How to Cook Rice

There's a lot of talk about how to cook rice, and how wrong it can go if you don't follow exactly the right procedures and timings. Well, dare I say it, we really don't believe it's that difficult to cook rice, you just need to know what to do and how long to do it for!

Yes, you can just bung it in some boiling water, but if you want to know how to cook rice and make it taste even better, follow the instructions here.

How to measure out the rice

Rice expands by 2-3 times its original size once cooked, so when measuring it out, a typical handful of rice per person works out just right.

Rinse the rice

Some say you may end up washing out essential nutrients (blah blah) if you rinse the rice beforehand, but we think that's overkill, so give the rice a quick rinse before you cook it, until the water runs clear. Simply put it in a sieve and run under the tap.

How to cook the rice

Boil the kettle, or, bring some water to the boil in the pan. For extra flavour, add a stock cube to the water once it's in the pan. Now add a teaspoon of salt and pour the rice in. Stir only once then place a lid on the pan and leave it to cook for 10-15 minutes (40 minutes for brown rice). You'll probably need to turn the heat down once the lid is on.

After this time, take a bite and see if you think the rice is cooked. If it is, fluff the rice with a fork and drain it into a colander. Now place the colander in the pan and put the lid on top. Leave this to rest for 10 minutes then your rice should be cooked to perfection!

How to cook rice - Spanish style

If you're learning how to cook rice and want a great recipe to try, check out our Spanish Rice Recipe which is great for jazzing up rice and making a meal out of it - think of it as a mini Paella!

Check out my video on how to cook rice below.