How to Cook Rice

We used to be an instant rice family. It wasn’t something I was proud of. I was soaking my own beans and cooking them on the stove, yet I couldn’t figure out how in the world a person could cook rice. No matter how hard I tried, my stovetop rice was always a disaster. It burned to the bottom. It never cooked all the way. Or it ended up burned and soggy. So we went with instant rice.

rice

Until two years ago.

I was seriously thinking of buying an appliance that could perform only one function, and I hate the idea of filling my kitchen with one-use items.  I like multipurpose.  But a rice cooker was calling my name.  My struggles could finally come to an end!

Before I broke down and bought one, Martin asked his step dad if he had any suggestions for my struggles.

“You don’t know how?” my father-in-law gasped. His mouth dropped a little. I swear he was looking at us like we were the biggest cooking dorks of all time.

Maybe we were.

Yet ever since he told us his secret for cooking rice (not instant rice), I’ve been sharing it with everyone I start talking food with, and none of them has had any clue either.

So maybe you already know this. Then again, maybe you’ve been as clueless at cooking rice as me. Either way, you’ll never have to buy instant rice or burn rice again (unless you want).

So you ready for this?

Bake your rice.  That’s all.  The key is all in the medium.  No stove. Put your rice in the oven.

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Baked Rice

  1. Pour rice (not instant rice) into the bottom of a glass baking dish and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Boil water and pour over rice until rice is fully submerged.  Add more water until it’s approximately 1/4 inch (or 1/2 cm) above the level of the rice.
  3. Add butter, salt, and seasoning to suit.  Cover with aluminum foil.
  4. Bake 20 minutes.  Since each rice varies in cooking length, check your rice often.  Fluff with a fork and add additional water if needed.  Return to oven and continue to bake.  Our preferred rices usually takes about 45 minutes.

*If you already have the oven on for something else, consider slipping some rice into the oven along with it.

*For a unique, moist flavor, we like to add about a half a can of coconut milk in exchange for some water.

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So there you have it.  The world can be a better place now… or at least kitchens around the world can be!  If you have any secret know-how, please share.  No need to keep rice secrets.

(Image from Flickr)