Basic Cooked Rice Recipes

SIMPLE BAKED RICE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Spread long-grain rice into prepared casserole dish.
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir carrot, celery, and onion in hot oil until onion is soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir garlic into mixture; cook and stir 1 minute more. Increase heat to high; add chicken stock and bay leaf to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture over the rice in the casserole dish. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and continue baking until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid, about 20 minutes more. Remove and discard bay leaf; season with black pepper. Fluff with a fork to serve.

REALLY SIMPLE RICE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat nearly to smoking. Cook and stir rice in the hot oil quickly to toast the rice, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the onion into the rice; cook and stir 1 minute more. Pour chicken broth over the rice mixture, season with garlic salt, and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, place a cover on the saucepan, and cook until the broth is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to rest 5 minutes before lifting the lid.

BASIC STOVETOP RICE

Steps:

• Pour rice into a bowl, and fill it with cold water. Swirl the grains, using your fingers. Tip out any starchy water, and repeat until water runs almost clear.
• Combine rice and water in a pot: For most long-grain and medium-grain rice, pair 1 cup rice and 1 1/3 cups water. For short-grain rice, use 1 cup rice and 1 cup water. For most brown rice, combine 1 cup rice and 1 3/4 cups water. The rice and water should not come more than halfway up the sides of your pot; the mixture will double in volume as it cooks.
• Bring water to a hard boil over medium-high heat. The water's entire surface should break with big, constant bubbles. As soon as water is boiling, give it a vigorous stir with a spatula or wooden spoon, making sure to scrape at any grains at the bottom of the pot. Cover it with a lid and turn the heat to low.
• Cook long-grain and medium-grain rice for 15 minutes; short-grain varieties for 20 minutes; and brown rice for 30 minutes.
• When allotted time has passed, or when you hear a change in sound - if you listen closely, you'll notice the sounds will slowly change from a bubbly simmer to a steamy sort of flutter - turn off heat and let rice rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC STOVE-TOP METHOD FOR PERFECT WHITE RICE

Steps:

• Bring water, butter, and salt to a boil in medium saucepan. Stir in rice and return to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid, 16 to 18 minutes (check only toward end of cooking time). The rice should be studded with craters, or steam holes, when it is ready. Remove from heat and let steam, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

PERFECT BASIC WHITE RICE

Steps:

• In a saucepan with a good fitting lid bring water, salt and optional ingredients if desired to a boil. The salt and butter are simply for flavor. The vinegar keeps your grains separated and gives you a prettier dish. No one will taste the vinegar at all!
• Add rice and stir.
• Cover and reduce heat to low. You will know that your temperature is correct if a little steam is visible leaking from the lid. A lot of steam means your heat is too high.
• Cook for 20 minutes.
• DO NOT LIFT LID!
• The steam that is trapped inside the pan is what allows the rice to cook properly.
• Remove from heat and fluff with fork.
• Serve!

PERFECT COOKED RICE

Steps:

• Place rice in a pot with sufficient water to cover. Wash rice in the cold water in the pot by rubbing it between your hands and then drain using a strainer. Add more water to pot and repeat process for a total of 3x. Drain well after washing.
• Add 15 ounces water to the rice and allow it to rest for 1 hour before cooking.
• It is best to use that so-called "old rice" - rice that has been lying about in sacks for extended periods, for it will absorb water better and will cook easier. (It is often suggested that a ratio of 2 cups of rice to 2 cups of water be used. This is unsatisfactory because it will be too soft.).
• Begin cooking the rice, uncovered, over high heat, by bringing the water to a boil. Stir the rice with the wooden spoon or chopsticks and cook about 4 minutes or until the water is absorbed, or evaporates. Even after the water is gone, the rice will continue to be quite hard. Cover the pot and cook over very low heat for about 8 minutes more, stirring the rice from time to time.
• Turn off the heat and loosen the rice with the wooden spoon or chopsticks. This will help it retain its fluffiness. Cover tightly until ready to serve. Just before serving, stir and loosen the rice once again. Well-cooked rice will have absorbed the water but will not be lumpy, nor will the kernels stick together. They will be firm and separate. The rice may be kept hot in a warm oven for an hour without drying out.
• Note: The older the rice the higher the yield.