How to cook white rice (in a pot on the stove)

Last week, a friend asked on Facebook why rice was so hard to make on a stovetop. I laughed because I have had this conversation with several friends before. I’m not a “rice” person. I’m more of a mashed potatoes lover. However, my husband and sons love rice, so I know how to make it. My husband Reggie was actually the person who taught me how to cook rice on a stove. He taught me shortly after we were married. (Prior to that time, I had only cooked rice in a rice cooker while working in a Chinese food restaurant as a teen.)

Anyway, it was interesting to see some of the reactions to my friend’s post. Some of his friends encouraged him to purchase a rice cooker or steamer. Others sang the praises of rice in a bag. My favorite comment though was that “making rice actually requires a PhD”. Well, today, I’m going to give out PhDs in making rice on a stovetop :-)! Some things are easier to show than tell, so that’s why I included a short video to demonstrate how easy it can be to cook rice on a stovetop.

Simple Stovetop Rice

Ingredients:

Rice

Optional: butter, olive oil or a bouillon cube (chicken, beef or vegetable)

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil (2 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice) in a saucepan over a high heat.

2. Add the rice to the boiling water, stir the rice and let the combination come back to a boil.

3. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to a low setting. Simmer the covered rice for 20 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed. (I check by tilting my saucepan to the side to see if there is still any extra water around the edges. If there is, I cover it back up and let it simmer for another couple of minutes and check back again.)

4. When the water is absorbed, remove the saucepan from the heat. Fluff it with a fork and serve it.

Variations: Let a tablespoon of butter, olive oil or a bouillon cube (chicken, beef or vegetable) dissolve into 4 cups of boiling water before adding 2 cups of rice to the water for subtly flavored rice.