How to cook rice on the stove, fluffy every time

To cook rice on the stove, rinse it, put it in a heavy pot with the amount of water your package recommends and a pinch of salt, bring it to a boil, then cover it and cook on the lowest heat until the water is absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes for most white rice. Take it off the heat, leave the lid on for 10 minutes, then fluff it with a fork.

That is the absorption method, and it is all most kitchens need. The details below are what make it reliable every time.

What you need

• 1 cup of long-grain white rice, enough for 2 or 3 people as a side dish
• Water, measured according to the package
• About half a teaspoon of salt, optional
• A small heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid
• A fine sieve for rinsing
• A fork

A heavy pot matters more than any gadget. A thin pot scorches the bottom layer before the top is cooked.

Step 1: check the package for the ratio

Water ratios vary by rice type and by brand, so read the package before you measure. As a rough guide only:

• Long-grain white rice is often cooked with somewhere around 1½ to 2 cups of water per cup of rice.
• Jasmine and basmati often take a little less water than ordinary long-grain rice.
• Brown rice needs more water and much more time, often 40 minutes or longer.
• Short-grain, sushi and risotto rices each have their own methods.

Treat these as starting points and the package as the authority. Once you have cooked one brand a few times, write your own ratio on the bag.

Step 2: rinse

Put the rice in the sieve and rinse it under cold running water, moving it with your fingers, until the water runs mostly clear. This washes off loose surface starch, which is what makes rice gummy.

If the package says the rice is enriched and advises against rinsing, follow the package. Rinsing washes off some of the added nutrients.

Step 3: bring to a boil

Put the rice, the measured water and the salt in the pot. Bring it to a full boil over medium-high heat, uncovered. Give it one stir to free any grains stuck to the bottom.

Step 4: cover and turn down

As soon as it boils, turn the heat to its lowest setting and put the lid on. Now leave it alone.

• Don't lift the lid. The steam trapped inside is doing half the cooking.
• Don't stir. Stirring breaks the grains and releases starch.
• Set a timer: about 15 to 20 minutes for most white rice, or the time on the package.

If your lid fits loosely, press a sheet of foil over the pot and set the lid on top of it.

Step 5: rest, then fluff

When the timer goes, tilt the pot slightly and look down the side: there should be no water left. Take the pot off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes. The grains firm up and the moisture evens out from bottom to top.

Then lift the lid and fluff the rice with a fork, lifting from the bottom rather than pressing down.

If it goes wrong

• Hard and dry: sprinkle in 2 or 3 tablespoons of hot water, cover, and steam on low for 5 more minutes.
• Wet and soupy: cook uncovered on low for a few minutes to drive off the water, then rest it.
• Burnt on the bottom: don't scrape. Spoon off the good rice above and leave the scorched layer behind. Next time, use lower heat or a heavier pot.
• Gummy: rinse more thoroughly next time, and check the ratio.

Food safety for cooked rice

Cooked rice needs the same care as any cooked leftover, and a little more. Uncooked rice can carry spores of a bacterium called Bacillus cereus, which can survive cooking. If cooked rice sits warm, those spores can grow and produce toxins that reheating may not destroy.

• Serve rice hot, soon after cooking.
• Cool leftovers quickly by spreading them in a shallow container rather than leaving a deep pot to cool.
• Refrigerate cooked rice within 2 hours of cooking, and sooner on a hot day.
• If rice has been left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, throw it away.
• Reheat leftovers until steaming hot all the way through, to 165°F (74°C).
• Eat leftovers soon, and follow your local food-safety guidance on how long to keep them.

Allergens

Plain rice is not one of the major food allergens, but what you cook it with may be.

• Butter contains milk. Use oil instead if anyone at the table has a milk allergy.
• Stock, bouillon cubes and seasoning blends can contain wheat, soy, milk or celery, depending on the brand. Read the label.
• Flavoured rice mixes often contain allergens as well; check the ingredients on the box.

Good to know

Once plain rice is reliable, try two variations that cost almost no extra work. Cook it in stock instead of water for more flavour. Or warm a spoonful of oil in the pot, stir in the well-drained rinsed rice for a minute or two until it smells toasty, and then add the liquid. That is the beginning of a pilaf, and it turns a side dish into something guests ask about.