The simple dishes in life can very often be the dishes that throw us for a loop! White rice is no different especially since there are a million and one ways to making this simple dish. Growing up, I watched my grandmother make rice countless times and she never used a measuring cup! She would measure the amount of rice and eyeball the amount of water she needed. She would then test it all out by having a spoon stand up straight in the pot once the rice and water were mixed in together. Now I’ve tried this method time and time again and I fail each and every single time. I wish I could have my grandmother’s touch, but alas my way of making white rice always results is delicious and fluffy yumminess.
Making the perfect white rice is honestly a task in learning your stove. To start, whenever I make white rice, I use a 1:1 ratio which simply means that I use the same amount of rice as water. This 1:1 ratio should be the starting point for anyone making ratio. The next step is knowing your stove because this will let you know if you have change the ratio ever so slightly. For example, my stove gets insanely hot really quickly so I typically use a ratio that’s a little bit more than 1:1. If I’m making 2 cups of rice, I’ll use 2 ¼ cups of water to compensate for the fact that my stove will evaporate the water before it’s had a chance to cook the rice. Now say that I’m making rice on my mom’s stove? I’ll use a ratio that’s slightly less than 1:1 because her stove actually takes a while to come up to temperature. My advice to you is to start with the 1:1 ratio and see how your rice comes out. If it’s perfect, then great no need to do anything else. But if you feel like it could be fluffier or it’s too fluffy then adjust the water accordingly.
While getting your rice to water ratio is arguably the most important part to making the perfect white rice, your heat setting is just as important and this is another area where rice making methods diverge. I typically like to boil the water, salt, and oil together first. Once the water starts to boil, I then add my freshly washed rice into the pot and I let that come to a boil and dry out. I do all this while the stove is on a medium-high setting. This is important! You want to make sure that the water and rice are boiling together on a relatively high setting. If you do this while the flame is too low then you risk your rice coming out gummy and in clumps. This also happens when you use too much water.
Now once the water has dried, go ahead and mix your rice one last time. I like to mix the bottom of the rice and bring it up to the tops. Next you’ll want to cover your pot and I like to seal mine with aluminum foil just to create a super steamer. Once you’ve covered the white rice with aluminum foil and the lip, reduce your heat setting/flame down to the lowest possible setting. Depending on how much rice you’ve made, your rice should be ready in 20-30 mins. In the end, fluff up your rice using a spoon or fork and drizzle a tiny bit of oil to work out the last few clumps.
In short, here are my tips summed up. Follow these tips and you’ll ALWAYS have the perfect white rice. Nonetheless, do keep in mind that everyone has tried and true methods for making the Perfect White Rice and these are just the tricks that I swear by!
Tip#1: Use a 1:1 ratio of long grain white rice & water. Alter the ratio to fit your stove and pots since they all have their own quirks
Tip #2: Salt the water of the rice accordingly. Remember this is the only time you get to season your actual rice and no one likes bland rice
Tip #3: Wait until the water has dried before covering your rice and lowering the flame. Doing this before the water has dried will result in gummy-clumpy rice.
Tip #4: ALWAYS simmer your rice on the lowest possible heat setting. Let your rice steam to perfection. If your stove is a little slow to heat, simple use a super low heat setting. In the end, you want to avoid smoking your rice. This never ends well.
Tip #5: DON’T uncover the rice unless it’s ready. Letting the steam out before it’s done will leave you with rice that grainy and hard. Uncovering it before it’s done is a cardinal sin. Not sure when your rice is ready? Wait 30 mins after you’ve lowered the flame before checking on it. If you check and it’s still undercooked, add 1/4 cup of water and cover again. The water will help build the steam back up
Tip #6: Add oil and fluff up your rice at the end to get rid of any clumps.
Bonus Tip #1: Cover your rice with aluminum foil and pot cover to create a super steamer. This will speed up just how quickly your rice is done!
Bonus Tip #2: Love con con? Make sure to take the con con while it’s still hot so that you don’t work up a sweat afterwards. Removing it while it’s hot will make it MUCH MUCH easier!
If you’d like to see a step-by-step tutorial on How to Make The Perfect White Rice, visit my YouTube Channel: Made To Order or click here
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Ingredients
- 2 cups of water
- 2 cups of long grain rice-- washed & rinsed
- ½ tbs salt or to taste
- Canola Oil
Instructions
- Over medium to high heat, add water, salt, and oil to a pot and bring to a boil
- While the water is warming up, wash rice with cold water and rinse 2-3 times
- Once the water begins to boil, add rice and mix
- When the water and rice dry up, mix one last time and cover rice reducing flame to lowest possible setting (Simmer Setting)
- After 20-30 mins, uncover rice and fluff with fork or spoon
- Drizzle tiny bit of oil to work out last few clumps
Buen Provecho!