Like a lot of Asian kids, I grew up with rice as a household staple. I learned to cook it old-school pretty early in life in a medium-sized saucepan, using the knuckle method. (Id never even heard of converted rice until well into my teen years and was decidedly unimpressed the first time I tasted it.) I successfully cooked rice this way for more than half my life.And then I got a rice cooker, and perfect rice of any variety became even easier. If modern-day me could send a message to past-me, Id say that the timer function alone is worth the counter space. But not everyone is so adept at making rice, and it could come out like a soupy (or burnt) mess. Here are the most common mistakes people make when cooking riceand how to fix them.Not measuring your rice and cooking liquidUse a dry measuring cup for your rice, and save the Pyrex for the water, broth, or other cooking liquid youre using for this particular batch. Its a game of ratios, so dont skip this step unless you want a bowl full of disappointment. If you're not using the knuckle method, the general rule is about twice as much water as you used rice, but as you'll find out in a second, all rice is not created equal and this should be taken with a pinch of salt.Treating all types of rice the sameI'm not here to tell you that youre doing it wrong if youve been cooking one type of rice a certain way and loving it all your life. By all means, keep doing it!However, the mistake a lot of people make is in thinking that since we know one type of rice so well, we know ALL rice like that. Thats just not true. For example, brown rices require longer cook times (and a little more cooking liquid) than white rices, because you have the bran part of the rice grain to cook through as well. Think about the difference between cooking a frozen thin-crust pizza and a frozen deep-dish pizza for an easy mental image.With aromatic rices like basmati and jasmine, a good pre-soak is even more important than with other types of rice. Youve probably noticed the delicate aromas of both those varieties. Cooking destroys those aromas, but pre-soaking helps to lower cooking times and preserve those enticing scents.Not rinsing and/or soaking your riceRinse your rice a few times under cold running water before cooking. How long should you do this' Many people suggest that three is the magic number, but just rinsing until the water is no longer cloudy with excess starch is fine. Youll get more distinct grains when its cooked, and your finished rice will be less clumpy.Note one important rinsing exception: Dont do this for risotto rice (some risotto varieties include arborio, carnaroli, vialone nano, baldo, calriso, and maratelli). Most recipes for risotto depend on that excess starch to make your dish nice and creamy. Soaking rice is absolutely instrumental in making basmati, but it can help other rice varieties as well. Want a shorter cooking time in general' Soak your rice.One notable soaking exception' Sushi rice. (Remember what I said about not treating all rices the same')"Instead of soaking the rice after its fourth rinsing, drain it, and let it rest in a colander for an hour before cooking. This produces firmly cooked rice, which is perfect for tossing later with vinegar dressing," according to Japanese culinary expert and instructor Hiroko Shimbo in her book "The Japanese Kitchen."See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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