Hi Jon, Butter adds a great flavor to rice! (Uncle Ben always uses butter when cooking rice.) I usually do use butter except when I’m cooking Asian recipes, or when I’m counting calories!

Cheers!

Thanks Will! Now all we need are the pictures! BTW perhaps you (or Jon) could explain what *ghee* is to everyone

Ghee is a type of clarified butter with a distinctive taste (and aroma).

It is a mainstay of South Asian cooking, particularly as, unlike butter,it can be stored for some time without refrigeration.

It is made by simmering unsalted butter until the water has boiled off and the solids have settled to the bottom of the pan.

Hope this helps.

Every time I have tried to cook white rice (basmati kind) it has come out bland and watery tasting.  Thanks for the tips!  Maybe all I really needed was some salt and butter.  But I'll also try some Indian-type spices or some ghee.

Very helpful!  Just the info I was looking for.  Thanks so much!

After having lived in apts w/ electric stoves for 7 yrs, I was thrilled to get back into a place with a gas stove.  Although, now my rice is a gummy mess.  I use Mahatma long grain, as always, with the 1 2=3 method, leaving it for 20 mins. but I practically had to slice the stuff I made last night! Does rinsing vs. not rinsing the rice beforehand make the difference? I never used to rinse but do now. Climate/elevation change is not an issue.  I'm miffed that something I whipped up w/o a second thought almost nightly now stresses me out! I miss my rice w/ kim chee lunches...

Hi everyone,
The way we cook rice in Brazil is to fry the rice for a few minutes with minced garlic and butter or oil, then add water and once it boils, leave for about 15 to 20 minutes. Just remember no to stir it too much, scpecially after it started boiling. Another trick is to add some drops of lime. It helps the rice not to get gummy. The measures are the same: 1 rice, 2 water.

I cook my lunch every day, and 9 times out of 10, I make rice.

Personally, I don't add butter. I also use short-grain rice (or sushi rice). The brand and kind of rice you use makes a HUGE difference - short-grain rice clumps together, making it easier to eat, and long-grain tends not to. (That's what I've heard, at least).

It'd be great if you could write something about the types of rice! :D

i never cook rice and i want to learn how to cook, fist when i am starting am i putting the water and rice to gather, please advice

How much rice do I need to cook to serve 20 people?

One of the most endearing things about rice for me is that it absorbs all its cooking liquid. This is really handy, as you can flavor it a jillion different ways, and even add nutrients you may have lost otherwise.

For instance, a quick side dish that goes with many things is rice with sweet peas and mushrooms. Rather than pour the liquid those two things are packed with in the can down the drain, pour it into a measuring cup. Add however much butter or margarine turns you on, and finish filling with water to get the liquid meaure you need to satisfy the 2:1 ratio of liquid to rice for cooking.

If you're making a rice pudding, you can add complementary flavors such as vanilla or cherry juice to the cooking liquid. The rice will absorb it, and enhance the pudding.

If you're making the rice as an underlayment for stir-fried chicken, beef, etc., you can add a bouiliion cube to the cooking liquid to enhance the flavor.

Carrie -

You're overcooking the rice, and maybe playing with it while it's cooking. Once the rice comes back to a boil, turn the heat down to where the water doesn't even look like it's simmering. Once you cover it, the pressure will rise a bit, and it'll be at the perfect cooking point. Don't mess with it! Don't even look at it! Leave the cover on, and time it for 15 minutes. After that, it'll be right. You have to trust the process <grin>

Hi, could you tell the difference between adding the rice into boiling water and adding the rice into the cold water and bringing to a boil.

I was searching the net and found that other websites suggest to do just that.
Thanks.

The most important thing is to check the directions on the back of the box of rice you bought.  Some rice "mixes" have you combine the rice and water (and flavor/spice packets) and then bring it all to a boil.  Plain white or brown rice (cooked in a pot not a rice cooker) have you boil the water then add the rice.  My suggestion is to buy your favorite kind of rice, perfect cooking it, then branch out to different types of rice.  One key step in cooking all kinds of rice is NOT to keep stirring the rice as it cooks!

