If you are cooking rice for the first time, fret not. The experience is easy with a rice cooker, but can be tricky with regular kitchen pots. There are many varieties of rice grains, some soak up a lot of water while some don't need much to fluff. Rice is the ultimate comfort food, as it is satisfying and very warm to the tummy.
Rice Cooking Basics:
1. Put 2 Cups of Rice in the rice cooker pot.
2. Rinse the rice. Remove the bits (stones, grain husks, dark colored bits) that may float to the surface. Pour the water into the drain. Repeat rinse process twice.
3. Add 2 1/2 cups of water.
4. Place the rice pot in the rice cooker. Turn on the switch and wait. Most rice cookers are automated so you don't need to bother adjusting the heat. The rice will boil, and when cooked, the rice will fluff out on its own.
5. When the switch goes off or switches to the "warm or simmer" mode. Let the rice simmer for 5 minutes before serving.
Toshiba's Shinku Atsuryoku Taki (Vacuum Pressure Cooker) is considered the world's most expensive rice cooker at $850
Getting different consistencies when cooking rice:
For soft, fluffy rice, add more water (half a cup or more) Ideal when cooking Japanese rice. For firmer rice, reduce the initial amount of water.
If you don' have a rice cooker, you can still cook rice on a regular pot. Follow the same rinse process. Measure the water level with your finger. We call this the finger test by estimating the rice level and water level with your finger. The water should be 1 inch or half inch above the rice grains.
There is a local saying that no grain of rice should be put to waste. As there's so much hard work place in harvesting rice. Well for Asians, Rice is gold.
