Making perfectly cooked rice every time without a ricecooker used to be a difficult feat. I always ended up with a burned bottom, and I could never figure out how long to cook it for. This was an important skill to learn for me because I’m Filipino and we eat rice with every meal (yes, that’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner!). It was either I learn the skill or I buy a ricecooker.
Space is a premium here in our apartment, though, so I didn’t want to clutter my kitchen with another appliance. After much trial and error, I finally figured out how to cook rice without a ricecooker perfectly every time.
It’s actually really easy, and it’s just down to science. There’s a formula every time and you just have to follow it.
Step 1: Ratio of Rice to Water
My ratio of white rice to water is 1:2 – 1 cup of rice for 2 cups of water. I tried using less water before, but I didn’t like the rice that dry, so my preferred ratio is always 1 is to 2. In this case, I use 2 cups of rice to 4 cups of water.
Step 2: Boil the Water
My second step is to put the rice and water in my sauce pan without a lid, crank up the heat to high, and wait until the water boils.
Step 3: Lower the heat to very low and time for 10 minutes
My third step, once the water has reached boiling point, is to put on the lid and immediately lower the heat to very low. I have an electric stove, and I put it at the number 3 setting (9 being the highest). I then begin my timer to 10 minutes.
Step 4: Remove from the heat source, but don’t remove the lid
After my 10-minute timer is up, I remove the pan from the stove. I don’t remove the lid, but I keep it on because I need it to still cook for at least another 13 minutes. In reality, I just keep the lid on there until we’re ready to eat (but for at least 13 minutes).
Step 5: Perfectly cooked rice every time.
It’s that easy. It’s a formula. It’s a science. It’s no fail. Try it. Perfectly cooked rice without a rice cooker every single time.
