How To Cook Rice

There are a lot of ways it can go wrong—we'll fix that.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

1. Rinse the rice.

Step 2

2. Remember the ratio.

Step 3

3. Bring the water to a boil

Step 4

Then, stir in your rice and salt. And if you want to add a tab of butter, too, go for it — your rice will taste 10x better.

Step 5

4. Get a steady simmer.

Step 6

After adding the rice, the temperature of your water will drop significantly, and it'll stop boiling. Let it come back to a gentle simmer (otherwise you run the risk of your water cooking off faster than your rice gets tender).

Step 7

5. Don't take off the lid.

Step 8

Cover the saucepan and reduce heat to low. Though it will be tempting, keep the lid on! It's very important not to mess with the steam.

Step 9

6. Check at 18 minutes.

Step 10

For long grain white rice, I always set a timer for 18, knowing that it could need another minute or two. Let the rice be your indicator, not the water. If there's a little water leftover, it's totally fine! Just tilt the saucepan slightly to drain it out. (Cooking brown rice? Check at 30 minutes.)

Step 11

7. Leave it alone.

Step 12

Turn off the heat, replace the lid, and let it rest for a few minutes in the steamy saucepan. Patience is a virtue, my friend.

Step 13

8. Fluff it up!

Step 14

Use a fork to gently mix and lift rice to make sure that the grains don't stick together.

Step 15

Step 1

Step 16

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring water to a boil. Add rice, butter, and a large pinch of salt.

Step 17

Step 2

Step 18

Bring pan back to a simmer then lower heat and cook, covered, 18 minutes, or until rice is tender and water is absorbed.

Step 19

Step 3

Step 20

Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.