You’re probably cooking rice the wrong way — and skipping important step, chef says
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Rice may be a kitchen staple, but cooking it well at home can be trickier than it seems.
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Experts say the trick to tender rice with distinct grains that stay separate instead of clumping together may begin before you even turn on the stove, with a step many home cooks skip.
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“I generally rinse before cooking when I want a light, fluffy result,” Dennis Littley, a New Jersey-based classically trained chef and founder of Ask Chef Dennis, told Fox News Digital.
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He recommends rinsing long-grain white rice, basmati, and jasmine rice until the water goes from very cloudy to mostly clear.
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It doesn’t need to be perfectly transparent, he said.
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The rinse removes some of the loose surface starch that can make rice gummy or clumpy, Littley said.
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Then, drain it well so the water-to-rice ratio is not thrown off.
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But chefs also note that not every type of rice should be treated the same.
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“The important thing is to adjust your technique for the type of rice you’re using rather than applying one method to every variety,” Littley said.
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Christine Pittman, the Florida-based founder and CEO of COOKtheStory, TheCookful and COOKforTWO, said she reserves the rinse for short-grain rice and for when she is cooking rice in a pressure cooker.
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Littley and Pittman both suggest skipping the rinse for risotto, noting that the starch helps make the dish creamy.
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A recent side-by-side test by Food & Wine found that rinsed and soaked basmati and jasmine rice were lighter and fluffier than unwashed rice, which clumped together.
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The test combined rinsing and soaking, not rinsing alone.
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“I especially like soaking basmati rice for about 20 to 30 minutes before cooking,” Littley said.
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“It helps the grains hydrate evenly and can give you longer, more distinct grains with a nice fluffy texture.”
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There are other ways home cooks can improve their rice, too.
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Pittman recommends a little less than 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of long-grain white rice but says the amount varies by variety.
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Littley likewise advises following the package or recipe directions for the specific rice.
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While brown rice can also be rinsed, its bran layer means it needs more water — about 2 cups per 1 cup of rice — and more time to cook.
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Briefly toasting rice in a little oil or butter after rinsing and draining, but before adding liquid, can add a nutty flavor and help keep the grains defined, Littley said.
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Once the rice and cooking liquid are in the pot and the liquid comes to a boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cover the pot, Littley said, and avoid lifting the lid or stirring while it cooks, Littley said.
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When the rice is done, take it off the heat and let it rest, covered, for five to 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
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Letting it rest allows moisture to redistribute for a more even texture.
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Once the rice and cooking liquid are in the pot and the liquid comes to a boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover the pot and avoid lifting the lid or stirring while it cooks, Littley said.
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When the rice is done, take it off the heat and let it rest, covered, for five to 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
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Letting it rest allows moisture to redistribute for a more even texture.
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She recommends fluffing it with a dinner fork, using a “gentle folding motion” to lift the rice from the bottom of the pot rather than stirring it vigorously.
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“You’re really only touching the bottom of the rice with your fork, and the rest of the rice on top is moving sort of like a little avalanche from the pressure of the fork underneath,” she said.
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If it’s undercooked, Pittman said, add a little hot water, cover the pot and return it to low heat.
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“Overcooked rice is bad, but my hot take is that undercooked rice is worse,” she said.
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