How To Cook Rice

YouTube: How To Cook Jasmine Rice

Of the many basic cooking skills forgotten by modern-day civilized folks, one of the simplest is a mystery to many – almost as mysterious as the secret of making fire! Rice, of course, is a basic staple for anyone eating on a budget: it's nutritious, it's tasty, and it's CHEAP.

When you make your rice, be sure to use a pot with a heavy lid, such as a cast iron pot. As it cooks, the rice will produce a lot of foam within the first few minutes, and if your lid isn't secure this will likely spill out of your pot and onto the stovetop burner. A heavy lid will prevent this and, even more importantly, it thoroughly pressure-cooks the rice so that your result will be minimum sticking and large individual saturated grains of rice.

A 2-quart pot will cook 1 to 1-1/2 cups of uncooked rice without boiling over. I also have a 4-quart cast iron dutch oven in the same general shape as a Japanese nabe (rice cooker), 10 inches wide by 4 inches deep. This is my favorite rice cooker, and I cook 2 to 3 cups of uncooked rice at a time in it.

For a long time I followed the popular rule of making white rice with two cups of water for every cup of rice. And of course, my rice always came out too sticky. Lately I've been using less water to make rice, and the results have been excellent.

Hint: If you use chicken broth instead of water to boil your rice, it's even more flavorful!

• If you're making white rice, be sure to rinse off the rice first. Everyone considers this to be a chore, but it does wash off a lot of the starch and helps keep the rice from sticking.
• The way I wash my rice is to run water through the rice, and fill a bowl underneath. Then submerge the rice in the water, and bunch it in your hands eight times. Empty the bowl, and do it again. After washing the rice four times, I consider it to be done.
• Add the washed rice to your cooking pot.
• Now we only add 1 and 1/2 cups of water for every cup of rice, so with two cups of rice we're using three cups of water.
• Over medium to high heat, bring the water to a boil – uncovered. That's right, don't cover the pot. This is why I love using an aluminum pot to cook rice, because it usually takes less than ten minutes for the water to boil.
• When the water is boiling, cover the pot with a lid. Turn heat to low. Let the rice simmer, covered, on low heat for twelve (12) minutes.
• After 12 minutes, don't uncover the pot. Move it off of the heat, and let the pot rest – still covered – for ten (10) minutes.
• After ten minutes, uncover the rice and fluff with a fork or other utensil. Your rice is now ready to serve!

YouTube: How to Cook Jasmine Rice

How To Cook Basmati Rice

Basmati rice may not be as sweet as jasmine rice, but it has its own savory flavor that people all over the world love. But basmati rice is a little trickier to cook, which is why we don't see it very often here in the United States. Actually, there's nothing scary about making basmati rice, and all we need is a little patience. Basmati rice in particular has a lot of starch, and not only will this cause the rice to stick if it's cooked without washing, it can also give an unpleasant taste. This is why with basmati rice, you absolutely have to wash off the rice before cooking.

And we repeat the process, until the water is clear enough so we can see the rice in the water. This may take three or four repeated washing, but it doesn't take too long.

To wash the rice:

• Add the rice to a dish, and fill it with enough water to cover the rice.
• Mix it with your hand for about ten seconds.
• Drain the dish.
• Repeat three or four times, until the water is clear enough to see the rice under the water. It won't be crystal clear,

How To Cook Brown Rice

Brown rice is a horse of a different color – and different consistency, as well. Brown rice has a tougher shell that needs to be softened as it cooks, while at the same time the inside grain cain't be overcooked; or else, it becomes mush. This method will successfully cook brown rice:

Tools needed: Larger saucepan, fine strainer for rice.

• 4 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice. Because the rice is boiling uncovered, it requires a lot more liquid to cook.
• Boil water.
• Stir in rice.
• Do not cover the pot – let it boil uncovered for 30 minutes.
• Strain the water out, and return the rice to the pot.
• Cover the pot.
• Let the rice steam in its own moisture for 10 minutes.
• Uncover, fluff with fork.

Rice Pilaf

Pan needed: a cast iron skillet or other oven-safe skillet with an oven-safe lid

• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice, such as jasmine rice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups chicken broth
• Seasoning for cooked rice, such as parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Saute onions in butter 4 to 5 minutes, to caramelize them. Add rice (dry, uncooked) and stir until rice is browned. Add salt and chicken broth, and stir. Cover the skillet with a lid, and bake it in the oven at 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes. The rice should be tender when it is removed from the oven and uncovered.

For less rice pilaf, or more, use a 2:1 ratio of liquid to rice.