How to Make Perfectly Fluffy Brown Rice

This September, we’re going “Back to School”. Each week, I’ll be sharing a basic technique or kitchen how-to to help you tackle healthy cooking with confidence. This week, I’m showing you how to make perfect fluffy brown rice.

We’ve all been there: you decide to make some rice and cook it the same way you always do. Then you try to scoop some on your plate and realize it’s too mushy/undercooked/overcooked/stuck to the bottom of the pot, etc. What did I do wrong this time? you think.

Don’t worry: this problem plagues thousands of Americans and even non-Americans each year. The important thing is that you’ve come to the right place – and you’ll never have to suffer through mushy (or crunchy) rice again. Cooking perfect fluffy brown rice is easy, but there are several key steps to follow – and more importantly, a few things to avoid.

Although this tutorial features brown rice, the same technique applies to almost all other whole grains, including quinoa, farro, and buckwheat.

8 key steps to make perfectly fluffy brown rice:

1. Rinse your rice: Washing rice before cooking removes the starch from the outside of the grains and helps the grains stay separate (not sticky) when cooking. A fine mesh strainer like this works best.

2. 1-to-2 ratio: 1 part rice to 2 parts water. It’s best to use a measuring cup to be sure, but if you don’t have one, use the same mug to measure your rice and your liquid.

3. Cook rice in boiling water: Bring the water to a boil first, season with salt, and then add the rice. Adding rice to already-boiling water also helps the grains stay separate. If you bring the rice and water to a boil at the same time, the rice will be mushy.

4. Season the water: Use ¼ teaspoon of salt for every 1 cup of rice. Cooking rice in salted water is the only chance you have to season the grains themselves.

5. Cover the pot: The rice needs to absorb all the cooking liquid in the pot. If you don’t cover it with a lid, some of the water will evaporate.

6. Do not stir: This is crucial – step away from the pot! Stirring rice while it’s cooking will release its starch and make the grains stick together (like risotto).

7. Let it steam: When you see a few air bubbles on the surface of the cooked rice, it means all the water is absorbed. At this point, you can turn the heat off but do not stir the rice just yet. Keep the pot covered with the lid for another 10 minutes for the rice to absorb the steam inside the pot.

8. Fluff it: After 10 minutes of steaming, fluff the rice with a fork (don’t stir it, though) and serve as desired.

I usually cook a big batch of rice for the week and use it for grain bowls or fried rice, or serve it with soups or stews. Cooked rice can also be frozen in a freezer-safe airtight container for 3 to 6 months.

Print