How to Cook white rice without using a rice cooker

White rice is an easy side dish that is found in many different cuisines, including Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Mexican. Rice cookers will help you cook rice easily, but not necessarily. You can still cook a delicious pot of rice on the stove at any time. However, washing and soaking the rice can make a difference when the rice is cooked; So, you will have a fluffy rice dish if you take a little more time to prepare it.

Table of Contents

Ingredient

1 cup (230g) white rice
1 cup (240ml) of water
Salt according to taste
1 tablespoon (15g) butter (optional)

Wash and soak rice

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Put the rice in the basket. For this recipe, you’ll need 1 cup (230g) of white rice, but you can still adjust the amount per person. Typically, you will need 1/2 cup (115g) of rice per person. Put the rice in a basket or sieve so that the water can flow through easily. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Rinse the rice under cold running water. Place the rice basket in the sink and turn on the cold water tap. Let the water run down the basket while you wash the rice with your hands to clean the grains. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Washing the rice is an optional step, but this helps you to remove excess starch and dirt on the rice grains, so that the rice is not too sticky when it is cooked.

Pour the rice into the pot and add cold water. After washing the rice, pour the rice into a small pot. Pour cold water into the pot so that it is about 5cm higher than the rice. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

With 1-2 cups (230-450gr) of rice, you should use a 2-liter pot.

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Soak the rice for about 10-15 minutes. Soaking the rice before cooking helps the rice cook faster and taste better. You can skip this step if you are in a hurry, but it will take longer to cook rice on the stove. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Cook rice

Discard the rice soaking water and wash the pot. When the soaking time is up, pour the rice into a basket or sieve to filter out the soaking water. Wash the pot to remove any remaining starch and then put the rice in it. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Add clean water to the pot and stir. The proper ratio of water to rice is 1:1, which means you will add 1 cup (240ml) of water to the rice cooker. Use a wooden spoon to stir the rice with the water. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Some recipes recommend using a ratio of 1 rice and 2 water. However, this amount of water is too much. You can experiment with different ratios to choose the one that suits your own taste.
You can replace the water with a delicious broth if you like. Chicken, beef, and vegetable broth are all good options.

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Boil rice and water. Place the pot on the stove on medium high heat. Wait for the water to boil vigorously, usually about 3-5 minutes. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Stir the salt and butter into the rice. When the water boils, add a pinch of salt to taste and 1 tablespoon (15g) of butter to the pot. Stir the ingredients. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

This step is optional but can result in a tastier finished product.
You can replace the butter with an oil, such as olive or canola if you prefer.

Finish cooking rice

Turn off the stove and put the rice in the pot. When the rice cooking process is complete, you will turn off the stove and remove the pot from the stove. Cover the rice cooker and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes for the rice cooking process to complete. ^{[11] X Research Source}

If there is still water in the pot after the rice is cooked, just filter the water.

Open the pot lid and stir the rice. After 5 minutes of letting the rice sit in the pot, open the lid. Use a fork or spoon to stir the rice to make it fluffy. Better yet, you should leave the rice in the pot for another 2-3 minutes for the rice to dry out a bit. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Serve the rice while it is still warm. When the rice is fluffy and a bit dry, you can divide the rice into small plates or put it all in a large bowl. Remember to serve the rice early so that the rice is still warm. ^{[13] X Research Source}

You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Advice

When boiling water, be sure to cover the pot so that not too much steam escapes.
If you live in a high-altitude area with low pressure, you may need to increase the cooking time and/or temperature.
For a different taste of white rice, you can add pepper, herbs, onions, garlic, or your favorite seasoning to the rice broth.
You will need to use a different method when cooking broken rice to get the perfect finished product.

Things you need

Baskets
2 liter capacity pot with lid
Wooden spoon
Fork or spoon