There are a lot of ways to cook rice. You can steam or boil it on the stove. Cook it in a rice cooker, pressure cooker, instant pot, or slow cooker. Rice as a separate dish or an ingredient can be found in almost every kitchen of the world. Therefore, there are many different methods of cooking rice for you to choose from.
I will share with you all the tricks and tips that I have learned through years of practice. You will learn how to cook rice in boiling water on the stovetop and how to steam rice using a steamer. Also, at the end of the article will be an interesting recipe for how to cook rice in the microwave. Not to warm up the rice in the microwave but how you can cook rice using the microwave.
Besides, I will share with you two guides. The first one will be on boiling time for different types of rice and its cooking methods. And the second one will be on proportions of rice to liquid.
How long do you boil rice?
Boiling time affects the taste and quality of rice, for sure. That is why you always need to check time to prevent the rice from under or overcooking. Here is a list of cooking times for white rice depending on the method of cooking:
- How long do you boil rice on the stove? You boil rice for 15-20 minutes in a pot on the stove.
- How long does it take to cook rice in a rice cooker? Almost every cooker has a cooking mode for rice or at least grains. However, remember that it should take you around 20 to 30 minutes for white rice to cook properly.
- How long does it take to cook rice in a pressure cooker? It can take you up to 20 minutes to get fluffy soft rice, for a firmer result reduce cooking time to 17 minutes.
- How long to steam rice in a steamer? You cook white rice for 30 minutes in a steamer.
- How long to cook rice in a microwave? It takes 20 min to prepare rice in a microwave.
Now, let’s have a look at how long it will take you to boil rice, depending on its type. In the following list, I mentioned the most popular types:
- How long do you boil white rice? You should boil white rice for 15-20 minutes, on average.
- How long do you cook parboiled rice on the stove? You boil white parboiled rice a little bit longer, for 20-30 minutes straight.
- How long do you boil brown rice? Boil brown rice for 30-40 minutes in a pot after the water starts boiling again.
- How long to boil wild rice? Wild rice will have the longest boiling time among all the types of rice. It will take you up to 60 minutes to prepare wild rice on the stove (start checking it for doneness after 40 minutes of boiling).
What is the white rice water ratio?
Let’s see how much water for 1 cup of rice is enough. The ratio of water to the grain you are cooking always depends on the consistency you want to have in a boiled product. I will give you a guideline for you to check when you are boiling rice at home:
- If you want to have runny rice porridge, follow these proportions: 1 cup of rice to 6 cups of water/milk.
- If your goal is to have sticky boiled rice, then you have to combine 1 cup of rinsed rice with 3-4 cups of liquid.
- To get fluffy cooked through delicious rice, you should use the following proportions: 1 cup of uncooked rice for 2 cups of water.
Now, you have information on both boiling times for cooked rice and proportions of water to rice. I think that these are the most important tips to know if you want to make rice at home, whether you use it as a side dish or an ingredient for other meals. Next, I will share with you my go-to method for boiling rice.
Cooking Rice on the Stovetop
Let’s have a look at how you can make delicious boiled rice on the stovetop at home. Getting this recipe right was a true journey for me. I tried almost every variation I could find with various proportions and different steps to follow. I chose the most suitable for my taste and needs. Hope that you will enjoy the recipe.
Ingredients for boiling rice on the stove:
- 1 cup rice;
- 2 cups water;
- ¼ tsp. salt;
- 1 tbsp. butter.
Follow my method and decide for yourself whether it is worth it:
- Measure out the necessary amount of rice. As a rule, with one metric cup of uncooked rice, you can have four nice portions of cooked rice.
- Thoroughly rinse white rice under cold running water; try using a fine-mesh strainer for the purpose.
- Place rinsed rice in a deep pot, add salt to your taste (my advice would be ¼ of a teaspoon, if it is too plain, try adding half of a teaspoon). Cover it with mentioned amount of water.
- Put rice on the stove and set it to high heat. Wait until the water boils and lower the heat down, as water should be gently simmering. Cover the pot with a tight lid and let the rice cook for 15-20 minutes (it depends on the type of the stove and the type of rice, for sure).
- When water cooks off in 15 minutes, just try it to make sure that the rice is ready. If not, you can add some water and let the rice cook for additional time. When rice is done, add butter and cover the pot with a lid again. Set pot aside and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving!
You have two options on when you add butter to boiled rice. The first option is to add butter in the beginning when you pour cold water into the pot with drained rice. And let it boil together with rice. The second option is described in the recipe. I prefer the second option, as I can taste the flavor of butter more vividly.
If this method is hard for you and you still can’t figure out how to make rice fluffy and non-sticky, try buying rice in bags. If you need a recipe for boiled rice sachets, leave a comment in the section below.
Stovetop White Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice
- 2 cups water
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. butter
Instructions
- Measure out the necessary amount of rice. As a rule, with one metric cup of uncooked rice, you can have four nice portions of cooked rice.
- Thoroughly rinse white rice under cold running water; try using a fine-mesh strainer for the purpose.
- Place rinsed rice in a deep pot, add salt to your taste (my advice would be ¼ of a teaspoon, if it is too plain, try adding half of a teaspoon). Cover it with mentioned amount of water.
- Put rice on the stove and set it to high heat. Wait until the water boils and lower the heat down, as water should be gently simmering. Cover the pot with a tight lid and let the rice cook for 15-20 minutes (it depends on the type of the stove and the type of rice, for sure).
- When water cooks off in 15 minutes, just try it to make sure that the rice is ready. If not, you can add some water and let the rice cook for additional time. When rice is done, add butter and cover the pot with a lid again. Set pot aside and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving!
Notes
How to make steamed rice with a steamer
Use the following Steamed Rice Recipe as your guide to getting perfect fluffy rice in a steamer:
- Rinse uncooked grain under cold running water until water that comes out of the grain is clear.
- Place rinsed rice in a deep bowl and cover it with hot boiled water. Make sure that water will be 1 inch above the rice. Leave it for 30 minutes.
- Drain water from the bowl or use a fine-mesh strainer. Take a steamer tray or a special grain bowl (if you have one) and transfer their rice, even out the layer of rice with a spoon or a spatula.
- Fill the reservoir with water to the mark; press the necessary mode. You need 30 minutes to cook rice this way. If the preset time is different, then change it.
- When the time ends, add a tablespoon of butter to the tray with rice. In 5-7 minutes, it will be ready to be served.
How to Cook Rice in the Microwave
Microwave is not your go-to method for cooking any grain, for sure. But you never know when this option will come in handy. Knowing how to microwave rice for dinner can be a very helpful skill to possess:
- Rinse rice under running water and place it in a deep microwave-safe bowl.
- Pour boiled water over rice. Proportions for the recipe are as follows: 100 g of rice for 200 ml of water. Cover the bowl with a lid and microwave it for 5 minutes on the highest power.
- Then reduce power by half and cook rice for additional 15 minutes.
- In the end, be careful to take the bowl out, as it will be hot. Do not open it yet; leave rice in the bowl under the lead for 10-15 minutes.
Unfortunately, I do not guarantee you that rice will turn out to be very delicious and tender. Better use other methods for cooking and microwave cooked rice only to warm up.
If you still have any questions on how to cook rice, if you still have any difficulties that you can’t overcome while boiling rice on the stove, steaming, or cooking in any cooker, please, leave all your questions below, and I will try to help you.
