Rice rules: Get the lowdown on how to cook 1 cup rice like a boss. We give you all you need to know and leave the B.S. to others.
Rice, rice, baby!
If you’re anything like me and you live for a good bowl of rice, you know just how important it is to get the proportions spot on. There’s nothing worse than cooking up a pot of rice that’s either too hard or too mushy—am I right?
But, sometimes, life hits you with a bag of raw rice and you’re left scratching your head, thinking, “Hey, how much of this stuff do I need to make one cup?” Don’t you worry for another second, my friend, because you and I are about to go over the golden rules for cooking rice.
Read on, and we’ll talk about how much rice you need to make one cup, how much water you should be using, and more.
Here’s the TL;DR version: Take ½ cup uncooked rice, cook it in 1 cup water, and boom, you’ve got yourself 1 cup cooked rice. You do this by bringing the water to a boil, then turning the heat down and cooking the rice in a gentle simmer with the lid on.
How to Cook Rice Like Mamma Made It
So you want to cook rice just like Mamma used to make it? Well, I’ve got news for you: as long as you stick to a ground rule or two, it’s real simple.
First, you’ve got to rinse the rice so you can get rid of the impurities. So grab yourself a fine-mesh sieve and pour that rice right in there. Then rinse it under cold running water until the water runs clear. That’s right; you want to make sure you get all of the dirt and debris out of there until the rice is as pure as snow.
Now that we’ve got the impurities out of the way, it’s time to measure out our cooking water. We’re going to use twice the amount of water as rice—so if you’ve got ½ a cup of rice, you’re going to need 1 cup of water.
Combine the rice grains and the water in the pot, don’t forget to throw in ½ a teaspoon of salt, then give it a little stir and turn up the heat to medium-high. You want to put a lid on the pot, bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the water’s down to a simmer. Don’t be tempted to peek under that lid once the rice starts simmering—instead, let the steam do its thing and cook the rice to perfection.
Before you know it, all that water’s going to be absorbed and your rice is going to come out tender and ready to go on the plate.
Easy peasy, right?
In Summary
So there you have it, people!
Rice-cooking 101 is complete, and you read it through and through, so you’re officially a certified pro. Whether you’re looking to make a quick weeknight dinner or whipping up a lazy meal on a Sunday, you now know the ground rules for preparing a perfect pot of rice.
Remember, the secret is to stick to the right proportions of rice to water—1 part rice, 2 parts water—and the right cooking method. And, of course, rinse that rice before cooking to make sure you’re getting rid of any impurities and cook it in salty water so it comes out nice and tasty.
It’s time to enjoy a big bowl of tender, fluffy rice and savor the deliciousness.
