Choosing the Right Type of Rice
There are no hard and fast rules on which type of rice to use in any particular recipe. It is simply a matter of personal preference. Experiment to see which you prefer. You may find that...medium and short grain rice would be a good choice for making dishes that have a creamier characteristic--such as risotto, and desserts--or dishes where stickier rice is preferred--like sushi, molds or croquettes. Choose long grain rice for the dishes where you prefer separate, distinct grains, such as a pilaf. To learn more about the different types of rice, view our Rice Guide or Rice Glossary sections.

How to Prepare Rice
American-grown rice is a high quality, clean product that does not need washing or rinsing before or after cooking. Most U.S. rice is enriched with iron, niacin, thiamin, and folic acid. Rinsing rice, or cooking rice in excess water and draining, results in loss of enrichment and other water-soluble vitamins and minerals.

For best results, follow preparation directions on the package. When directions are not available, use one of these easy methods:

1 Cup Uncooked Rice	Liquid	Cooking Time	Yield
Regular-milled long grain	2 cups*	15 minutes	3 to 4 cups
Regular-milled medium grain	1- 1/2 cups	15 minutes	3 cups
Regular-milled short grain	1-1/4 cups	15 minutes	3 cups
Whole grain brown	2-1/4 cups	40 to 45** minutes	3 to 4 cups
Parboiled	2-1/4 cups	20 minutes	3 to 4 cups
Precooked, flavored or seasoned mixes	Follow package directions	varies	varies

* For firmer rice, reduce water by 1/4 cup.
**For parboiled whole grain brown, cook 30 minutes.

If desired: add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon butter or margarine.

Stovetop Directions
Combine rice, liquid, salt and butter or margarine (see chart) in 2 to 3-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling; stir once or twice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer according to time specified on chart. If rice is not quite tender or liquid is not absorbed, replace lid and cook 2 to 4 minutes longer. Fluff with fork.

Oven Directions
Cooking rice in the oven is an efficient use of energy when other foods are baking and frees up your stovetop when cooking other dishes. Boiling liquid must be used to start the cooking process. Carefully combine rice, boiling liquid, salt and butter or margarine (see chart) in a baking dish or pan; stir. Cover tightly and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes for long grain white rice (30 to 40 minutes for parboiled; 1 hour for whole grain brown rice). Remove carefully. Fluff with fork.

Microwave Directions
Rice can be cooked in the microwave oven. Microwave ovens vary in size and wattage. The following cooking times are based on preparation in 1200 watt ovens. For best results, follow manufacturer directions for your oven. When directions are not available you may follow these general guidelines.

Combine rice, liquid, salt and butter or margarine (see chart) in 2 ½ to 3-quart deep microwave-safe baking dish; cover tightly.

For Medium or Long Grain White Rice - microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or until boiling;. reduce to MEDIUM (Power level 5 or 50% power) and microwave 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Let stand 5 minutes.

For Parboiled Rice - microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or until boiling; reduce to MEDIUM (Power level 5 or 50% power) and microwave 20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Let stand 5 minutes.

For Whole Grain Brown Rice- microwave on HIGH 5 minutes; reduce to MEDUIM (Power level 5 or 50%) and microwave 20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Let stand 5 minutes.

USING OVEN MITTS, CAREFULLY REMOVE HOT DISH FROM MICROWAVE OVEN.

Rice Cookers
Rice cookers make cooking both white and whole grain brown rice easy and foolproof, and keep rice warm. There are many brands, styles, sizes and features available. Care should be taken to follow individual manufacturer's directions. In general, all ingredients are combined in the rice cooker. Turn the rice cooker on. It will stop cooking automatically by sensing a rise in temperature and change in moisture content that occurs when rice has absorbed the liquid and is fully cooked.

Proportion & Yield

Rice	Parts liquid to 1 part rice (by volume)	Cooking time (minutes)
U.S. arborio	4½	20 - 30
U.S. basmati	1¾	20 - 25
U.S. jasmine	1¾	20 - 25
Brown, long grain	2¼	40 - 45
Parboiled	2	25 - 30
White, long grain	1¾	18 - 20
White, medium grain	1½	20 - 30
White, short grain	1½	20 - 30

Considering the 2:1 ratio, dry rice will triple in volume when cooked. When working with rice it is usually easier to measure the ingredients and calculate portions by volume. For costing purposes and writing recipes, it is helpful to know the correlation between volume and weight measures for rice:

• 1 cup dry rice = approx. 7 oz. (wt.)
• 1# dry rice = approx. 2 1/4 c. (vol.)
• 1 cup cooked rice = approx. 8 oz. (wt.)
• 1# cooked rice = approx. 1 pt.

Leftover Rice
Rice is great to have on hand for stirring into soups and broths as well as using in fried rice. Rice is perhaps the world’s best vehicle for turning leftovers into something fresh and new.

Reheating Rice
When rice is reheated, it tastes as good as it did when first prepared. For each cup of cooked rice, add 2 tablespoons liquid. Cover and heat on top of range or in oven until heated through (about 5 minutes). In a microwave oven, cover and cook on HIGH about 1 minute per cup. Frozen rice may be cooked 2 minutes on HIGH power for each cup. Fluff with fork.

Read our Tips for Perfect Rice.

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