I didn’t love to eat rice when I was growing up. To me, rice seemed to be just what you eat when you need nutrition and are out of other options. That may have had something to do with my not knowing how to properly cook it. I thought maybe I needed to rinse it, or sometimes if I got impatient I would crank up the heat.

When I graduated college I spent a few months in Texas, where I learned rice is life. Literally, I ate so much rice. My friend’s mom showed me how to cook rice, and for the first time I realized rice could be all I needed.

Which was a good thing because I came back to the north and married a Hispanic man shortly afterwards. We eat a lot of rice these days.

A few things I learned are 1) no, you don’t need to rinse rice. Please don’t rinse your rice at any point in cooking. 2) Rice takes more patience than you might think. 3) Rice is amazing. Here’s the recipe.

Because there are only two of us, I start out with a cup of uncooked rice. The cool thing about rice is there is always a 1:2 ratio of rice and water. Easy to remember.

I pour about a tablespoon of oil in my pot and let it heat. Any non-stick medium size kettle works here. Then I add the cup of rice and stir it as it heats. This step is where things could go wrong. To avoid burning your rice, make sure to continually stir it! You could add a piece of pepper or onion for flavor, to take out before serving.

Just before I start heating the rice, I put two cups of water in the microwave for 3 minutes. You could heat the water in another kettle on the stove… the microwave works faster though. After the water is heated, I add it directly to the rice. Very steamy.

Almost immediately after I add the water, I clamp a lid on top the kettle, then reduce the heat to low. Do not use a higher heat setting! Rice takes patience. Patience is key.

After 20 minutes, I take the lid off my rice and check the bottom of the pan. If the water is completely boiled away and my rice kernels are no longer soggy, the rice is done.

Fluff it with a fork and serve it up! Or add it to soup or stir fry. If you added a slice of pepper or onion for flavor, take it out before you serve.

See how fluffy it is?! This basics of this recipe will work for any rice… just adjust the time as needed. With brown rice, the ratio of rice to water may be different. To be clear, here are the basic rules for fluffy rice:

1. Heat your rice in the pan with a tablespoon of oil for about 3-5 minutes without letting it burn.
2. Add hot water and let it steam for 30 seconds.
3. Put a lid on and turn the heat to low.
4. Don’t touch the rice until it’s done cooking. 20 minutes for white rice.
5. AFTER the time is up, fluff rice with a fork and serve.
6. The basics don’t change.
7. Enjoy!