Cook rice properly - icookedameal

There is almost nothing easier than cooking loose rice. In this article about rice cooking for beginners I will help you find the right rice to water ratio, show you different rice varieties and preparation methods. So that you too can prepare your next rice dish perfectly.

The advantage of bulk rice

Probably the most important advantage of loose rice compared to packaged rice, instant rice packages or bagged rice in plastic is the dosage. In a plastic bag you will always find the same weight of rice grains. However, if you want to cook a specific amount of rice, you will find either too much or too little filling weight in the plastic bags. With loose rice, of course, you don’t have this problem.
The second advantage over ready-made rice products is the price. The loose rice grains will naturally cost only a fraction compared to the same amount of bagged rice. Industrial processing and production processes of the finished products here naturally bring a much more expensive final price for the consumer. The loose rice will almost always be cheaper per grain or kilo than a bagged rice.
Loose rice is more environmentally friendly. Of course, the third advantage also makes sense. Rice grains in a plastic bag or plastic packaging are always more harmful to the environment than a lot of loose rice without the extra layer of plastic that any cooking bag rice has. Our environment unfortunately cannot break down plastic like some paper fiber or bioresidue. A simple plastic bag takes something like 10 to 20 years to have been “decomposed” by environmental factors such as wind, water and waves. However, the process does not end there. The plastic bag is now microplastic and continues to exist in the world as a foreign body. Animals and living creatures unconsciously absorb this microplastic. Here you can do a small step to protect the environment and rather prepare loose rice instead of ready rice.

How to cook rice properly?

With the swelling method, you can easily and simply save not only energy or electricity, but also water. For one cup of rice, about twice the amount of water is used. This means that two cups of water are used for one cup of rice.

Before cooking, the rice grains should be washed. This will rinse off excess starch, which will later make your rice sticky. Especially with sushi rice, it is important to rinse it thoroughly several times to remove as much starch as possible from the grains.
Now add two cups of water to one cup of washed rice.
Salt the water with the rice and heat the rice in a pot on high heat. To cook as efficiently as possible, it is recommended to cover the pot with a lid.
Once the water has come to a boil, reduce the temperature to low-medium. Now let the rice continue to simmer at a low temperature until the water has completely evaporated. Now your rice is cooked.

How much rice per person?

One cup of uncooked rice is calculated per person. One liter is about 980 g of rice.
Since one cup holds 1/6 liter, we use about 160 g of rice per person. This quantity should be used for rice as a main dish. For a rice side dish, you should use about half of a cup. So about 80 grams of rice per person.

Main dish from rice: 160 grams per person = 1 cup or 1/6 liter

Side dish of rice: 80 grams per person = ½ cup or 1/12 liter

Persons	Amount of rice in gram	Amount of rice in cups	Amount of rice in milliliters	Amount of rice in liters	Amount of rice in liquid ounces
1	160 g	1 cup	166 ml	0,166 l	33,8 fl. oz.
2	320 g	2 cups	333 ml	0,333 l	67,6 fl. oz.
5	800 g	5 cups	833 ml	0,833 l	169 fl. oz.
10	1600 g	10 cups	1666 ml	1,666 l	338 fl. oz.
20	3200 g	20 cups	3333 ml	3,333 l	676 fl. oz.

Rice per person as main course

Persons	Amount of rice in gram	Amount of rice in cups	Amount of rice in milliliters	Amount of rice in liters	Amount of rice in liquid ounces
1	80 g	½ cup	83 ml	0,83 l	16,9 fl. oz.
2	160 g	1 cups	166 ml	0,111 l	33,8 fl. oz.
5	400 g	2 ½ cups	417 ml	0,417 l	84,5 fl. oz.
10	800 g	5 cups	833 ml	0,833 l	169 fl. oz.
20	1600 g	10 cups	1667 ml	1,667 l	338 fl. oz.

Rice per person as a side dish

How much water should be used to cook rice?

For most whole grain rice varieties, the rule of thumb is 1:2. Here, one cup of rice is cooked with two cups of water.

For white rice, usually less water is used than for wild rice or whole grain rice. Here, the ratio is 1:1.5, so 1.5 cups of water are poured onto one cup of rice.

How do I cook rice so that it does not stick?

To prevent your rice from sticking during or after cooking, rinse it thoroughly beforehand to wash excess starch from the rice grains.

At what level should rice be cooked?

To cook rice, you should bring the water to a boil on the highest setting in a pot with a lid. As soon as the water boils, you can pour the rice into the water if it is not already in the pot. Then set the stove top or induction hob to a low setting and let the rice simmer in the pot with the lid on until the water has completely evaporated.

Cooking rice with hot or cold water?

When preparing rice, it doesn’t matter whether you put the grains in cold water and then heat it, or throw the rice grains directly into boiling water. Both methods lead to the same result.

Cooking rice in the microwave?

You can also cook your rice in the microwave. To do this, simply put your rice together with the appropriate amount of water, in a ratio of 1:1.5 or 1:2, in a microwave-safe container and set the microwave to 600 watts. A quantity of 250 grams of rice needs about 10 minutes in the microwave.