How to Cook Rice with a Rice Cooker

Using a rice cooker is a simple and effective way to cook rice. Many types of pots keep rice hot after cooking. You don’t need to keep an eye on the rice cooker little by little as this unit has an automatic timer built in, which helps you minimize the chances of the rice being burnt or the pot damaged. If you are still having trouble using the rice cooker, refer to the troubleshooting guide.

Table of Contents

Cook rice

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Measure the rice with a cup and pour it into the pot. Some rice cookers have a removable pot, while others do not, having to put the rice directly into the pot. Most rice cookers will come with a measuring “cup” of rice or a spoon that can fill 3/4 cup (180 mL). Alternatively, you can use a regular measuring cup.

One cup (240 mL) of rice will cook 1 1/2 (360 mL) to 3 cups (720 mL) of rice, depending on the type of rice. ^{[1] X Research Source} Leave enough space for the rice to bloom to avoid spillage.

Wash the rice if necessary. Many people prefer to rinse the rice to remove any pesticides, herbicides or possible dirt. Some less modern rice mills can cause the rice to crumble, releasing excess starch into the rice, so it’s important to wash it thoroughly to prevent it from clumping. ^{[2] X Research Source} If you decide to wash the rice, fill the pot with water or keep the pot under running water. When adding water, stir with your hands until the rice is completely submerged. Drain the water using a sieve or gently pour it out, and catch it with your hands if the rice falls out. If the water turns color or has a lot of bran flakes or dirt floating, rinse the rice 1 or 2 more times until the rinse water looks relatively clean.

The law in the US requires white rice sold to be rich in iron powder, niacin, thiamin or fpic acid; These vitamins and minerals are often washed away when rice is washed. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
If your rice cooker has a non-stick pot, before cooking, wash the rice with a strainer instead of washing it directly with the pot. Replacing this type of nonstick pot is quite expensive.

Measure the amount of water. Most rice cooker manuals recommend using cold water. Depending on the type of rice you cook, and depending on whether you want to eat mushy, dry or medium rice, add water accordingly. The rice cooker usually has a graduated scale that shows how much water and rice should be added, or you can see the instructions on the bag of rice. Also, try following the instructions for each type of rice below, and remember that you can always adjust the next time you cook if you want the rice to be softer or more pliable:

White, long grain rice – 1 cup rice for 1 3/4 cups water (420 mL water for 240 mL rice)
White, medium grain rice – 1 cup rice for 1 1/2 cups water (360 mL water for 240 mL rice)
White, short grain rice – 1 cup rice for 1 1/4 cups water (300 mL water for 240 mL rice)
Brown rice, long grain – 1 cup rice for 2 1/4 cups water (520 mL water for 240 mL rice)
Parboiled rice (rice from rice soaked in hot water or steam-dried and then dried) – 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice
With Indian rice varieties like Basmati or Jasmine, less water is required as the rice should be cooked a little dry, with no more than 1 1/2 cups of water per cup of rice. Cook at a 1:1 ratio if the rice has been washed before. You can add bay leaves or cardamom seeds directly to the pot to make the rice more fragrant.

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You can soak the rice for 30 minutes if desired. This step is optional, but some people soak the rice to reduce cooking time. Soaking the rice can also make the rice more pliable. Use the measured amount of water to soak the rice at room temperature, and then use the same water to cook the rice.

Add seasoning (optional). You should add the seasoning to the water before you start to cook the rice, so that the rice can absorb the spices during the cooking process. Many people like to add a little salt to add flavor. Other popular choices are butter or cooking oil. If you are going to cook Indian rice, you can add some cardamom seeds or cinnamon leaves.

Spread the rice evenly so that the rice is below the water level. Use chopsticks or a plastic ladle to push the rice grains that are still stuck around the sides of the pot into the water. If not carefully brushed, let the rice stick to the pot wall, when cooking can cause fire. If water or rice spills over the side of the pot, use a rag or cloth to wipe the outside of the pot.

Once the rice is submerged in the water, you don’t need to stir it. Doing so can release excess starch and cause the rice to become mushy or lumpy.

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Check the rice cooker for any special function. Some pots only have an on/off button. Others have different cooking modes for brown rice or white rice, or have the feature to wait until a certain time to cook. If you just follow the basic settings, you should usually have no problems, but if you can, it’s a good idea to test what each option or button does.

