How to Cook Rice (stove and rice cooker methods)

Rice is a huge part of of my life, and cooking rice is something I’ve done for as long as I can remember. So I am so excited to share all I know on how to cook rice in this comprehensive guide. Learn 2 methods for cooking rice – on the stove and with a rice cooker, the pros and cons of each method, and tips on how to achieve consistent results. Also find out which rice brands are my favorites and which rice cooker I like the best.

Rice is such a big part of being Asian. It’s probably the first solid food we eat as babies, and it’s served in some form for almost every meal our entire lives. And cooking rice is practically a religion. Cooking it properly is something that is drilled into us from the time we are kids, and it’s probably the only thing most Asian kids can cook well. That was the case for me. Literally the only thing I could cook well in college was rice. Given its importance in all Asian cuisines from Chinese to Vietnamese to Thai, I am so excited to finally put all I have learned into one place. This how to cook rice guide will provide you all you need to know to make this essential side dish perfectly every single time.

What are the different kinds of rice?

There are so many different kinds of rice. There are 3 main umbrella categories for rice: long grain, medium grain, and short grain, and they all mean exactly what their names signify. In my experience, long and medium grain rice varieties are mostly used for savory dishes while short grain rice varieties are used for sweet and savory dishes. An example of a short grain rice used for sweets is sticky rice! There is also a fourth category that is mostly found in Vietnamese cuisine called broken rice which is the leftover grains of rice created when the rice is processed. I’ve written a separate post about broken rice or com tam.

For the purposes of this post, I will focus on long grain rice which is what most people will associate with rice. The long grain rice most people know and consume for everyday purposes is jasmine rice. It is a long, thin rice that becomes fluffy when cooked. While this blog post focuses mostly on long grain white rice, the principles in this post should also apply to most types of rice and any recipe variations of white rice like turmeric rice.

My favorite brands of white rice

The first thing you have to do before any cooking takes place is to choose your favorite kind of rice! I personally have 2 favorites – 99 ranch brand jasmine rice and Three Ladies jasmine rice. You really can’t go wrong with either. I buy the 99 ranch brand jasmine rice because it’s the supermarket generic brand and it’s cheaper. But growing up, we always had Three Ladies jasmine rice. They really are the best when it comes to rice based products. They even make my favorite vermicelli noodles (as I mentioned in my vermicelli noodle cooking guide). Their jasmine rice is fluffy, and it has the best texture and flavor.

How to cook rice – Method #1: On the stove

1. Add 1 cup of jasmine rice to a sauce pan or mixing bowl.
2. Rinse rice until water runs clear. Fill the bowl with water, swish around the rice until the water becomes cloudy, and drain the water. Repeat until the water runs clear (5-6 times).
   • Rinsing the rice rinses off dirt and excess starch. Excess starch creates a gummy texture if left on the rice.
3. If using a mixing bowl, pour rice into a sauce pan. Add 1 1/2 cups of water into the pan.
4. Heat pan over medium high heat until the water starts to boil. Lower to a simmer and let the rice cook for 15-20 minutes. If the pan starts to look dry, add more water.
   • Keep an eye on the pan. If the water starts to boil at any point, lower the heat. You want a nice even simmer throughout the cooking period. In testing, I took my eye off the pot for a few seconds, and the entire thing boiled over. I ended up having to add more water to compensate.
5. Taste the rice for doneness. Adjust the cook time and water until you get the desired texture.
   • Tasting is important because all rice cooks differently. This is the best way to know if your rice is cooked through.

How to cook rice – Method #2: With a rice cooker

1. Add 1 cup of jasmine rice to the rice cooker bowl.
2. Rinse rice until water runs clear. Fill the bowl with water, swish around the rice until the water becomes cloudy, and drain the water. Repeat until the water runs clear (5-6 times).
3. Add 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups of water to the bowl. The amount will depend on your rice cooker. I recommend making a test batch if this is a new rice cooker. My rice cooker only requires 1 cup of water.
4. Set it to cook and let it cook until it finishes. This can take 30 minutes to an hour depending on your rice cooker. The one I have takes an hour for white rice.

Pros and cons of different types of rice cookers

There are SO MANY rice cookers out there from very basic, affordable ones to big, fancy ones that cost over $100. When I got my first rice cooker, I got a small black and decker one that only had 1 setting. This one was very user friendly, and it only took 30 minutes to cook rice. I have since then graduated to the Rolls Royce of rice cookers. I now use the Zojirushi rice cooker which is from a Japanese brand. It has tons of settings and takes about an hour to cook my rice, which might seem excessive given the basic brand rice cooker takes only 30 minutes. But it’s honestly the best which is why it costs almost $200! It cooks my rice consistently every single time. It also requires less water than the basic rice cooker (which I learned sadly from my first, very mushy batch of rice).

So which one would I choose? If you’re just starting out and have limited counter space, I would recommend the basic black and decker one. Or just any basic rice cooker. It’s not worth it to get a fancy rice cooker unless you really want it and cook a lot. The Zojirushi is also twice as big, so you will need more counter space. I actually would have been perfectly happy with my basic one, but I moved in with someone who had the Zojirushi and kind of fell in love with it. It has different settings for every kind of rice from brown rice to sticky rice. My only gripe with it is how long it takes to cook rice, so I usually have to make sure I plan accordingly.

Which cooking method I like better

I was actually thinking about this while planning out this post, and personally, I would never cook rice on the stove if I could help it. It’s definitely very easy and is the most accessible way if you’re just starting out, but growing up, every family I knew made rice using a rice cooker. It’s just so easy to just set it and forget it. Rice cookers also keep rice warm which is one of the major downsides of cooking rice on the stove. It is also a lot more consistent in a rice cooker. On the stove, you have to deal with variations in heat, and you have to make sure the water doesn’t boil over (which has happened to me tons of times).

The major benefit of cooking rice on the stove is you save on kitchen space. I would recommend using the stove method if you don’t cook rice a lot, so a rice cooker doesn’t really make sense for you. It also tends to cook faster on the stove than with a rice cooker.

Best tips for making the best rice

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear

The is one of the most important tips when it comes to making rice. Rice grains have excess starch that make cooked rice gummy and in general unappetizing, so rinsing rice washes all that off. Additionally, rinsing rice washes off any dirt and partially cooks the rice.

Make a test batch

This applies when you are using a new rice brand or when you buy a new rice cooker. Different brands of rice and rice cookers will require different amounts of water to cook rice. It’s best to make a test batch, so you know exactly how much to use.

Do not use the knuckle method to measure the water

This is going to be controversial in many Asian circles, and I swear I’m going to lose my Asian card by saying this but do not use the knuckle method. I found it to fail me more than a few times. This is the method where you measure how much water to add by putting your pointer finger on top of the rice and then filling it up until it reaches the first knuckle in your finger.

This method does not work for a few reasons:

1. Everyone’s knuckle is a different length from the end of your finger, so the amount of water you add will be different.
2. You’re not taking into account different strains of rice or different rice cookers (if that’s the method you’re using) which require different amounts of water. This is why I recommend making a test batch.

How do you store rice?

Rice should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze rice in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Simply microwave it for a few minutes when you’re ready to eat.

How to use leftover rice

I love leftover rice because it is the perfect canvas for all kinds of dishes from fried rice to crispy rice to congee. Leftover rice is dryer then fresh rice, which it makes it perfect for these dishes. Personally, I love making fried rice with Chinese sausage with leftover rice. I feel like almost every Asian culture has a fried rice recipe. I also love using leftover rice for congees like my Chicken congee.

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