Name: Perfect Rice - Dang!
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 16 min
Ingredients: 1 Cup Dry (uncooked Rice); 2 Cups HOT water - plus or minus 1/4 cup depending on the moisture content; 1 tsp. Salt; 1/4 tsp. Pepper

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It’s still my first week of blogging, and this is Whatever Wednesdays at my house. That means exactly what it says! Hubby is on his own for all meals for the day and I eat “whatever”. Cuz sometimes you just really need a day off, right?

So how to incorporate Whatever Wednesdays into my food blog? Well my new found friends, I decided that today is the day that I write about some of the little cooking tricks and tips that I’ve learned in 48 years of cooking.

And today it’s all about perfect rice. I mean really truly perfect rice – every time! Rice is one of those things that’s simplicity at its best, but frustratingly hard to perfect. You can follow the directions to the letter and get a bowl full of sticky goo, or a bowl full of chalky grains or, even worse – a bowl of rice that’s divided up between some perfect tender grains, some hard as rocks grains and some mushy grains – ewww! I like my rice tender and fluffy, but with a hint of stickiness that allows it to hold together on my fork.

Here’s what you need to know before you starting cooking your rice:

Where you live matters – is it generally humid, arid or somewhere in between?
The type of Rice you buy matters – is it a dry rice or one with a higher moisture content?
How long has the rice been sitting in your cupboard?

If you’re in a very dry area like me, then your rice is going to need more water in order to cook up light, fluffy and tender. If you live in a very humid area, like my older brother over there in South Carolina, then you can use a bit less water and get the same perfect rice that I get out here in the high plains desert of Idaho!

Know your rice before you start! Brands and names don’t matter as much as the actual grains themselves. I love this Jasmine Rice! It has a very nutty aroma and plump grains to hold lots of sauce.

But, this is a DRY rice! It might have a higher moisture content in other parts of the country, but here in Idaho, it’s as dry as the Mohavi Desert. Scoop up a handful of your uncooked rice and feel it, move it around.
Does it feel papery and dry and try to suck the moisture out of your skin? That’s a dry rice.
Does it feel silky and smooth? That’s a normal rice.
Does it feel super moist and maybe even a bit sticky? That’s a moist rice.
Does it leave a white powder in your hand when you move it around? That’s a REALLY dry rice and might need even a tablespoon more water to moisten it as it cooks.

Those are the most important things to know about your rice. Now go grab a handful – it’s play time! Introduce yourself to your rice and get to know it well!

Alrighty then, now that you’ve had a little one on one time with your rice, it’s time to get cooking.

Dry rice / Dry climate – 2 1/4 cups of HOT water per 1 cup of uncooked rice.

Normal Rice / Moderate climate – 2 cups of HOT water per 1 cup of uncooked rice.

Moist Rice / Humid climate – 1 3/4 cups of HOT water per 1 cup of uncooked rice.

To start, put a large pot on the stove. Now turn on your hot water tap and get it as hot as possible, While the tap water is warming, turn the heat to high under the pot. Grab your rice and toss 1 cup of it into the pot. Don’t stir it, just let it get toasty warm in there.

Water’s nice and hot? YAY! Use the correct amount according to your climate, and pour it into the already warm rice in the pot. For me, that’s 2 1/4 cups of HOT water per 1 cup of rice. Toss in 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

See how the water immediately starts to bubble around the edges of the pot as I pour in the water? Yep, that’s an important part of getting perfect rice every time! The faster it comes to a full boil, the less time it has to leach starch into the water. Which means – you get tender, fluffy grains that cling together nicely but don’t sit there in a soggy, sticky clump.

Now it’s a waiting game. DO NOT stir the rice my friend. I repeat – DO NOT stir the rice! Wait, and wait and wait some more. When the water has come to a full, rolling boil, it’s time to stir. So what’s a full rolling boil you ask? It’s when even in the middle of the pot, the water is boiling and bubbling madly. And on the outer edges of the pot, the water will start to climb the sides in big bubbles. It takes about 2 minutes to get it to a full boil.

Full Rolling Boil achieved? Excellent, now take a wooden spoon and give your rice ONE… QUICK… STIR. Don’t spend too much time with the spoon in the pot, you just want to break up any clumps that might have formed. The more you stir, the more starch you release from the rice and that’s bad. So stir quickly and then plop the lid on fast. Once the lid goes on, turn your heat down to the lowest possible setting immediately. Again I say, turn it down IMMEDIATELY! You will thank me for repeating that so loudly when you don’t have to wipe rice water goo off of your stove. 😆

Only one more thing to do – ready? Set a timer for 13 minutes and walk away.

When you come back after 13 minutes your rice will look like this:

Take the pot off of the heat, but don’t open it yet! Leave it sitting on the stove for at least another 2 – 5 minutes while you put the finishing touches on the rest of your meal. 5 minutes are up? Time to open the pot and rejoice in the beauty of those tender grains you just cooked!

That’s it folks, all you need to know to make perfect rice – every dang time!

Toni’s NOTES: You might not get a perfect pot of rice the first time you try this. Take careful notes of what you do get the first time and then adjust the amount of HOT water and the cooking, resting time accordingly. I promise you that by the third time you make it, it will be perfect – every dang time!

Now go grab some rice and get to know it. I want you to make perfect rice every time dang it! 😯

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