When you come home tired and exhausted after a long day, you do not want to spend hours cooking rice. Thankfully, there are many options for cooking rice quickly, and you will serve the table in half an hour. Below, we discuss the eight fastest ways to cook rice on the stove.
Of course, the fastest way to cook rice is using a rice cooker or at least a microwave. What other method can you use to reduce active cooking time for rice? But what is the fastest way to cook rice on a regular stove? Does pre-soaking help? Should you add the rice before or after bringing the water to a boil? It is time to find answers to these questions as you are interested in fitting cooking into a busy schedule.
What is quick-cook rice?
Before finding the fastest way to cook rice on the stove, it is essential to know what rice is quick to cook. The first thing that comes to your mind is instant rice, also known as minute rice. This rice is a sort of rice that is already pre-cooked and dehydrated. Doing this allows you to add some hot water and wait for 3-5 minutes until rice is ready.
Instant rice can save your day if only you ready to skip high-quality food in favor of fast-cooking products. So, go and buy a package of white rice and try to cook it as fast as you can. This meal will be the best meal when your family needs a quick, satisfying dinner. Just find a fast way to cook rice on the stove below.
FASTEST WAYS TO COOK RICE ON THE STOVE
The classic rice recipes rely on ratios for the rice to water. Also, you may use different cooking methods to find the fastest way to cook rice on the stovetop. As a result, you will get a good pot of fluffy, separate grains, no matter the type of rice. Of course, not all rice varieties are the same, so there is no reason to cook them using the same method. Nevertheless, there is always an option to spend 15-20 minutes cooking instead of 40-50. Here is how.
1. Here is how to boil rice fast by using the boiling method
10-20 minutes
How to cook rice on the stove in the fastest way? Please take a look at the cooking instructions and follow them step by step.
- Boil water in a large, good quality pot in a proportion of future 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water. Do not forget to salt it just as you would saltwater for pasta.
- Now add rice and continue to boil on high or medium until the rice is tender and chewy. I usually add a teaspoon of olive oil to make rice softer and not sticky.
- It takes about 10-15 minutes for white rice and about 20 minutes for brown rice. The boiling method works for most kinds of rice: white, black, wild, and more.
- Finally, drain the rice in a fine-mesh strainer, and enjoy.
If making a sauce for your dish, it is helpful to use some rice cooking water. Do not forget it is already salty.
A good brand pot with a strong lid will retain heat and cook rice faster than a regular pot.
2. The fastest variation of the pasta method
15 minutes
What is the fastest way to cook rice on the stove? You may use the pasta method.
- First, rinse the rice. For this method, add the rice to a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it under cool running water. In contrast with the steaming approach, a quick and thorough rinse will work simply fine.
- Then, it is time to boil. Pour that rice into a pot already half-filled with cool water and set the settings for 15 minutes.
- Bring the water to a boil, keep it boiling, and in 15 minutes, if the rice is ready.
- Now it is time to rinse it again. After you see that the rice is sufficiently tender, you can drain the pot and rinse the drained rice under cold water.
Remember, you must rinse your rice twice! Never skip rinsing as it prevents the rice from clumping together.
Now place the rice somewhere and let it dry for a few minutes. You can use a strainer or filter for that. Well, it is ready now for eating.
3. Fast absorption method
20 minutes
This is the best method of cooking rice fast while saving its nutritional qualities.
- Place rice in a saucepan and add water to ½ inch (2.5 cm) above the rice (the distance between the top of rice and water is an average adult finger).
- Generally, you will need 1 cup of rice needs one (1) and a half (1/5) cups of water for this method.
- Bring to the boil and tightly cover with a lid. Then turn heat to low. And cook for 13-15 minutes while the rice will absorb water.
- To make your rice even better, you can leave it covered with a lid for 5-10 minutes.
If rice is not good enough – leave it for longer and see if it comes out richer.
4. Fast-steaming method
20 minutes
To cook your rice fast by steaming, you need to take:
- A saucepan,
- 1 cup of white rice,
- drinking water in the right proportion (1 – 1 1/2 parts of water for 1 part of rice),
- and a drop of olive oil.
- First, rinse the rice to wash away starches causing the rice portions to clump together. It is vital for cooking soft, fluffy rice.
- Measure the proper water to rice ratio. Add one (1) teaspoon olive oil.
- Combine the rice, oil, and water into a saucepan, and stir to mix everything.
- Please bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Next, simmer. When the water starts boiling, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and bring down the heat to low.
- Then you should simmer for 10 minutes or until you see holes in rice through which steams comes out.
- Finally, let it steam few minutes until you see some dry rice on the top.
- Turn off the heat and leave the pot standing there, covered, for 10-15 minutes.
Remove the lid and stir the rice with a fork. The dinner is ready!
5. Toasted rice
20 minutes
Grab the following ingredients:
1 cup white rice,
2 cups water or broth,
1 teaspoon white or white wine vinegar,
1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon butter, or oil.
Of course, vinegar, butter, and oil are optional ingredients.
- Put it all into a large and lidded skillet, the oil or butter. Then heat them over medium heat. When the butter is hot, just add the rice and cook for about 60 seconds.
- Add water or broth, cover with a lid, and bring everything to a boil.
- Cook it simmering for about 15 minutes until water is absorbed.
- Remove from heat leave it to stand covered for 5 minutes.
- Stir with a fork and serve.
6. Fasters way to cook JAPANESE rice
15 minutes
How about making fast Japanese (short grain) rice on a stove? Japanese short-grain rice is different from long-grain basmati or jasmine rice. So if you want to cook Japanese rice at home, please follow this simple method to cook a perfect pot of glossy and tender rice! What is the fastest way to cook rice which is Japanese?
