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   Food & Drink / How to Cook Rice

Learning how to cook rice is very important for every good housewife. Though there are very many varieties of rice and a great number of cooking methods, you should know some basics, which will prevent your rice from sticking or burning. Our step-by-step instruction will help you to cook delicious rice of the necessary consistency.

Ingredients and Equipment

You will need the following ingredients:

• 1 cup of rice
• 2 cups of water
• 0.5 teaspoon of salt
• Oil or butter (optional)

The equipment for cooking rice can be found in every home. This is a pot with a lid (avoid enamel¹ cookware) and a stirring spoon (take a wooden one). You'd better find a heavy-based saucepan in order to prevent scorching. Its lid should fit tight for keeping the steam inside the pot. Remember that rice expands in the process of cooking so the saucepan should be large enough.

We do not give you tips on how to choose rice, because it depends on one's preferences. Just make sure that you buy what you need and the product is of high quality.
Rinsing and Soaking

As a rule, it is better to rinse the rice in several changes of cold water. Do it even if it looks clean. It will help to get rid of dusty starch and leftover stray or chaff. What is more, some mills use talc in the process of rice milling, and you should wash it away.

You do not have to soak the rice for everyday meals, but doing it will make the grains less fragile and they will not break during boiling. For some sorts of rice, like basmati, soaking is obligatory.

Measuring Rice and Water

The most common ratio for cooking rice is 1:2, which is one part of rice to two parts of water. If you have got an unusual variety, read the instructions on its package.
Cooking Rice

Some people boil the water and add the rice into it. But we recommend you to put your rice into the pot, pour the cold water into it and put the pot on the stove. Do not stir the rice while it is cooking and try not to open the lid too often. When the water starts boiling, add salt and lower the heat.

If you see that the rice is almost ready but there is still some water left in the pot, open the lid slightly.

Cooking Time





The prepared rice should not be crunchy. It can be a bit sticky, but not gummous. Now you can add butter and fluff your rice with a wooden spoon. You can keep the rice in a fridge for up to a week.

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