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Despite what many cookbooks suggest, rice-to-water ratios can’t simply be scaled up proportionally.
Cook’s Illustrated member’s recipe for Rice and Pasta Pilaf:
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We have a rice pilaf recipe that works without fail when made using 1 1/2 cups of rice, but many readers have written us to ask why they end up with an inch of mushy rice on the bottom of the pot when they try to double it. The reason is that, despite what many cookbooks suggest, rice-to-water ratios can’t simply be scaled up proportionally. After running a series of tests, we confirmed that rice absorbs water in a 1:1 ratio, no matter the volume. So in our original rice pilaf recipe, which calls for 1 1/2 cups of rice and 2 1/4 cups of water, the rice absorbed 1 1/2 cups of water. The remaining 3/4 cup of water evaporated. But here’s the catch: The amount of water that evaporates doesn’t double when the amount of rice is doubled. In fact, we found that when cooking a double batch of rice using the same conditions—the same large pot and lid and on the same stove burner over low heat—as we’d used for a single batch, the same quantity of water evaporated: 3/4 cup. Hence, simply doubling the recipe—increasing the amount of rice to 3 cups and the water to 4 1/2 cups—leads to mushy rice because there is an excess of water in the pot. The bottom line: To double our rice pilaf recipe, use 3 cups of rice and only 3 3/4 cups of water.
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35 Comments
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What the grains with a fork?
I just go 1:2 and it's done!
Things to keep in mind: WHEN you add salt matters!
Can't wait to practice this. This is definitely watch later list for future reference thanks 😊 👏👏👏
Rice cooking is black voodoo magic
Made 1.5 cups rice with 2.25 cups chicken broth and this technique worked great. Thanks for the science .
I just put my finger in…
… ok, Dan. Watching your yo-yo on ratios, I had 2 strokes and one kidney failure.
"Just the facts, man, just the facts!". Dragnet: circa 1973
You didn't even talk about ta'adiq, do you even crunch?
The lady who taught me to cook rice showed me a trick where you add rice (any amount) and then place your thumb gently on top of the rice, then fill the water to your knuckle. It works perfectly. Also, buy a rice cooker. I cook all sorts of grains in mine, using the same method, and they all turn out great.
I usually follow the recipe on the bag or one I learned from a long ago t.v. chef… Now I have a reliable third option. Thanks ATK and Dan
Why not cook rice the way you did for this? I have a sealer, so I could do a one to one in a bag. I could then put it into some boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.
I'm south Indian from Karnataka I'm watching rice cooking video
First, get a chamber vacuum sealer. Rinse rice and add to sealer bag with 1:1 ratio of water. Seal bag, place in almost boiling water for 25 minutes. Perfect rice, every time!
just get a rice cooker is what id say.
I live at elevation 6000 feet, and the boiling point of water is 203, not 212. This has required me to experiment for extensively to get good rice. I gave up on conventional stove top cooking…hard center with mushy outside. I used a rice cooker with a 1:2.5 ratio with fairly good results. I finally settled on an electric pressure cooker. Wash the rice, and cook on the rice setting with the 1:1 ratio. At last, good rice! High altitude cooking is a complex challenge.
Very interesting indeed , thanks
I have this book somewhere, I don't know where it went.
Thank you!
Hmmm. I do 2:1 water to rice no mater what the type, but I always cook it in a rice cooker that must manage the evaporation and cooking time very well because it always seems to turn out great. Guess I should pay closer attention to the prescribed ratios anyway.
The secret is the finger technique.
Old rice and new rice is also makes difference old rice required more water than the new rice That is why we Indians prefer old rice for perfection Aaurved science also teaches us to make perfect rice Iliked your video and a fan of American test cooking shows
So it sounds like use the 1:1 ratio of water for being ABSORBED by the rice as it cooks, and add extra water based on how much evaporates when using THAT PAN.???
Use the FINGER.
I have always said: if you can't cook rice properly, you can't cook.
So, mom was right, water above rice with about 1 inch over, or cover the water to the middle between knuckle and wrist above the rice.
OK, you guys need to bring back this series! This is amazing.
No wonder my rice always comes out watery in the instant pot!
For years I thought I was a failed cook because I couldn't get past the basics of making rice. This was a complicated demo but it explains it from the inside out. I plan on starting over with a pressure or rice cooker for uniform results & build my cooking skills from there. There's hope for me yet!
This is so cool and I love it! Thanks!!!
All the Italians I know (including in northern Italy where rice production and eating rice is a big deal) cook rice like pasta. It goes into a big pot of boiling water and it’s timed. once it arrives the right degree of tenderness it goes through a strainer just like pasta. Always yummy.
Thank you for this! Also you're very very cute!
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I came up with a good alternative to rice, because, let's face it, we only have potatoes and rice. So, let's try orzo pasta. I tried it and I liked it. I even tried cooking it like rice, which is ; 2 cups of water to 1 cup of orzo (to cook rice, it's 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice) and that worked great.
Thank you for the explanation. This is the best.
Take away: Buy a rice cooker.