Recipe: Perfect Basic Rice

Making PERFECT rice can be somewhat of a daunting task to many. Me being a college student, I've attempted MANY different ways to cook rice for many reasons, but mostly because its cheap and can be healthy. What I describe below is known as the "absorption method" and it will cook the rice almost perfectly every time(with a little fiddling at first)

1. Measure out 1 cup of rice
2. Measure out 2 cups of water
3. Measure 1-2 tablespoons of oil(olive oil preferably but anything will work)
4. Bring it to a boil then lower it till a slight simmer
5. Cook for 12 mins WHILE keeping it covered (must be a tight fitting lid)
6. Remove from the heat and let it stand off of the heat between 10-20 mins
7. Fluff w/ a fork gently as to not make it into a mush.

Thats about it. There is one CARDINAL rule, DO NOT LIFT OFF the lid ANYTIME during the cooking. The rice is cooked by steaming then it absorbs the liquid while it stands. If you like your rice a little softer, add a little bit more water. If you like it a little more al dente, then add a little less water. This recipe is scalable, so you can scale up the quantity of rice depending on how much you need.

Of course you can add spices/broth/flavorings to this basic recipe to your hearts content. My personal favorite additions are garlic powder, sesame seed oil instead of olive oil, Ms. Dash Southwest Chipotle, Red Pepper flakes and soy sauce.

Enjoy :)