How to Cook Rice

A lot of people tend to complain about that rice cooker that sits around without any use because they do not know how to use it. It's actually very simple once you get the hang of it. Even the name sounds simple enough. As you can guess, the rice cooker helps people cook rice. It is time people learn how to use it.

1. When you take out the rice grains, make sure you wash the grains thoroughly with water. I would use a strainer to wash the grains (figure 1). When you wash it, the water will come out very musty and unclear. To make sure it is clean, keep washing continuously until water becomes clear. CAUTION: Some brands of rice are not very sanitary, so if you do not wash the rice well enough, you might and probably will get sick from harmful bacteria or chemicals.


2. Next, you want to let the rice sit and rest in a bowl (or in the strainer itself) for a few minutes before doing anything else with it.


3. After your rice has been sitting for a while, take the pot that comes with the rice cooker (the interior bowl). Fill it up with semi-hot water. Then pour the rice into that pot and let it sit. You need to make sure you do not put an extremely small amount of water or your rice will come out extremely hard and uncooked. You also do not want to put too much water or your rice will come out extremely soggy and sticky. Even if you like your rice sticky, you will only want to add a little bit more water (if you are using brown rice, you will need a bit more than two cups). The preferred amount is for every cup of rice, you need about two cups of water. Mix the rice around in the water for a few seconds, and let it sit again.


4. If you want your rice to have a specific flavor, now is the time to add your herbs or spices. Don't put too much though, because the rice will spread out the flavor while it is cooking.


5. Now, put the interior bowl into the rice cooker. There should be two choices, which makes it pretty simple. Push it down for the “cook rice” option. If your rice cooker has a timer, it will eventually pop up by itself to the “keep warm” option. When it does pop up, check your rice and stir it around a bit. Cook it for a bit more, then set the rice cooker to the “keep warm” option (figure 2). It will probably not be ready for a few times.


6. If your rice cooker does not have a timer, then you will need to check it yourself manually. Check at a constant, or constantly increasing, rate. The best times to check it are in five-minute increments. Make sure the rice does not stick to the bottom, and does not come out burnt. You might need to stir it around a bit to check. Eventually, you will get used to cooking rice and know exactly when the rice is done. CAUTION: Container will be hot, so be careful.


7. Serve the rice with dinner and enjoy.

All in all, if you follow these simple steps, you'll have perfect white rice in no time. I hope this has helped you learn how to use your rice cooker. Now, (hopefully) you can enjoy your meal with an extra delicacy.