{"title":"How to Cook Rice Perfectly","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/cooking/how-to-cook-rice-perfectly","category":{"slug":"cooking","name":"Cooking"},"creator":{"name":"Tasty","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFp8uSYCjXOMnkUyb3CQ3Q","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx7sxWI9FNI"},"tldr":"Fluffy long-grain rice in 7 steps: rinse three times, simmer covered for 18 minutes, rest 10 off the heat, fluff. Plus a pilaf upgrade with stock and a shallot.","totalDurationSeconds":274,"difficulty":"easy","tools":[],"materials":[],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Get the Rice-to-Water Ratio Right","text":"Rice is about two things: timing and ratios. Nail both and you can stop guessing.Long-grain white rice: 1 cup rice to 2 cups waterShort-grain white rice: 1 cup rice to 1¼ cups waterBrown rice: 1 cup rice to 1¾ cups waterMeasure before you pour. Eyeballing is how rice ends up gummy or crunchy.Watch this moment in the video."},{"number":2,"title":"Rinse the Rice Three Times","text":"Pour your rice into a strainer or bowl and rinse it under cold water. Swirl it around, drain, and repeat two more times.You're washing off the extra starch that makes rice clump and turn gluey. The water won't run fully clear after three rinses and that's fine.If you're in a hurry you can skip this step, but rinsed rice fluffs up noticeably better.Watch this moment in the video."},{"number":3,"title":"Combine Rice, Water, and Salt in a Pot","text":"Tip the rinsed rice into a small pot. Add the water you measured out in Step 1. Toss in a pinch of salt, around ⅛ teaspoon for one cup of rice.The pot should be small enough that the rice and water fill at least a couple of inches deep. Too wide a pot and the water evaporates unevenly, which throws off your cook time.Watch this moment in the video."},{"number":4,"title":"Bring to a Boil and Stir Once","text":"Turn the burner to high and wait for the water to hit a rolling boil. When it does, stir the rice once from the bottom to lift any grains that have settled.One stir is the goal. Over-stirring releases more starch and brings back the stickiness you washed off a minute ago.Watch this moment in the video."},{"number":5,"title":"Cover and Simmer for the Right Time","text":"Drop the lid on tight and turn the heat down to the lowest simmer your burner will hold.Long-grain white rice: 18 minutesShort-grain white rice: 15 minutesBrown rice: 45 minutesSet a timer and walk away. Don't lift the lid to peek. Every time you do, steam escapes and the cook time goes out of whack.Watch this moment in the video."},{"number":6,"title":"Rest Off the Heat for 5 to 10 Minutes","text":"When the timer goes off, take the pot off the heat but keep the lid on. Let it sit undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes.The residual steam finishes cooking the grains and evens out any damp spots on the bottom. Fluff with a fork before serving.Skip the rest and the rice comes out wetter and less defined.Watch this moment in the video."},{"number":7,"title":"Level Up with Pilaf Technique","text":"Same pot, same ratios, better rice.Before adding water, warm a tablespoon of olive oil on high heatCook a finely chopped shallot until it's goldenAdd your dry rice and stir for 30 seconds to coat every grainSplash in a few tablespoons of white wine if you have itPour in chicken or vegetable stock instead of waterFrom there, it's boil-cover-simmer-rest, same as before. One shallot and a stock swap turns weeknight rice into restaurant rice.Watch this moment in the video."}],"recipe":{"servings":"2 to 3","prepMinutes":5,"cookMinutes":28,"cuisine":null,"ingredients":[{"name":"long-grain white rice","notes":"for short grain use 1 1/4 cups water; for brown rice use 1 3/4 cups water","amount":"1 cup"},{"name":"water","notes":null,"amount":"2 cups"},{"name":"salt","notes":null,"amount":"1/8 teaspoon"},{"name":"olive oil (optional)","notes":"for the pilaf upgrade","amount":"1 tablespoon"},{"name":"shallot (optional)","notes":"for the pilaf upgrade","amount":"1, finely chopped"},{"name":"white wine (optional)","notes":"for the pilaf upgrade","amount":"a few tablespoons"},{"name":"chicken or vegetable stock (optional)","notes":"replaces water for the pilaf upgrade","amount":"2 cups"}]},"lastUpdated":"2026-05-20T13:34:46.045Z","published":"2026-04-20T14:12:02.349Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}