Long-Grain Rice

Appears in
Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables

By Abra Berens

Published 2019

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Rice absorbs other flavors well. Once cooked, consider dressing it with a good glug of olive oil, vinaigrette, or herb oil to make it more flavorful when cool. Please note that brown rice will take significantly longer to cook than white, as the heat has to soften the fibrous bran. In general, the thicker the grain, the longer rice will take to cook.

I’ve stopped cooking rice with a specific proportion of water to grain. Instead, I heat as much water as I would for pasta, cook until tender, and then drain the water away. As with pasta, heat enough water to maintain a heat mass after the grain is added. This ensures that the water comes to a boil again quickly and that the grains will cook evenly. Cooking rice this way minimizes variables: no measuring, no rinsing, no burning.