How to cook the perfect fluffy rice and the common mistakes to avoid

Learn to cook rice like the professionals, not a clump or lump in sight

Master cooking rice and you will eat well in minutes.

Choose your grain carefully

Choose your rice dependent on how you want to eat. For individual grains and an everyday rice, choose basmati. It keeps well when stored correctly and can be reheated with ease.  Brown rice takes longer to cook, but has a nutty bite which is well suited to stews and casseroles. Sticky rice is best made with jasmine rice and seasoned not with salt, but with vinegar. For risottos, choose arborio rice every time.

Rinse, and rinse again

If you are cooking basmati or any long-grain rice, it is essential that you rinse your rice until the water runs clear. Rick Stein soaks his basmati for twenty minutes before cooking, which both shortens the cooking time and results in a fluffier grain. 

Flavour with intention

The liquid you cook your rice in will add flavour, so consider this when you are cooking. I like to add lemon peel, a smashed clove of garlic or a halved chilli to my rice. When I am cooking rice for a Mexican meal, I blitz the cooking water with coriander, the zest of a lime, a jalapeño pepper and salt in a Nutribullet and use this as the cooking liquid. 

Make more than you think

Make more rice than you need and cool it it quickly by laying it in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Once cool, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days and you can make fried rice or rice bowls at a moment's notice. 

Choose your method

There are two ways of cooking rice: the absorption method and the boiling method. Darina Allen has developed a hybrid approach, boiling first in a large quantity of water and then steaming at the end. She says that the result is perfect rice, every time. 

Plain boiled rice

recipe by:Darina Allen

I find this way of cooking rice in what we call ‘unlimited water’ to be very satisfactory for plain boiled rice, even, dare I say, foolproof. The grains stay separate and it will keep happily covered in the oven for up to half an hour

Servings

8

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 400 good-quality long-grain rice, e.g. basmati

• 1½–2 tsp salt

• a large pot of cold water

• a few little knobs of butter (optional)

Method

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a fast boil, add salt, sprinkle in the rice and stir at once to make sure the grains don’t stick. Boil rapidly, uncovered. After 4 or 5 minutes (depending on the type of rice) test by biting a few grains between your teeth—it should still have a slightly resistant core. If it overcooks at this stage the grains will stick together later.

2. Strain well through a sieve or fine strainer. Put into a warm serving dish, dot with a few knobs of butter, cover with tin foil or a lid and leave in a low oven, 140°C/gas mark 1, for a minimum of 15 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff up with a fork and serve.