Whether you’re an aspiring foodie or a kitchen amateur, you’ve probably tried making rice at some point. You’ve also probably failed at making rice at some point. This seemingly-easy-to-make grain has thwarted many meals and broken many cook’s spirits. From overcooked and mushy to half-done and grainy, this pantry staple has done a lot of damage.
There’s certainly no shortage of rice-making hacks online. Even still, many seem dumbfounded on how to perfect the art of making rice. For this how-to, I want to share my favorite foolproof way of making rice. It may not be fancy, elegant, or impressive. However, it certainly delivers easy, consistent, and tasty rice.
The only equipment you need to make this rice is a standard home oven, and a pot or sauce pan with a lid. This method takes care of several common complaints of rice cooking. Do this, and you won’t need to:
worry about the water boiling over
worry about what “medium-low heat” means for your stovetop
worry whether the rice is done, if you should remove the lid and peek, etc.
While it’s not relevant to this method, I think it’s worth mentioning. Depending on the person, one may or may not “rinse” their rice before preparing. Thankfully, whether you rinse the rice or not, this method should work perfectly.
Since the process is so simple, I can’t say much more without getting to the process itself. If you like this how-to for making rice in the oven, consider checking out my last how-to. If you need something to eat with your rice, try out my recipe for chicken teriyaki.
Ingredients
1 cup* dry long-grain white rice, 216 grams
2 cups water, 434 grams
kosher salt, as desired**
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 350 f (177 c). In a heavy***, oven-safe pot or sauce pan, add your rice, water, and kosher salt. Stir, then add the lid.
Once your oven is preheated, add your lidded pan and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and fluff with a fork to separate the grains of rice.
Notes
* While I call for specific amounts here, I don’t think the cook time varies for any amount (within reason, of course). Something about science, evaporation, etc. I wouldn’t recommend using any less than this amount though, or things might be too dry and burn.
** Some people like well-salted rice, and some people don’t salt it at all. I usually lightly salt mine, but it’s up to the person. I never measure, but for this amount, I’d say a large pinch is what I’d normally use.
*** Heavy being thick and, well… heavy. Think cast iron, thick steel, or an enameled dutch oven. I don’t have anything that isn’t “heavy” so I’ve never made rice that way, but it may work anyway if you want to try.
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