I make rice so often that our rice cooker is a constant fixture on our counter, much like others keep a toaster on their counter. That’s why it never really dawned on me that not everyone knows how to make the perfect jasmine rice. So I thought I’d share my tips and tricks for making the best jasmine rice.
the rice cooker
There are so many small appliances out there that do all these great things and, oh, they also make rice. But my rice cooker is just that, it’s a rice cooker. And not only is it just a rice cooker, it has ONE button because, to cook rice, you just need one button.
The rice
We have a Lotte Asian supermarket nearby where I always go to buy our rice. I can get a large bag there for a great price. And while we do get brown jasmine rice every once in a while, our preference is white rice. There’s a lot of comparison articles out there about brown vs. white rice and which is healthier, but for us, the small nutritional benefit of brown rice does not outweigh our taste and texture preference of white rice. I’m just careful to watch my portion size and add it to my daily meal tracker app.
This is the brand of rice we usually buy, and never less than a 25 lb. bag, unless we’re real desperate. 🙂
how much rice
You have your rice and you have your rice cooker, so now it’s time to make the rice. The rice cooker I linked above comes with a one-cup measuring cup, as I’m sure other rice cookers do. So just measure out your cups into the inner pot of the rice cooker. For my family of 4 (me + 3 big eaters), we do 5 scoops/cups, which yields a lot of rice. 1 cup of dry rice makes about 3 cups of cooked rice. So when we make rice, we end up with a lot of leftovers that we refrigerate and use for a couple days. Leftover rice is perfect for fried rice!
rinse the rice
To rinse or not to rinse your rice? I vote rinse, and here’s why. Rinsing your rice gets rid of any dirt, bugs, and surface chemicals that make its way into the bag. That alone should convince you to rinse. 🙂 But rinsing also removes any excess starch, which results in fluffier rice.
Look at all that starch!
Notice how much clearer the water is in the last picture!
speaking of water
This is where it benefits to have a good rice cooker as well as an Asian connection that knows the ancient secret. 😉 My rice cooker has the perfect water levels marked on the inside of the pot. So for 5 cups of rice, I start by filling the water to the 5.
But then for added measure, I check the water level using the method I always saw my mom use when I was growing up. And that’s the first knuckle finger method.
Level out the rice and dip your finger in the water until it’s touching the rice. The water should come up to your first finger knuckle. If you know, you know.
the perfect Jasmine rice
Now all that’s left to do is to close the lid and push the COOK button, unless of course you have some fancy appliance with a gazillion settings, then I can’t help you there. Just don’t forget to push the button. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve shut the lid then forgot to push the cook button!
When the button pops and the light switches to “keep warm”, your rice is done. Lift the lid and take in the smell of freshly cooked, fluffy, jasmine rice and enjoy with your favorite dish.
And that’s all there is to it. I hope you enjoy!
Stay Healthy!
