after you fluff the rice.
Longevity
How long you should leave rice after you have cooked it is actually a contentious issue from country to country, but the best advice you can have is to eat rice as soon as possible after cooking it.
However, cooked rice can remain in the refrigerator for up to five days after you have cooked it.
Of course, this allows you plenty of options to make leftover meals in the coming days such as chicken fried rice or rice soup.
Reheating Rice
There’s a couple of different ways that you can reheat rice.
The microwave is one option, so if you are going to opt for that, place your rice into a microwave-safe bowl and sprinkle a bit of water onto the top.
To stop the rice from drying out, it’s a good idea to put a paper towel over the top of the rice when cooking.
One cup of rice can take 5 minutes but it will depend on how much rice you have left over and your microwave settings.
There is also the option to reheat your rice using a pot.
Essentially, you just need to place the rice in a pot, add plenty of water and cook using a low heat, stirring and fluffing frequently.
How To Cook The Perfect White Rice: Important Information
Below, we’ve included what you need to know and remember at a glance to cook the perfect white rice.
Overview
- Feeds: 4 People
- Preparation Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total: 28 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups of water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter or oil (optional choice)
- 1 cup long grain white rice
Nutrition (Estimated Based On 1 Serving)
- Calories: 193.91kcal
- Carbohydrates: 36.98g
- Protein: 3.33g
- Fat: 3.15g
- Saturated Fat: 1.88g
- Cholesterol: 7.53mg
- Sodium: 324.24mg
- Potassium: 53.19mg
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Sugar: 0.06g
- Vitamin A: 87.47IU
- Calcium: 16.7mg
- Iron: 0.37mg
Final Thoughts
And that’s everything you need to know about how you can cook the perfect white rice.
We hope we have answered everything you needed to know, and we have helped you in your next white rice cooking journey!
Good luck with your next dish.