Thanks Katie!  I find "instant" rice to have an odd texture compared to the real thing.   If your way works...go for it!

Jane - 

You're out of luck. Toss it and start over. Some will say you can add liquid while it's still cooking if you've ended up short somehow, but it's tricky as you don't know how much to add. Also, opening the pot lets the magic out somehow. Once all is said and done, you really only get one shot with rice. Also be aware that you shouldn't eat half-cooked rice. You can't digest it.

Excellent Question!  

Yes you can freeze cooked rice.  It will keep one week in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.  Be sure to freeze rice in single serving size baggies or plastic wrap and then it will take no time to defrost.

You can store uncooked white rice in an airtight container, for up to one year, in a cool, dry place.

Uncooked brown rice keeps best when refrigerated (because of the oil content) and has a shelf life of about six months

Generally speaking for white rice, just remember 1-2-3!

1 cup of rice 2 cups of water = 3 cups of rice.

Pat - 

There are two ways to do it that I'm aware of. 

The traditional way, with cooked rice, is to not make clumpy rice in the first place. Be sure to add a tablespoon of vegetable oil or margarine to the liquid when you make it, and fluff it up with a fork when it's done.

The other way is to not re-fry it. Fry it first in oil or margarine, then cook it in whatever flavoring liquid you like. I'm a big fan of chicken or beef stock. This is the trick Rice-a-roni does. Same deal, though - be sure to add a bit of a lubricant and fluff it when it's done.

if you double the recipe do you add more time or is it still the same 15-20 minutes?

I am wanting to make rice as a side dish to go with some porkchops we are making for about 60 people that we are serving in the homeless program we supply.  How many 1/2 cup rice servings shall I plan on making in a standard turkey roaster size foil pan?  I am plannning on using the 1-2-3 measuring plan mentioned above to make my servings.  We are cooking this on Sunday afternoon, so any responses are welcome quickly.

Hi Bob, first of all you will not be able to follow the directions above using a foil pan on a stove top.  You can however cook rice in the oven using a foil pan.
Here is a recipe for Foolproof Oven-Baked Brown Rice which you can use as a guide.  (Although I have never cooked rice this way, this is an excellent source.)

If you Google "oven-cooked rice this recipe keeps showing up on tons of sites:

For 50 Servings:

• 3 1/2 qt. white rice
• 7 qt. of hot water
• 7 tsp. salt

In two large roasters or other baking dishes, combine rice, water and salt.

Bake, covered, at 350F for 1 hour

I do not know the source of this recipe or if it actually works.

Serving Size:  If you plan on serving this rice using a 1/2 cup measure then by all means make 60 servings.  That is a big serving of rice!

Good Luck!

Bob,
I am so glad to hear your rice, and the whole meal for that matter, turned out so well! 
Cooking for a large number of people is really tricky.  I wish I could offer more help but I have zero experience in this area. 
I did just Google cooking for a crowd, and TONS of sites came up, many of which looked really useful.

I wish you the very best of luck!
Cheers
Kathy

Dear Bonita,

If you will scroll back on this page you find my journey to make white rice to serve the homeless (it was a summer project for our church)  By following the 1-2-3 format I alluded to, you, too, can be successful in whatever amount you desire.  Good luck in your attempts with rice.

Bob

hi there!

I find my preference is a "slightly" gummy rice finish, so my mesuring is 3 cups r+ 4 cups (maybe 1/3 more W) and cooking it on a gas stove is GREAT never did get it good on electric, but gas is SO much better it seems..

Love it and the cost savings are adding up..I also will admit walking 3 miles to work (Early shuift start) and the rice and small additions have made me drop 45 lbs in a few months!

I do add butter/salt but not too much of either.

Hey Kathy,
  this is the exact recipe that I use every time.  And I love it.

why not use a rice cooker ?

Dear Sir,

Please inform 1 KG rice can give how many KGs cooked rice?

                                                  Thanking You,