How to Cook Rice on the Stove (Fluffy, Perfect Every Time)
White rice- I know. Not very sexy. About as boring as you can get.
But no! Rice is not boring. It’s just you’ve probably been cooking it wrong.
Rice is a staple of cooking in almost every culture across the globe. In the South, we especially love it with seafood gumbo, black or red beans and sausage or just a simple chicken dinner.
Rice has long been a staple on our dinner table. I love to cook simple long grain rice or Basmati rice in a heavy, copper pot. Over the years, I have developed this fool-proof method that ensures perfectly cooked, fluffy rice every time.
Rice-to-Liquid Ratio:
Long-Grain White Rice: 1 part rice to 1.5-2 parts liquid.
Basmati Rice: 1 part rice to 1.5-2 parts liquid
Brown Rice: 1 part rice to 2.5-3 parts liquid
Wild Rice: 1 part rice to 3 parts liquid
Here’s how I Make Perfect Rice:
First: Rinse your rice. If I have time, I even soak it for a few minutes or up to 30 minutes before cooking. You do not need to soak, but rinsing the rice in a fine sieve several times really helps speed up the cooking time. Rinse your rice!
Second: Toast your rice in a little fat. Use butter, ghee or olive oil, but toast the rice in a bit of fat for about one minute until it turns opaque.
Third: Cook your rice in broth or stock. This adds so much flavor to otherwise bland rice. I always use a low sodium stock when I make my rice. Typically, I’ll use chicken stock, but vegetable or beef stock works just as well.
Fourth: Put the lid on and turn it to LOW. After the stock and rice come to a boil, turn the heat down to low, cover tightly and leave the rice alone for 20 minutes.
Don’t touch it. Don’t peek. Just leave it alone.
Fifth: Take it off the heat, let it sit for 5 minutes. With a fork, I gently pull the rice away from the sides of the pot to “fluff” the rice. Do not use a spoon- it will clump. Just pull the rice away from the sides and the bottom of the pan- and there you have it- perfect rice every time.
What about Arsenic levels in Rice?
Consumer Reports ran a story in their November-December 2026 issue discussing the levels of arsenic in commercial rice. Here are the worst offenders and how to remove arsenic from rice. See in the Commons Questions my favorite brands- all of these tested much lower for arsenic levels.
Highest level- White Rice:
Carolina – Gold Essential Long Grain Par-boiled Rice– inorganic Arsenic- 108ppb. Max weekly servings 3.25/adults, .75 children
Brown Rice:
Mahatma- Jasmine Brown Thai Fragrant Whole Grain Rice– 155 ppb
Max weekly servings- 2.25/adults, 0.5/children
*How to Reduce Arsenic Levels in Rice:
- Soaking- cuts arsenic by 7.8 percent. Soak for 30 minutes, drain and rinse until the water is clear.
- Agitate- cuts arsenic by 3.5 percent. Swirl rice in a bowl of water for 5 minutes. Drain and cook in clean water.
- Par-Boiling– cuts arsenic by 50-58 percent- Cook rice in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and complete cooking in fresh water,
- Pasta Method- cuts arsenic by 40-60 percent boil rice in a large amount of water then drain when rice is cooked through.
*SOURCE- Consumer Reports, November/December 2026
Common Questions about Cooking Rice
Rinsing removes surface starch, which keeps rice from turning gummy.
Usually too much liquid was added or the lid was lifted allowing steam to escape. Keep it covered and leave it alone. Sometimes mushy rice is because you stirred it with a spoon. Use a fork to stir and fluff.
Yes, but broth adds much more flavor.
White Rice- My Favorite- Royal Basmati Rice
Carolina Enriched Extra Long Grain White Rice
Brown Rice- Lundberg Organic Short Grain Brown Rice
or
Lotus Foods- Organic Brown basmati Rice
Specialty- McKenzie Family Farms Organic Wild Rice
Try Quinoa, Polenta, barley, Bulgur, Farro , Millet or Amaranth. These grains have lower arsenic and heavy metal levels than commercially produced rice.
My Favorite Recipes using Rice:
My Coconut Rice Method:
For the Coconut Rice
- 1 cup Basmati or Jasmine Rice, rinsed well
- 13.5 oz Full Fat Coconut Milk – 13.5 oz size can
- ½ cup Water
- pinch Kosher Salt
- In a heavy bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid, pour in 1 can of full fat coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, rice ( that has been well rinsed) and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer on the lowest setting for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat- DO NOT remove the lid. Let sit for 20 minutes to continue cooking off heat. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork.
How to Cook Rice on the Stove
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth
- 1 TBSP butter or olive oil
- Kosher salt- to taste
Instructions
- In a fine sieve, rinse the rice until the water running through the sieve is nearly clear- about 1 minute.
- Over medium high heat, melt the butter or oil in a heavy bottomed pot.
- Add the rinsed rice and cook until opaque, about 1 minute.
- Gently stir in the broth or stock. Turn heat to high and let the mixture come to a slow boil. Reduce heat to low and cover tightly.
- Cook rice on low for 20 minutes. Do not take the lid off.
- After 20 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and let the rice “rest” for five minutes. Do not remove the lid.
- After five minutes, uncover the rice and with a fork "pull" the rice away the sides and the bottom of the pan to "fluff".
- Add salt if desired. Serve immediately.
This is how I have been cooking rice for years. I fully agree that it is those little extra touches that make all of the difference with rice–bravo!
My kids just didn’t know how to make some of these basic items, so I thought it’d be great to add these to the blog. Chicken stock is the only way I do it- rinsing really helps. perfect every time.
This saved me. I have never rinsed my rice and I could not believe the difference it made. My rice was always gummy. Now it is fluffy and perfect. I also peeked under the lid too much.
Super helpful. I’ve been doing it all wrong for years.
Thanks Kathy!