There are three steps to perfectly cooked rice:
* Clean the rice
* Use 2 water to 1 rice (or a little less water, 1:1.8 as Gary Rhode might say)
* Leave lid on and DO NOT STIR (yes that is 1 step)
and that really is it. If you are still getting sticky rice then the rice is simply not clean. And who can blame you, running water through the rice in a sieve can take a long time to run clean, and is wasteful of water. You might like to try my alternative version that, controversially, includes STIRRING! =:0
Instead of cleaning the rice at the start, let the boiling water do it for you. So turn the heat up and get the water to boil rapidly. This turns the water cloudy (with all the rice dust). Give it a hand with a quick stir with a fork – separating the bits of rice. Then STRAIN out the cloudy water over a measuring jug (or whatever you measure out the rice/water with in the first place), and replace with the same amount of clean boiling water from the kettle. Repeat if the cloudiness persists, usually with a large amount of rice. All this is to be done quick and as soon as the boiling starts, so don’t repeat more than once.
To the already content rice cookers: YES, this IS a lot of faff for the simplest thing to cook in the world, but it’s actually quite quick once you’ve done it. This is now how I always do my rice, and it gives me consistenly unsticky rice.
why do you need a measuring jug? can’t you just fill the pan up to the same point it was before?
my version:
i. use uncle bens american long grain rice (not vital but makes a difference)
ii. put unwashed rice and water in pan — boil till rice is right consistency (proof by tooth)
ii. as rice is coming to ready, boil fullish kettle
iii. pour rice and remaining used water, if any, into strainer, strain away water (if you’ve got the proportions right there won’t be any)
iv. pour clean boiling water through rice-in-strainer into pan, spreading the love
v. pour now slightly cloudy back through rice-in-strainer into sink
vi. leave rice in strainer to drip-drain into pan
i imagine if you were cooking a mainly rice dish for six or more, one kettle-full wouldn’t be enough
filling up the pan up to the same point is harder to judge than reading the amount off the measureing jug. though admittedly i just use an (unmarked) mug, which weakens the insistence on this some.
yr method sounds like you end up with v damp rice. the classic (and my variation) gives you dry and separated grains.
no bcz a. it is drip drying and b. it is hot — the wetness steams and drips away
For a long time, I had to look up a recipe when cooking rice (or, indeed, anything) and it was a recipe that looked a lot like Alan’s first one. There is no way I could possibly remember Lord Sukrat’s variation; however, I appreciate all the expertise being applied to such a topic. Now, how do I roast potatoes?
the short version is:
boil rice, pour away water, pour in more water (hot) and pour it away again — all with strainage
roasting potatoes
i. buy some semolina…
another (urgent and) key factor that i have always sworn by: use the smallest possible pot. i’m not sure why but it seems to work.
There are despairingly few things in life that I feel genuinely confident that I am correct in stating, however cooking rice is one of them.
The one true method of rice cooking is as follows, for two people you will need:
Tools:
1 mug of rice (Big mug if you are greedy)
1.29 Mugs of water
Pinch of salt
A cold tap or other source of running water
Sieve
Pan with a lid
Stove/hob
Method:
Preheat stove/hob top to highest setting, normally 6 – why is that?
Measure 1 mug of rice, pour into sieve and rinse extensively under cold running water, empty the resultant well rinsed rice into your pan.
Add 1 mug (the same mug you used to measure the rice) of water to the pan with the rice, followed by between 1/4 to 1/3 of a mug of water.
Add a pinch of salt
You should now have a pan containing 1 mug of rice, about 1.29 mugs of water and a pinch of salt. Place the lid on the pan, put pan on your preheated stove.
Your pan will boil in a few minutes, allow it to boil for 20 secs or so and remove from the heat.
Then JUST LEAVE THE BA%^TARD ALONE.
Don’t touch it, ignore it, make it feel like the unpopular kid from school, don’t, I repeat DON’T remove the lid, DON’T put back on the heat, DON’T stir. Leave it alone. It will be cooked in about 10 mins. After 10 mins and NO LESS, you are permitted to remove the lid and taste, if its not cooked replace the lid and…LEAVE IT ALONE for a few more minutes. Left by itself it can quitew happily sit there and be served 30 mins after you let it boil and it will still be warm.
This will result in rice which:
a) Is perfectly cooked
b) Does not require draining, ready to serve
c) Does not weld itself to your pan
This is the future people. Try it. Embrace it. Love it.
1) no salt
2) if you put it on the lowest possible heat it will only take 10 mins instead of 30
You said it was controversial.
1)I’m half belgian – salt is in the constitution.
2) Lowest heat is an option, but for me still sticks – probably pan quality or if we’re getting techical a griddle pan on lowest heat with rice pan on top of griddle, Shezad Hussein style, is also recommended as a non stick option. But whatever I’m cooking to accompany said rice would probably take 30 mins.
I tried this out and it works perfectly thanks.