First and Foremost: Always Rinse Rice Before Cooking.
No matter what kind of rice you’re making or how you cook it, make sure you rinse the grains first. This gets rid of extra starch. If the starch is left on the rice, the results are unattractive and gummy. The easiest method, in our opinion, is to rinse the rice in a fine mesh strainer rather than following some recipes’ instructions to put it in a bowl and repeatedly change the water. To uniformly shower the grains, agitate them with your hands as you apply water to them. You’re finished with the rinse when the water flows clear. Finding it difficult to tell if it’s clear? Remove any bubbles from the water that is draining off the rice, place a clear dish underneath it, and then take a look.
Consider Toasting the Rice
To be honest, this step is not required. However, if you have the time, it brings out the rice’s inherent flavour. Simply place a teaspoon of butter or olive oil in the saucepan you’ll be cooking the rice in and heat it over medium heat. When the rice begins to smell nutty and somewhat like popcorn, add it and stir it regularly. You can toast white rice by watching it turn a light tan colour.
Don’t Forget to Season the Water
A generous sprinkle of salt added to the cooking water will go a long way towards balancing the flavour of your cooked rice. If you forget to season the rice before it is finished cooking, you will taste salt in every bite.
What the Heck Does “Fluff Rice” Mean?
Many rice recipes end with the straightforward direction to “fluff rice.” Simply put, this instructs you to pierce the rice with a fork and separate any clumped-together grains. The process really adds fluff to your completed dish.
The Classic Method
This method is probably the one that springs to mind when you think about preparing rice because it is the most traditional. White rice with the normal long grains works incredibly well. To adapt this method to a specific type, such as short-grain rice, you may always refer to the instructions on the package.
Wash the rice.
Use the appropriate amount of water. In a big pot, combine 1 part rice with 2 parts water. Use 1 part liquid to 2/3 parts rice for slightly firmer rice.
Water is brought to a boil. When it starts to boil, sprinkle on a lot of salt.
Continue to simmer. Turn down the heat to low, secure the lid tightly, and continue a slow simmer.
Do not peek or stir while cooking. Cook for 18 minutes or until the water is completely absorbed. To prevent steam from escaping, try to wait until the end of the cooking period before peeking. In any case, avoid mixing the rice while it is cooking because this will result in gummy rice.
Cover the rice and let it rest. Leave the heat off and allow For 10 minutes, the rice should be covered. The rice will steam during this time to produce extra fluffy results.
With a fork, fluff the rice.