The Best Way to Cook Rice is All About the Right Ratio | Rice | What's Eating Dan?

Why do most of us struggle to make perfect rice on the stovetop at home? The answer, Dan claims, is the standard ratio is working against us. It's not our fault!

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[davidhalldurham]

"What's Eating Dan?" has quickly become one of my favorite YT series. Great job, Dan.

[seriouslyreally]

My mother is Japanese and tried to explain the 1st knuckle trick to me when I was 10! She extended all 4 fingers straight out, crossed thumb across palm and dipped fingertips to 1st knuckle. But her elegantly long fingers gave a different measurement than my stubby knobs and I got tough chewy rice🙈 My solution: electric rice cooker. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. I poach a mean egg. Life is good.

[nyx]

I literally smiled when you spoke about the first knuckle trick. Coming from a Vietnamese family, it was taught to me by my mother so that I would know how to cook perfect rice. After doing it a couple of time in the same pan, you start to understand your own knuckle's measure.

[elizabethschack]

seeing the perfect rice pour out of those vacuum bags is the only convincing argument for getting a sous vide machine I've ever seen

[CampMelp]

It’s funny. I discovered that bumping up the amount of rice meant that I needed way less water than the ratio called for. I often make 3-4 cups of rice at a time for my family of 6. But I also know that I like most rice at a 1:1 ratio, “plus a little extra”... but I never, ever thought to question WHY. Just by experience, I knew that the closer I was to a 1:1 ratio, plus a little extra, the more likely i was to get rice that wasn’t gross. :) I LOVE understanding the science behind why this is true!!

[erinwatts]

I love it when you said "I went to culinary school why do I suck at cooking rice" because I say that to myself all the time so thank you for this video

[useranon]

As a regular rice eater, i find that different varieties of rice might need different ratios of water too. Fun!

[Takapon]

I’m literally eating overdone rice as I watch this video and absolutely floored

Good to know. Rice is a staple for a lot of vegan/vegetarian meals and I need to know how to cook it if I’m going whole (no) hog

[racermario]

So basically
To cook rice perfectly, use:
1:1 rice to water ratio + 1/2 water

[SpenserLi]

Another trick is to well soak rice in cold water before cooking, then just use the regular 1:1 ratio. The water absorbed by rice when soaking is just the right amount of water you need for evaporation. And this greatly reduces cooking time too.

[lexwaldez]

So we just learned to sous vide rice, use 1:1 and we're good forever. Right?!?!?

[semco]

While growing up my mother use to cook rice for us kids to eat for breakfast and didn't know until I grew up that she didn't like it, but was preparing it for us since she didn't have much. I gave up on eating rice until I was in the Air Force and was sent to Thailand. While at the hotel and waiting to be sent to our base one guy convinced me to try out some fried rice, and once I tried it I was sold on it.

I don't prepare rice for just eating it plain, but do still love fried rice and don't like it being overcooked like so many do with it. If I eat it the way it is cooked here in this country I make sure it is soggy and uneatable in my opinion.

[niagargoyle]

While the evaporation consideration does depend on the pot, it also depends on absorption rate/cooking time if the rice. I would not use the same 1/2 cup of water on brown rice; I would go closer to a full cup because it takes about 20 minutes to cook white rice and 40 minutes to cook brown rice. A longer cook time means more evaporation happens, and more water is needed.

[MichaelEllis]

THANK YOU DAN for solving one of my own great kitchen mysteries! I can cook almost anything, yet rice has always confounded me. My sister makes perfect rice all the time and mine is occasionally perfect and often a disaster (edible by a cheap-ass cook, but most people would throw it out). I'm adjusting my process now to follow Dan's instructions directly! DAN WINS THE INTERNET TODAY!

[anotherjuan]

as a southeast asian, i grew up with the first knuckle technique and the 1:1 ratio + 1/2 or 1 cup depending on the rice quality/quantity. this is really informative for everyone out there 🍚🍚🍚

[Whatisthis]

I LOVE all "What's Eating Dan" series! Both fun and helpful! Dan is awesome! I find this video about rice exceptionally helpful!

[bobbyco]

Love all your vids, Dan.
This one, it wins top prize for me. Every second of this information is helpful and insightful.

The biggest problem I have is that the flame on a gas stove doesn’t set low enough. I’ve tried a damper. Useless. So I am hoping the foil, probe 214 thing will save my rice from here on.

[funny-video-YouTube-channel]

*That's how almost all of China is cooking rice.*
The first knuckle measurement is one of the first tricks parents teach their kids in Asia.
Good to see that it's slowly coming to US too.

[evzone]

I absolutely love your new series. Your videos have always been good but this has been so helpful and informative. This makes rice cooking more manageable.

[lindapasquali]

Love, Love, LOVE this video!! Thank you, Dan for what finally feels like clarity around cooking rice on the stove!