Delish editors handpick every product we feature. We may earn commission from the links on this page. There are a lot of ways you can go wrong. Organic basmati rice your rice is ever too gummy or too hard, you’re not alone.
Rice is really easy to screw up — but once you’ve got the technique down, it’s also really easy to get right. Ugh, I know, rinsing is annoying, but it takes 20 seconds and gets rid of dusty starches that may result in excess stickiness. Just place your rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. For most types of rice, you’ll always use a ratio of 1 cup rice to 2 cups water, which you can scale up or down.
Double-check your rice packaging to be sure. Feel free to swap in chicken or vegetable broth for more flavor. Then stir in rice and salt. And if you want to add a tab of butter, too, go for it — your rice will taste 10x better. After adding the rice, the temperature of your water will drop significantly, and it’ll stop boiling. Cover the saucepan and reduce heat to low. Though it will be tempting, keep the lid on!
You don’t want to mess with the steam. For long grain white rice, I always set a timer for 18, knowing that it could need another minute or two. Let the rice be your indicator, not the water. If there’s a little water leftover, it’s totally fine! Just tilt the saucepan slightly to drain it out. Turn off the heat, replace the lid, and let it rest for a few minutes in the steamy saucepan. Patience is a virtue, my friend.
Use a fork to gently mix and lift rice to make sure that the grains don’t stick together. If you have a rice cooker, the game is a lot easier. Use the same magic ratio and throw everything into the rice cooker, which does all the work for you. When the machine says it’s ready, the same “leave it alone” and fluffing instructions apply. Editor’s Note: This recipe was updated on December 23, 2020. This ingredient shopping module is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page.