You may use a method that is like the absorption method.
First, soak the rice for sufficient time so that it would form proper rice texture. You will spend less time cooking if you do this. It could take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
Add some more water to the rice, bring it to a boil, and do not remove the lid on the top while cooking!
However, until you start boiling, you can take a quick look to make sure it is boiling.
If so, low the heat and steam for 15 minutes. The last 10 minutes of steaming is a crucial part of cooking rice, so continue to keep the pot covered till the end and do not skip this step!
Remember: Use a heavy-bottom pot with a tight-fitting lid that keeps the steam inside.
7. Fastest way to cook BROWN rice on the stove
20 minutes
Many people pick such a nutritious type of rice as a proper alternative to regular white rice. As a rule, you’ll need 1 hour to cook it properly. But like anyone else in this world, we often disregard the suggested cooking time on its label.
Who has 1 hour to cook rice on a weeknight? It would help if you badly found the fastest way to cook brown rice on the stove. In just 20 minutes, you may have got a big pot of nutritious brown rice that perfectly cooks every time! Here’s how to cook it!
What if you cook rice like pasta? It fits the bill and can be a full-proof method for cooking brown rice in the fastest way. What is the secret? You cook the rice like you would pasta. Let’s compare. In the standard way to make rice, you’d pour the grains and water into a saucepan, bring it to a boil, and simmer until the water is absorbed. Not so with the pasta method!
For the Pasta Method to cook brown rice, you:
- First, bring a big pot of water to a boil, much like you would for pasta.
- Drop the rice grains in, and cook them for about 20 minutes until tender.
- Drain the water. This way, you can decrease the cooking time from the standard time for cooking brown rice on the stove of about 50 minutes to an hour, all the way down to 5 to 10 or maybe 15 at most minutes to steam. Or boil by simmering.
How much does 1 cup of dry rice make? One (1) cup dry rice makes 3 cups of cooked rice!
8. How do you cook ASIAN STYLE rice on the stove?
25 minutes
To cook the rice in Asian style, rinse and drain it well and put it in a medium-sized saucepan.
- For this recipe, you ordinarily need 1 1/2 cups of water and umeboshi plum (if available).
- Please bring it to a boil. The plum adds flavor – something different this time.
- Then bring down the heat to low, cook for 15 minutes. Do not remove the lid during that time.
- Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes with the lid on top.
- Remove the lid and now stir the rice to make it nice and fluffy.
After this time, you should have perfectly cooked boiled rice.
HERE IS HOW TO COOK RICE ON STOVE WITHOUT STICKING TO A POT
If the rice is burnt, you are using too high heat or too little liquid, or both. When making rice on the stove, the proper ratio for long-grain rice would be about 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of liquid. If the liquid you are about to use is thicker, like tomato sauce, then increasing the amount of liquid to 2 1/2 cups may help.
More tips and tricks for the best and fastest ways to cook rice
The biggest mistake you have been making all your life when cooking rice on the stove:
People make the biggest mistake when cooking rice is using too much water, with most recipes calling for 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice for stovetop cooking. Unless you like eating very soft rice with some sticky clumps in it.
Think about it. First, you add water by rinsing the rice (which is a good thing), and then you add more water according to instructions. So actually, recipes that call for 2 cups of water AND rinsing rice end up using almost 2 1/4 cups of water for 1 cup of rice = overly soft rice with sticky surfaces.
If you need to pre-rinse, the perfect rice to water ratio is 1:1.5 for the stove. If you insist on rinsing the rice, reduce the water by two tablespoons. And watch the heat!
It would help if you found that perfect balance for the water to rice ratio. It can depend on many factors, including the type of stove, age of stove, electric vs. gas stove, type of pot you are using. And kind of rice too. It would be best if you learned your stove and pots or pans to figure out the timing. The more you do it, the more you will feel how much the ratio should be in this or that case.
Note: Good quality pot with a lid usually cooks rice faster due to its design, where it traps heat and distributes it all around the pot. Dutch oven could be a good choice, for example. Therefore, you will need less water as a good pot or pan will trap steam inside. Using a pan, on the other hand, may bear a risk of uneven heating, though.
Chefs recommend using a pan or pot which is sufficiently wide. For some reason of physics, narrow pots do not make as good rice.
Type of rice affects how fast it cooks
Type of rice plays a role. For example, long-grain rice usually requires more water than short-grain. 1 1/5 – 2 cups quite often.
If your rice burns, then stir it more often. If it comes out mushy, then use less liquid.
Note: Like everything else in our expensive lives, better quality rice usually gives better results after cooking.
Chefs recommend making not less than 1 cup of rice for good results. Making less than one cup of rice is also a waste of your time and energy.
In any case, you can always add one (1) teaspoon of olive or other vegetable oil to avoid rice sticking and clumping together.
You can season rice at the beginning of cooking, or you can season rice after it is cooked. I like Shafran (Saffron, Safran), a middle eastern spice with both Jewish and Arabic origin.
Any you add rice to a pot with already present water, you should stir right away to prevent any sticking or clumping. The same goes for boiling water.
Parboiled rice to the help
Parboiled rice is partially precooked rice that retains some original nutrients. Allegedly, it is easier on blood sugar and has a good amount of protein. Not as much as brown rice, though. It may be easier and faster to cook parboiled rice than regular rice because it is partially pre-cooked.
It may cook more evenly and thoroughly because of that. I never experimented with parboiled rice because I am kind of old-fashioned. But I will. You can also, and then you will become an expert in this and tell your family and friends about your accomplishments. And treat them to nice, parboiled rice, hopefully, with some exciting spices on top of it.