You can do it either way -- or a combination of both. For rice to cook, it just has to have sufficient moisture in the pot and be brought up to the temperature at which the starches will gelatinize. If you boil it with excess moisture (here the lid is not necessary but does make for a more efficient use of heat) the grains will remain separate after pouring off the excess cooking liquid. If you're going to eat the rice with chopsticks, you'll want to cook it unrinsed (rinsing removes sticky surface starches) with just the right amount of water, lid on. Notice I said "cook" not "boil"; the rice does not require the excess heat and it makes it far easier to judge the amount of water necessary. It also makes it more difficult to burn the pot and / or the rice. So either no heat or set the burner to its lowest setting. When cooking on an electric cooktop, I like to bring the water to a boil, cover, then move the pot to a back burner set to "warm" to prevents boilovers while the element cools.
Incidentally, leftover rice should be promptly refrigerated. The spores of a certain bacterium (with which the majority of rice is contaminated) can survive the cooking process and germinate as the temperature falls into the danger zone. This is the reason sushi is doused in vinegar and I believe (but have no way of proving) the cause of much if not all of the intestinal discomfort attributed to MSG in Chinese restaurants.
Welcome, Dourmet - I did mean that at sea level you bring it to a boil, put a lid on it and steep it off the heat for 20-25 minutes or so. I have to keep a bit of heat on because water boils at a mere 197° here.
Both. Bring the rice and water to a boil, simmer uncovered until the water level falls just a bit below the top of the rice. Then cover and lower the heat to it's lowest setting and cook until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Fluffy up rice and you're good to go. It's how my mother taught me to make rice on the stovetop.
Agree with Monita. Bring it to a boil, put a lid on it and let it steep for 25 minutes. At my altitude (8,000'), I actually steep it over a very, very, very low flame.
11 Comments
Voted the Best Reply!
You can do it either way -- or a combination of both. For rice to cook, it just has to have sufficient moisture in the pot and be brought up to the temperature at which the starches will gelatinize. If you boil it with excess moisture (here the lid is not necessary but does make for a more efficient use of heat) the grains will remain separate after pouring off the excess cooking liquid. If you're going to eat the rice with chopsticks, you'll want to cook it unrinsed (rinsing removes sticky surface starches) with just the right amount of water, lid on. Notice I said "cook" not "boil"; the rice does not require the excess heat and it makes it far easier to judge the amount of water necessary. It also makes it more difficult to burn the pot and / or the rice. So either no heat or set the burner to its lowest setting. When cooking on an electric cooktop, I like to bring the water to a boil, cover, then move the pot to a back burner set to "warm" to prevents boilovers while the element cools.
Incidentally, leftover rice should be promptly refrigerated. The spores of a certain bacterium (with which the majority of rice is contaminated) can survive the cooking process and germinate as the temperature falls into the danger zone. This is the reason sushi is doused in vinegar and I believe (but have no way of proving) the cause of much if not all of the intestinal discomfort attributed to MSG in Chinese restaurants.
Good luck!