The Chef-Approved Trick for Making Fluffy, Tender Rice

Rice is one of those dishes we have at least twice a week in our house. The problem is that I am terrible at making it. We even bought a rice cooker to help, and I still somehow messed that up.

Recently, I went looking for some tips to help me along in my rice-cooking journey, and I found a TikTok on the @foodnetwork page. In this video, celeb chef Maneet Chauhan explained that making rice is "really simple as long as you know a few simple techniques."

Well, I apparently didn't know those techniques, so I thought I'd give her tips a try. Spoiler alert: I was finally able to make a great rice! Here's what you need to know to make perfect rice at home.

Related: The Easiest Way to Make Rice

Maneet Chauhan's Rice-Cooking Trick

First, she says you have to choose a good-quality rice. I'll admit this is one thing I don't do. I just grab a bag of white rice and call it a day, but this time I did choose some basmati rice, like Chef Maneet suggests.

Once you have your rice, you need to wash it in cold water. This is a step I never do, and it's probably why my rice is always so sticky. When you wash the rice under running water, you're removing some of the starch that surrounds the grains. That starch can make cooked rice gummy. Wash the rice until the water runs clear.

After you've washed your rice, know the cooking proportions. One cup of rice and two cups of water is the right amount. If you have two cups of rice, you'd do four cups of water, and so on. I generally follow the lines on the rice cooker, but even that seems to be wrong!

Then, Chef Maneet says you add the rice, water, some salt and butter to a sauce pot, all at the same time. You then boil your water, slightly stirring the rice now and then, and wait for the rice and the water to "be at the same level" inside the pot. Once that happens, you cover the pot and cook the rice for 10 minutes on a "really low" flame.

You don't have to drain the rice water when using this method, so after it has cooked for 10 minutes, you just fluff the rice and it's good to serve.

What I Thought of Maneet Chauhan's Rice-Cooking Trick

This all sounds good in theory, but how did it work when I tried it IRL in my home kitchen? In her video, Chef Maneet shows that the rice is tender and fluffy, and I'm happy to report that my rice turned out the same! It was fluffy and tender and didn't stick together. To put these tricks to the test, I also tried the method again using cheaper rice (just regular white rice, like I always buy) and I got fluffy, non-gummy rice again! This TikTok video has been life-changing for me, so I highly recommend giving it a try.

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