Rice is a fantastic food that can be combined with almost everything. Jasmine rice with a creamy curry stew, saffron rice with fried tofu or why not use rice for your homemade sushi.
Although solid rice is an appreciated and widely used ingredient in cooking all over the world, many also avoid rice when cooking, as it can be quite difficult to cook.
Cooking perfect rice can be a little tricky, but we have put together a step-by-step guide to make it easier for you and may also finally learn how to appreciate this highly customizable basic product. It can be used for anything and in addition, it is very cost-effective.
Different forms of rice
Since rice is such an amazing, cheap and adaptable ingredient, it is used in cooking all around the world. The huge popularity of rice has also helped the range of rice to expand on the shelves of the store and today most rice varieties are sold in ordinary grocery stores.
Rice is a collective name for all rice plants grown in the world. Of these, the majority of crops are so-called sum prices and in total, over 1000 different cultivated rice varieties are grown around the world where the majority are grown in China and Africa. Examples of different rice varieties include jasmine rice, whole grain rice, brown rice and basmati rice. Most of these can also be found in regular stores.
How to cook the best rice on the stove
Cooking perfect rice can seem quite easy as most rice varieties have instructions on the packaging that will guide you through the entire process. But the dimensions do not always match and the rice may burn, become too messy, overcooked or too dry. Depending on what kind of rice you use, you need to have some different things in mind and follow a few different recipes. Here’s how to best cook the most common rice varieties on the stove.
White rice
Traditional white rice is probably the more popular choice for regular home cooking. To cook the perfect white rice for the curry or rice gratin you get a better result if you follow this guide.
Something that many people skip when cooking rice is to soak the barley before. The reason why you should soak or at least rinse the rice before cooking is to remove the excess starch. It is the starch in the rice that can cause it to burn in the saucepan or become too sticky.
Another benefit you get when you soak the rice is that the barley becomes more digestible. Several large chefs recommend soaking the rice for at least 20-30 minutes. But if you have good foresight, the rice will be extra good if soaked overnight in a bowl.
After the rice has been soaked, it should be cooked. First, strain the rice to remove all liquid and then place the rice in a saucepan with 5 times as much water. Add a little salt to give the rice a better base taste and increase the heat to max. When the rice and water have started to boil, turn down the heat and put on a lid to prevent the liquid from evaporating too quickly. Cook plain white rice for about 10-15 minutes and stir with a fork to get the rice a little extra fluffy.
If you follow these steps you will soon become a master at making perfect rice every time.
Basmati
Basmati rice is another very popular rice variety used worldwide. If you love this slightly more creamy rice but have a hard time getting it really good, we will give you some tips on what to think about during cooking.
Base the recipe on what is used above to cook plain white rice. Basmati rice is also good to soak in before to make it creamier and tastier. However, the difference between plain white rice and basmati rice is that it should cook a little longer. After you lower the heat and put on the lid, the rice should cook for up to 20 minutes to become soft and get the right texture.
Jasmine rice
The slightly more sticky jasmine rice is perfect to combine into tasty pots and slightly spicy blends. But how to cook jasmine rice in the best way?
Jasmine rice you do not need to soak but on the other hand, you should rinse the rice grains before placing them in the saucepan to remove the extra starch and thus facilitate the cooking. Also, this recipe can be based on the usual method you use for white rice.
Jasmine rice should also be cooked for up to 15 minutes on low heat after boiling the water. After 15 minutes, completely turn off the plate and let the rice rest for 5 minutes with the lid on before serving. This is to preserve the stickiness of the rice and make it a little extra soft.
To cook rice with more flavor
Cooking traditional rice is of course very popular as it can be combined with anything because of its very simple but creamy taste. Nevertheless, it is obviously fun to develop the traditional recipe and add some exciting flavors to put a little extra spice on your life.
The spices and flavors that best fit are clearly very different from person to person. But here are some exciting flavors you might want to try.
Saffron rice
By mixing olive oil or rapeseed oil with saffron, you can cook the most amazing and flavorful rice, which can be combined with grilled chicken or a creamy yogurt sauce.
Mix the cooked rice of any variety with the oil and spice and mix thoroughly around it to evenly distribute the flavor over all the grains. A bonus with saffron rice is not only that it also smells very good but also looks very inviting with its golden yellow color.
Gerb rice
Another very interesting flavor combination is adding herbs to the rice. You get a more flavorful mix if you use fresh herbs. But it works just as well to take what’s at home.
Parsley is very good to mix the rice with if you plan to serve it with some kind of fish dish. Thyme is best suited to different meat dishes.
Benefits of using a rice cooker
Although you may be a master at cooking rice in a traditional way on a reputable stove, there are of course several benefits to investing in a rice cooker that does the job for you. Today, rice cookers are very popular to give away or add to their collection of kitchen appliances. This means that the range of rice cookers has expanded significantly and it has pushed down the price of rice cookers sharply from the time they were first launched on the market.
A rice cooker allows you to cook perfect rice at any time, no matter what type of rice you choose to use and this makes the machine very adaptable. You also save time measuring ingredients and the machine also retains the taste of the rice as you prepare the rest of the meal.
With a rice cooker, you simply have a smaller saucepan to keep track of and you never have to worry about burnt food or ruined saucepans again.