by Nicole 227 Comments
Are you tired of sticky, clumpy, mushy, or undercooked brown rice? Your brown rice troubles are now over!I’ve discovered a simple method to make perfect brown rice every single time.
I love brown rice, but I have to tell you that more times than not, I am unhappy with the texture when I cook it at home. I have no problem turning out batches of perfectly steamed white rice, whether it’s on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the rice cooker.
But up until yesterday, every method of cooking brown rice seemed to come up short.
After searching the Web for ‘Perfect Brown Rice,’ I found a wonderful little article at Saveur.com with a rice-making method that sounded like the perfect solution to my brown rice dilemma. I tried it immediately with some Brown Basmati and turned out my very first batch of perfect brown rice! The rice was tender but certainly not mushy. And the grains were separate rather than being stuck together.
The only thing that bothered me was the fact that Saveur told me to use 12 cups of water for one cup of rice. It just seemed wasteful.
So, I tried again, this time with short grain brown rice. On my second attempt, I reduced the amount of water to four cups per cup of brown rice and the results were once again perfect!
So if you’ve ever had problems cooking brown rice or if you’re curious about switching to whole grain rice but aren’t sure the best way to prepare it, I really suggest giving this method a try!
And don’t forget to read the short article about cooking brown rice at Saveur!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- brown rice (whichever type you prefer), as much as you want
- water - use at least four cups of water for every one cup of rice
- salt - to taste
Instructions
- Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds, swirling the rice around with your hand. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a large pot over high heat.
- When water boils, add the rice, stir it once. Turn heat to medium and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 30 minutes, pour the rice into a strainer over the sink. Let the rice drain for 10 seconds, then return it to the pot, off the heat. Immediately cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and set it aside to allow the rice to steam for 10 minutes (if your pot lid isn't extremely tight, place a piece of aluminum foil over pot then place the lid on top of foil for a tighter seal).
- After ten minutes, uncover rice, fluff with a fork, and season with salt to taste.
Notes
The original Saveur recipe instructs you to use 12 cups of water for one cup of rice. This seemed wasteful to me and after trying a few times, I decided that four cups of water for each cup of rice works perfectly fine. You can cook as much rice as you want, just try to stick to that general ratio.
Related Recipes:
- Brown Rice Salad with Cumin and Lime Vinaigrette
- Curry Artichoke Rice Salad
- Rice Pilaf with Raisins and Pine Nuts
- Green Chile Rice
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Reader Interactions
Comments
george says
Not enough water. I made 2 cups of rice with 8 cups of water and after 30 minutes all the water was gone. I recommend 8 cups of water for 2 cups of rice.
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Ichi Tokyo says
Oh yes please! Make it for me! This looks yum and delicious!
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Mim says
I've made my brown rice using this recipe a few times now. I like it very much! 4 cups of water per 1 cup of rice works perfectly. I boil it on medium, not high, like the recipe says. Thanks, I'll never cook brown rice the old way again.
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Maria says
Four cups of water to one cup of brown rice boiled in a Dutch oven on medium (after first heating on high) worked perfectly! So grateful for this method. My first time making non-crunchy brown rice. Thank you!
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Nicole says
So glad it worked for you!
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Susan says
When cooking rice, first rinse it for at least 30 seconds and use plenty of water. You will be using more water than you need, like you do when cooking pasta. You drain out the water when the rice is done. Perfect rice every time! Not sticky, not burnt, not overcooked!
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