How to Cook Rice on a Stove

Denise Barrett·October 17, 2021

Rice is the perfect companion to many meals, but cooking it can be challenging if you can’t use a rice cooker in your kitchen. However, the process of cooking it outdoors is not impossible.

With the proper preparation and cooking techniques, you can make delicious rice on an outdoor stove. In this guide, we’ll look at how to cook rice on a stove outside.

8 Steps to Cook Perfect Rice on a Stove

Closeup of chicken and pepper paella in a pan with wooden spoon

To cook rice on a stove, you first need a medium saucepan or pot large enough for your meal. We recommend using a medium or large one to avoid the water boiling over.

Once you have the pot, you need to get the right ingredients. You can make rice without additional flavors if you want. However, if you prefer something extra tasty, you can use the following:

One cup of short grain rice or long grain white rice
Two cups of water
½ tablespoon of salt
½ tablespoon of oil/butter (optional)

Note: You can use more than one cup of rice, but you will also need to increase the amount of water if you do. Follow the same ratio by using double the amount of water as rice.

If you want to cook brown rice, we recommend using the same method with 2 ¼ cups of water per cup of rice.

1. Rinse Your Rice

soaked rice grain

You can start the cooking process by rinsing the rice. Doing this removes the starch that makes rice stick together.

Put the rice in a pot and fill it with cold water until the rice has been covered. It will take only 20 seconds. Then, swill the water around to remove starch from the grains. Then, carefully tip out the liquid to avoid losing the rice.

You can repeat the process multiple times. However, at a minimum, you should do it once before cooking.

2. Use the Correct Water Ratio

After rinsing, you need to add two cups of water for every cup of rice. You can scale it up or down, depending on how much rice you want to make.

Remember that if there is not enough water, the rice will not get fluffy. On the other hand, if there is too much water, it will likely stick together.

3. Add Your Seasoning

Preparation of pilaf with lamb in frying pan

Now that you’ve got the rice rinsed and the water ready, you can add the flavoring. You can simply use salt, or you can opt for other ingredients like garlic salt or rosemary. After adding the seasoning, you need to stir everything together.

Alternatively, you might like to add some butter to your rice. It can enhance the overall flavor without needing too many extra ingredients.

4. Keep an Eye on the Water

Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and adjust the flame. If the heat is too intense, the water will boil before cooking the rice. If the heat is too low, the rice will take a long time to finish cooking. The best option is to reduce the heat to a mid-low level.

Tip: If you notice the water is almost evaporated, but the rice is not ready yet, you can add more water. However, if you do, you’ll need to add more salt or risk losing the flavor.

5. Keep the Lid on

The steam from the rice cooker

While the rice is cooking, you should not remove the lid unless necessary. Water and steam are essential to cooking the rice properly. If you do not let the vapor do its job, the rice will likely not have a good texture.

6. Let the Rice Cook

Now, it is time to let the rice cook at low heat. Leave it for around 18 minutes before removing the lid and checking if it is done. Then, you should put the top back on.

If you are cooking more than one cup of rice, you will need to leave the rice cooking for longer. On the other hand, if you cook less rice, you might like to check if it’s done after approximately 15 minutes.

Tip: Brown rice takes longer to cook. So, if you are cooking brown rice, you should leave it for around 30 minutes.

7. Give It a Few Minutes to Rest

Cooked rice in pot with wood ladle

Once the rice is done, turn off the heat and let the food rest for around 5 minutes before removing the lid. Doing this allows the steam inside the pot to change the texture of your rice.

8. Fluff the Rice

Now that it has rested, you can fluff the rice with a fork. Mix the rice gently so that the grains don’t get stuck together. You can do this for around a minute or until you have the perfect rice!

Tips for Reheating Rice

Garlic pepper rice

Rice can last up to five days in the refrigerator. However, when you store it in this way, it loses its fluffiness and gets dry.

Here’s what you can do to reheat rice correctly:

You can reheat rice in a microwave, but if you do, you’ll probably dry it out. You can use a microwave-friendly bowl and add some water and salt to the rice in this situation.
You can also reheat rice using the stove with a pot and more water. The key is to add the water and let it boil on low heat. Keep the lid on the entire time so that the rice can get fluffy again with the steam.
You can create a new meal by making fried rice with the leftovers. For this process, you’ll need some oil, a pan, and soy sauce if you want to add extra flavor. The best thing about fried rice is that you can add any vegetables or meat to it.
Alternatively, you could reheat rice inside the oven. You only need to put the rice inside a bowl, add some water, and let it cook for 20 minutes. Use foil to cover the bowl to allow the steam to work.

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outdoor pizza oven

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