Cook rice with a rice cooker. If your rice cooker has a removable cooking pot, put the pot that already has rice and water back in the rice cooker. Close the lid of the rice cooker, plug it in and turn on the switch. When the rice is cooked, the switch will make a click, like the sound of a toaster. In most rice cookers, the rice will stay warm until you turn off the power.

Do not open the pot lid to check the rice. The process of cooking rice depends on steam forming inside the pot, so opening the lid will cause the steam to evaporate and make the rice not cooked.
The rice cooker automatically turns off the power if the temperature inside the pot exceeds the boiling point of water (100 degrees Celsius at sea level), but this will not happen until all the water has evaporated. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Let the rice “rest” for 10-15 minutes before opening the lid (optional). This is optional, but recommended in the rice cooker manual, and in some cookers it is automatic. Turning off the power to the rice cooker or removing it during this time will minimize the amount of rice sticking to the pot.

Beat the rice and scoop out into a bowl. When there is no more water in the pot, the rice is cooked and ready to use. Using a spoon or chopsticks to scoop the rice after cooking will help the rice to loosen, release steam, and prevent the rice from burning.

If the rice is not cooked, see the Troubleshooting section.

Troubleshoot

If the rice is mushy, the next time you cook it, reduce the amount of water. Try adding less than 1/4–1/2 cup of water (30–60 mL) with each cup of rice (240 mL). This helps cook the rice in a shorter amount of time, allowing the rice to absorb less water.

Add more water and cook on the stove if the rice is not cooked. If the rice is too hard or too dry, put the rice on the stove and add 1/4 cup (30 mL) of water. Cover and cook for a few minutes until the rice is cooked and tender.

Putting the pot back into the rice cooker without adding enough water may cause a fire or cause the cooker to turn off automatically.
Next time, add about 1/4–1/2 cup (30–60mL) of water per cup of rice (240 mL) to the rice cooker before turning it on.

If the rice often burns, after cooking, remove the rice immediately. Under normal operation, the rice cooker will not burn the rice, but in the “warm” mode, the rice at the bottom of the pot and the sides may burn. If this happens often, when you hear the rice “pop” – a sign that the rice is cooked (or when the lamp is on warm mode), remove the rice from the pot quickly.

With some rice cookers, you can turn off / off the heating mode, but in this case, it is still recommended to eat or put the rice in the refrigerator before the rice cools down, to avoid food poisoning.
If you cook rice with other ingredients, they may burn during cooking. Next time, take out the sweet ingredients or any that you find burnt and cook separately.

Find ways to make use of burnt rice. Pasta rice, cracked rice can also be delicious if you know how. ^{[5] X Research Sources} Consider the following options to keep the rice from looking too mushy:

Fry the rice to remove excess water
Turn rice into a sweet dessert
Add rice to soups, baby food or homemade meatballs

Pay attention to the pitch and adjust accordingly. If you live at an altitude of 915 m (3,000 feet) or more, you may find the rice you cooked is raw. Once there, add 1/4–1/2 cup water to each cup of rice (30–60 mL water for 240 mL rice). High altitudes with low air pressure cause the water to boil at a lower temperature, so the rice takes longer to cook. The more water you put in the pot, the longer it will take to cook the rice.

Refer to the rice cooker manual or contact the manufacturer if you cannot figure out how much water to add. The amount of water required for each altitude is different.

Advice

Use a non-stick plastic ladle so as not to scratch the surface of the rice cooker when stirring and “beat” the rice when it is finished cooking. The best tool for this is the commercially available plastic ladle that comes with the pot. To keep the rice from sticking to the ladle, wet the ladle with cold water (this also works when you use your fingers instead of a ladle).
Those who are health conscious may want to add brown rice to the cooking. Adding brown rice can make the rice “harder”. If you want to add other types of beans (such as red beans, kidney beans, etc.), soak the beans overnight and then mix them with rice to cook.
The fancy computerized pot style can give better cooking results even with very little rice, because it can better detect the condition of the rice.

Warning

Do not pour too much water into the rice cooker. When cooking, the water can boil and spill out. ^{[6] X Research Sources}
If the rice cooker does not automatically switch to warming mode after cooking, quickly turn off the cooker, eat immediately or put the rice in the refrigerator to avoid food poisoning. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Things you need

Rice
Electric cooker
Water
Measuring cup
Spoon, ladle or chopsticks (optional)

Steps

Cook rice

Troubleshoot

Advice

Warning

Things you need

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