Perfect Rice

Name: Perfect Rice
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 300 g (1½ cups) long-grain white rice, basmati or jasmine; 450 ml (1¾ cups + 2 tbsp) water, for jasmine use 420 ml; 3 g (½ tsp) fine sea salt; 10 g (2 tsp) butter or oil, optional

Fluffy long-grain on the stove, every time

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 5 min
Total: 30 min
Level: Easy

Rice goes wrong in three ways: too much water, too much stirring, and no rest. This absorption method fixes all three by rinsing, weighing the water and letting the pot sit off the heat at the end.

Ingredients

300 glong-grain white rice (1½ cups)basmati or jasmine
450 mlwater (1¾ cups + 2 tbsp)for jasmine use 420 ml
3 gfine sea salt (½ tsp)
10 gbutter or oil (2 tsp)optional

Diet: Vegetarian, Gluten-free
Allergens: milk

Method

Put the rice in a sieve and rinse under cold water, swirling with your hand, until the water runs almost clear, about 1 minute. Drain well.
Put the rice, measured water, salt and butter in a heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered.
Once it boils and you see craters forming on the surface, stir once, cover tightly and turn the heat to the lowest setting.
Cook for 12 minutes without lifting the lid. 12 min
Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes. 10 min
Uncover, fluff the rice gently with a fork, and serve.

Why it works

Rinsing washes off loose surface starch that would otherwise turn the cooking water into glue and make the grains clump. Measuring water by weight to rice (1.5:1 for basmati, 1.4:1 for jasmine) gives exactly what the grains can absorb in a covered pot. Resting off the heat lets the moisture redistribute, so the grains at the top finish cooking and those at the bottom firm up instead of sticking.

Common mistakes

Lifting the lid: steam escapes and the rice cooks unevenly. Leave it.
Stirring during cooking: it breaks grains and releases starch. Stir once only.
Skipping the rest: wet top, sticky bottom.

Variations

Brown rice: Use 300 g brown rice and 600 ml water, simmer 35–40 minutes, rest 10.
Sushi or short-grain rice: Rinse well, use 360 ml water per 300 g, simmer 12 minutes and rest 10. Season with sushi vinegar if desired.
Rice cooker: Rinse, use the cooker's water line or the same weights, and let it rest 10 minutes after the switch clicks.

Make ahead and storage

Cool cooked rice quickly (spread it on a tray), refrigerate within 1 hour and use within 1 day, reheating until steaming hot. Cooked rice freezes well for 1 month.

Notes

Cooked rice left at room temperature can grow Bacillus cereus, whose toxins survive reheating; this is why fast cooling matters. Day-old cold rice is best for Egg Fried Rice. Milk only if you add butter; use oil to keep it dairy-free.