What's the best way to cook perfect rice?

I woulda never dreamed I’d say this but - hands down a rice cooker. About 10 years ago I lost my touch for cooking rice. I used to be able to cook it blind folded. My neighbor had lived in Japan and she suggested it. Skeptical of unitaskers, i bought the cheapest, scratch and dent model I could find. It’s still working. The knob on the lid has fallen off. The newer man in my life loves it and always makes the max batch for kimchee friend rice the next day. And the other beauty is that we put on the rice while we cook something else and forget about it. And get this - I still have the direction book for all the various rice recipes!!!!!

There is no one best way for everyone.

HIgh-end restaurant chefs in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, etc. even differ in their techniques and equipment.

There's also the matter of convenience. There's also the matter of different varieties of rice. There's also a matter of specific dishes. For a pilaf, you really need to saute the rice (and maybe other ingredients such as onion) before you add the liquid. That works in some equipment but less well in others.

For ordinary household cooking of relatively plain rice, the automatic electric rice cooker wins hands down no contest. Billions of East Asians rely on this and the current appliances are the result of decades of product development and testing.

I have a no-frills Zojirushi rice cooker, a one-button $25 wonder like HalfPint's departed appliance. Works reliably.

I also have a clay pot designed specifically for rice cooking that I purchased in Japan; I use it on a tabletop butane gas burner. Works great.

The biggest thing to making excellent rice is not the equipment but technique and experience. Young sushi restaurant cooks in Japan traditionally spend years just cooking rice before they are allowed to touch other ingredients. The final result depends on rice variety, the farm, time of year, humidity, amount of water, application of heat, etc. in the same way that baking a loaf of bread depends heavily on the ingredients, the technique of the baker, time of year, humidity, etc.

One thing I have taken to doing is rinsing a lot of types of rice (including long-grain Asian rices and basmati rice), draining it in a colander, and letting it rest for about 20-30 minutes before using.

The other main consideration is water. There are Kyoto chefs (like Murata-san from Kikunoi) who open up restaurants elsewhere AND SEND KYOTO WATER to those new stores.

Even if I buy rice in Kyoto and bring it back home to the USA, I can't get the same results because the water is different.

Honestly, the best way to cook rice is with an electric cooker. No need for anything fancy or complicated. The best one I ever owned had 1 button to click. It cooked perfect rice in 20 minutes. It cost $25. I would still have that cooker today, 20 years later, had it not been for an unfortunate encounter with a bad temper (who shall remain nameless).

My mom taught me to cook rice on the stovetop. Rinse the rice a couple of times. It will never rinse clear (it has never happened for me, so I stopped trying). For white jasmine rice, 1 water per 1 cup rice. Bring to a boil uncovered. Lower heat and cook at a bubbly simmer until the water level is just below the top of the rice. Don't stir it at all. Put on cover and drop the heat to the lowest setting. Basically, this steams the rice and drives off any remaining water. This will probably take about 5-10 minutes. The rice should be cooked but "dry". Fluff with a pair of chopsticks and serve.