Secrets To Cooking Good Rice

A GREAT POT OF RICE COMES WITH EXPERIENCE

Jack Bragen
Copyright 2009 By Jack Kenneth Bragen

Learning to consistently prepare a good pot of rice is like becoming adept at parallel parking: They both require experience, focus, and finesse.
The first thing is to select a good brand of rice and stick with it. The cheaper brands may have pebbles or bits of dirt that must be fished out, and even with this, the final result may not taste as good. Once a good brand is found, it is important to stay with it, since different brands may need different cook times. The directions on your package are not always accurate.
Rice in a re-closable bag is a good idea, since this will prevent infestation by insects. If not, you should keep rice in an airtight container. I’ve seen rice kept in an open bucket, and it wasn’t long before the bucket was loaded with moth larvae!
Fill a small or medium sized pot about halfway with water, and get it to a full boil on your stove before you add the uncooked rice. Too low a temperature to begin with will leave your pot of rice destined for the disposal. Adding the right amount of rice for the amount of water is important. With practice, it is best done by “eyeballing.” Over time, you will know exactly how much to pour. The amount is approximately half the height of the boiling water. Give it a little stir.
Put the cover on the pot and turn the heat down to a level that will provide a moderate boil with the pot covered. Going too low on temperature, again, is not a good thing. Get to know your stove: For example; my stove is best put on number 2&1/2 or sometimes 2 once the pot is covered. Your stove is liable to be different.
Leave your rice alone to do its thing as much as possible. Checking on it too frequently may worsen the outcome. With white long grain rice, about fifteen minutes, plus or minus five minutes, ought to do it. Nearly all of the water should be absorbed, and the rice should be palatable. Take a taste after cooling your sample. If the rice is okay or very close to okay, put the lid back on and take it off the heat. Let it sit a few minutes to cool and to absorb the last of the water.
Brown long grain rice may take a lot longer to cook, and doesn’t go down well when undercooked. The proportions of water and rice remain about the same.
Cooking good rice, like many other things, may not go well on the first try. Yet with practice and persistence, you’ll get the hang of it.