Name: How to Cook Perfect White Rice on the Stove (Don't Lift the Lid)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings (about 3 cups cooked)
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup long grain white rice; 1 3/4 cups cold water; 1/2 teaspoon fine salt; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In this article

Why this stovetop white rice works
Ingredients
How to make stovetop white rice
Tips that make the difference
Variations
Storage and make-ahead
Frequently asked questions

If you lift the lid to check on your rice, you just let out the steam that was cooking it. My mother never once looked at her rice while it cooked, and it came out perfect every single day of my childhood, under smothered chicken, under beef tips and gravy, under every kind of gravy a Southern kitchen ever made. She had no rice cooker. She had a small heavy pot with a lid that fit, a measuring cup, and three rules she never broke.

The first rule was to rinse the rice in cold water until the water ran clear. Raw rice is coated in loose starch, and that starch is what turns cooked rice gummy and clumped. The second was the right amount of water, brought to a boil with salt and a little butter, then the heat turned down low and the lid put on tight, and after that nobody touched it. Not to stir, not to peek. The third rule is the one most people miss: when the rice is done, the pot comes off the heat and the lid stays on for ten minutes. That rest is when the last of the water is absorbed and the grains firm up and separate. Then, and only then, she fluffed it with a fork, never a spoon.

Why this stovetop white rice works

Rinsing removes surface starch. Clear rinse water means separate grains instead of sticky clumps.
The right ratio. For rinsed long grain white rice on the stove, 1 3/4 cups of water to 1 cup of rice gives tender grains with no puddle and no crunch.
Low heat, lid on. Rice cooks in steam as much as in water. A tight lid on low heat keeps that steam in the pot.
No peeking, no stirring. Lifting the lid drops the temperature and lets steam escape, leaving the top crunchy. Stirring breaks the grains and makes paste.
The rest. Ten minutes off the heat with the lid on finishes the cooking gently and evens out the moisture from the bottom to the top.

Ingredients

Makes about 3 cups of cooked rice, enough for 4 people. The measurements are in US cups with grams and milliliters in brackets. Double everything in a larger pot for 8.

1 cup long grain white rice (185g)
1 3/4 cups cold water (415ml)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (14g)

This ratio is for regular long grain white rice. Jasmine rice needs a little less water (1 1/2 cups), and parboiled or converted rice needs a little more (2 cups) and about 20 to 25 minutes.

How to make stovetop white rice

Put the rice in a bowl and cover it with cold water. Swish it with your hand, then pour off the cloudy water. Repeat 3 or 4 times, until the water is nearly clear. Drain well in a fine sieve.

Rinsing long grain white rice in a bowl of cold water until it runs clear

Put the drained rice, the 1 3/4 cups water, the salt and the butter in a small heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, uncovered. Give it one gentle stir to loosen any grains stuck to the bottom.
As soon as it boils, turn the heat down to the lowest setting, put the lid on tight, and set a timer for 18 minutes. Do not lift the lid and do not stir.
When the timer goes, take the pot off the heat and leave the lid on. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and fluff the rice gently with a fork, lifting from the bottom. Serve hot.

Fluffy cooked white rice in a saucepan being fluffed with a fork

Tips that make the difference

Use a heavy pot. Thin pots scorch the bottom layer before the top is done.
If your lid fits loosely, lay a clean dish towel over the pot and set the lid on top, folding the corners of the towel up away from the burner.
Use the smallest burner on its lowest setting. Too much heat boils the water off before the rice is tender.
Fluff with a fork, never a spoon. A spoon presses the grains together and mashes them.
If you hear crackling before the 18 minutes are up, your heat is too high. Note it for next time, but still do not lift the lid.

Variations

Buttered rice for gravy. Stir in another tablespoon of butter and plenty of black pepper after fluffing, the way it goes under smothered chicken and beef tips.
Broth rice. Use chicken or beef broth instead of water and cut the salt to a pinch.
Onion rice. Soften a few tablespoons of finely chopped onion in the butter in the pot before adding the rice and water.
Lemon and parsley. Fold in grated lemon zest and chopped parsley after fluffing to serve with fish.

Storage and make-ahead

Cool leftover rice quickly, spread out on a plate, and refrigerate covered within an hour of cooking. It keeps for up to 4 days.

To reheat, sprinkle with a spoonful of water, cover, and microwave until steaming hot all the way through, or warm it in a covered pan over low heat.

Cooked rice freezes well in flat bags for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen with a splash of water.

Frequently asked questions

How long should rice rest after cooking?

Ten minutes off the heat with the lid still on. The rest lets the last of the steam be absorbed so the grains finish evenly and come apart when you fluff them.

Why is my rice mushy or sticky?

Usually too much water, no rinsing, or stirring while it cooked. Rinse until the water runs clear, measure exactly, and leave it alone under the lid.

Why is my rice crunchy on top and burnt on the bottom?

The heat was too high or the lid was lifted, letting the steam out. Use the lowest heat, a heavy pot and a tight lid, and do not peek.

Do I have to rinse the rice?

For fluffy, separate long grain rice, yes. Rinsing removes the surface starch that makes it gummy. Enriched American rice loses a little added vitamin when rinsed, but most cooks find the texture worth it.

Rinse it, measure it, cover it, and walk away. The lid stays on until the rice says so, and the rice will be perfect.

Recipe