Learn how to easily cook rice on the stovetop, no rice cooker needed! You can properly cook fluffy rice in under 30 minutes, but if you toast it in butter or oil first, it comes out extra tasty!
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Why This Method Works
Everyone should know how to cook rice. It's very easy and requires only 3 steps! This technique is what I have been using for 15 years and the rice is always fluffy and very tasty.
My secret is to toast the rice in melted butter or olive oil which gives it an almost nutty flavor. Then add hot water, bring the mixture to a boil and finish it cooking covered, off heat. It changed the game for me when it comes to cooking rice. It never failed!
This method works for short, medium or long-grain white rice.
I often use my Instant Pot to cook rice, but if you don't have a pressure cooker or a rice cooker, this stovetop method is worth saving. It's fail-proof and the result is tasty and fluffy rice!
Ingredients:
- rice: I used white long-grain;
- water: hot, from a tap;
- butter or olive oil: for toasting the rice;
- salt: to season.
How to cook rice on the stove?
- Start by melting butter in a saucepan.
- Add rice and stir in.
- Let it toast in butter until you see the grains turn light brown.
- Add hot water to the pot and stir in with the rice.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. The rice will start to cook.
- Cover the pot and remove it from the heat.
- Let the rice sit in the pot for 15 to 20 minutes, covered.
- Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork right away to prevent clumping.
Water to rice ratio:
If you want fluffy rice, the perfect ratio of water to rice is 2 cups of water per 1 cup of rice. If you are cooking a larger batch, multiply, so if you are cooking 2 cups of rice add 4 cups of water, etc. If you are rinsing your rice first, you need to thoroughly dry it. Wet rice won't toast. You will also be adding water to the mixture which can result in gluey rice.
How to use cooked rice?
Rice is a classic side dish to many Asian dishes. Here are just a few from our site:
- Quick Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
- Kimchi Fried Rice
- Sheet Pan Stir Fry
- Shrimp Fried Rice or Chicken Fried Rice (the rice needs to be cooked the day before and chilled in the fridge);
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Easy Sesame Chicken.
You can add cooked rice, still cold from the fridge, along with cooked ground meat (beef or turkey), tomato sauce or salsa to make a quick casserole. Perfect for those days when you are tired of pasta!
Helpful Tips!
- Use hot water to prevent the shock! The rice is toasted so along with the pot you are cooking it in, it will be hot. You don't want to shock it by adding cold water. Hot water from the tap is just fine here.
- Season rice after cooking. Add salt, herbs, or any other seasoning you prefer after the rice is cooked and fluffed with a fork.
- Fluff the rice! Right after you remove the lid from the pot, fluff the rice with a fork. You want to do it before it cools down to prevent it from sticking.
Recipe FAQs:
I never rinse rice before cooking it. The opinions on this subject vary. If I bought rice from out of the country or from a street market, I would rinse it simply to clean it. It will remove the starches but it will not make the rice more fluffy. That depends on the water-to-rice ratio.
In this method, you only need to bring the mixture to a boil after adding water to toasted rice.
My technique does not require boiling water before cooking rice.
You should store rice in a container with a lid, in the fridge, for up to 4 days.
To reheat cooked rice, place it in a pot or skillet and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. Heat up over medium heat, stirring often so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
One cup of rice makes 3 cups of cooked rice. One serving is ½ cup of cooked rice.
More cooking basics:
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
How to Cook Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 cups water hot from tap
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- Add rice and stir in. Toast the rice, stirring once in a while, until you see some grains turn light brown.1 cup long-grain white rice
- Add hot water from tap to rice. It will steam up so be aware. Stir everything together.2 cups water
- Bring the mixture to a boil. This will take about 5 to 7 minutes. You will see that the rice is starting to cook.
- Remove the saucepan from heat, cover with a lid and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid and make sure all the water was absorbed by the rice. The surface of the rice will be flat. Immediately, fluff the rice with a fork. If you let it cool, it will stick.
- Season the rice with desired seasonings or simply with salt.½ teaspoon salt
Notes
- I don't rinse rice before cooking. In my experience, it does not make the rice fluffy. I rinse rice only to clean it.
- Store rice in a container with a lid, in the fridge, for up to 4 days.
- To reheat rice, place it in a pot or a bowl and add a splash of water (2 to 3 tablespoons). Heat up on the stove or in the microwave.
- One cup of rice makes 3 cups of cooked rice.
- One serving of rice is ½ cup.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use a calorie counter you are familiar with.
Sharina says
One of the easiest ways to cook rice! So fluffy and enjoyable!
Michael says
So many great tips! Thank you. I'll definitely be making rice this way more often.
Abby G says
I used butter and it came out perfectly! So light and fuffy!l