Get the PERFECT fluffy rice every time with this method!
- Replies 15
Like knowing how to hard-boil eggs and use a knife properly, knowing how to cook rice is an important building block of good home cooking. After all, if you know how to do this, you'll never be far from your favourite starchy Asian meals.
But how can you make sure that your rice is cooked to perfection every single time?
Of course, you could make the process easier by using a convenient digital rice cooker. But if you don't have one and don't want to add another appliance to your kitchen, all you need is a lidded pot, some salt, tap water, and of course, your favourite bag of rice.
According to Jennifer Pallian, who is known for sharing niche cooking tips and original recipes backed by food science on social media, to yield perfect and fluffy rice every single time, you have to cook your rice like you would cook your pasta.
According to a food scientist, cooking rice like pasta creates "perfectly fluffy" rice. Credit: Instagram/@foodess.
Here's how to do it:
Instead of precisely measuring your rice and water and hoping for the best, simply fill a large pot with water as you would for pasta.
Then, add the rice and a few teaspoons of salt (2 tsp per 4 cups of water), and cook at a low boil until soft. After that, strain the excess water with a colander.
"You'll get fluffy, separate grains – or in other words, perfect rice, every time!" said the online foodie.
Jennifer also mentioned that the method wasn't just for rice and that it was equally effective for most other grains as well, such as quinoa, barley, amaranth, and millet.
However, due to the rather unconventional method, she suggested that home cooks might need to check on the rice five minutes earlier than the time recommended on the package.
"It takes me about fifteen minutes to cook white basmati, but as a rule, I would check on the grains earlier than usual," said the food scientist.
After the water has boiled, she merely uses a colander to drain the excess. Credit: Instagram/@foodess.
Hundreds of comments were left on Jennifer's post, many of which included rice-cooking advice from her Instagram followers and random viewers.
"Basmati rice in particular benefits from soaking and washing," wrote one woman in the comments, adding: "Soaking improves the aromatic flavour because it won’t need to be boiled for as long. It also helps the rice become more digestible."
A second user chimed in and said, "Sometimes I sprinkle vegetable stock in instead of salt for the extra flavour kick."
Meanwhile, a third user said that adding a tiny bit of butter greatly improves their rice-cooking process.
"I always strain my rice after cooking in extra water - it removes excess starch and always results in an extremely fluffy end result," a fourth person commented.
For more tips on how to cook rice at home without using a rice cooker, check out the video below:
Credit: Pailin's Kitchen.
If you've been cooking your rice with the usual absorption method and it's still coming out mushy, the problem is probably that you've added way too much water.
The next time, use much less than you usually would and keep in mind that you can easily save undercooked rice. Usually, adding a few more tablespoons of water and cooking something for an additional few minutes will give you the fluffy texture you want.
Best of luck with your rice cooking, members! If you have more tips to share with the rest of us, feel free to comment below!
But how can you make sure that your rice is cooked to perfection every single time?
Of course, you could make the process easier by using a convenient digital rice cooker. But if you don't have one and don't want to add another appliance to your kitchen, all you need is a lidded pot, some salt, tap water, and of course, your favourite bag of rice.
According to Jennifer Pallian, who is known for sharing niche cooking tips and original recipes backed by food science on social media, to yield perfect and fluffy rice every single time, you have to cook your rice like you would cook your pasta.
According to a food scientist, cooking rice like pasta creates "perfectly fluffy" rice. Credit: Instagram/@foodess.
Here's how to do it:
Instead of precisely measuring your rice and water and hoping for the best, simply fill a large pot with water as you would for pasta.
Then, add the rice and a few teaspoons of salt (2 tsp per 4 cups of water), and cook at a low boil until soft. After that, strain the excess water with a colander.
"You'll get fluffy, separate grains – or in other words, perfect rice, every time!" said the online foodie.
Jennifer also mentioned that the method wasn't just for rice and that it was equally effective for most other grains as well, such as quinoa, barley, amaranth, and millet.
However, due to the rather unconventional method, she suggested that home cooks might need to check on the rice five minutes earlier than the time recommended on the package.
"It takes me about fifteen minutes to cook white basmati, but as a rule, I would check on the grains earlier than usual," said the food scientist.
After the water has boiled, she merely uses a colander to drain the excess. Credit: Instagram/@foodess.
Hundreds of comments were left on Jennifer's post, many of which included rice-cooking advice from her Instagram followers and random viewers.
"Basmati rice in particular benefits from soaking and washing," wrote one woman in the comments, adding: "Soaking improves the aromatic flavour because it won’t need to be boiled for as long. It also helps the rice become more digestible."
A second user chimed in and said, "Sometimes I sprinkle vegetable stock in instead of salt for the extra flavour kick."
Meanwhile, a third user said that adding a tiny bit of butter greatly improves their rice-cooking process.
"I always strain my rice after cooking in extra water - it removes excess starch and always results in an extremely fluffy end result," a fourth person commented.
For more tips on how to cook rice at home without using a rice cooker, check out the video below:
Credit: Pailin's Kitchen.
If you've been cooking your rice with the usual absorption method and it's still coming out mushy, the problem is probably that you've added way too much water.
The next time, use much less than you usually would and keep in mind that you can easily save undercooked rice. Usually, adding a few more tablespoons of water and cooking something for an additional few minutes will give you the fluffy texture you want.
Best of luck with your rice cooking, members! If you have more tips to share with the rest of us, feel free to comment below!
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, is this meant to be new !!! I’ve (&im sure millions of others), have cooked their rice like this for ever!’
