How to Cook Brown Rice

For years, even as a graduate of culinary school, I couldn’t understand how to properly cook brown rice: it was sticky. Or crispy. Or burned. I knew how to cook a rack of lamb, but I couldn’t cook a staple grain. I mean it’s rice and water. What’s the big deal?

Now I’m a brown rice master. What has changed? I grew patient. You can’t rush good rice. Soon you too will be on your way to brown rice success!

Brown vs White Rice

Brown rice is a whole grain. The outer shell is still attached (this turns it brown). It also has the germ and the bran. These things give it more fiber, a slightly nutty flavor, and a chewy texture.

Hull, germ and bran were removed from white rice. This makes it cook fairly quickly – just 15 minutes. However, cooking brown rice can take up to 45 minutes. That is the other big difference.

Start with the rice first, then the rest

Because brown rice takes some time to cook, it’s smart to get it going before you start preparing other parts of your meal. Monitor your rice while you do other cooking tasks and when the rest of your food is ready, your rice will be ready too.

Different sizes and types of brown rice

Is your rice long grain? medium grain? short grain? sprouted? Transformed or quick cooked? Brown basmati? Some of these cook more or less the same. Some not.

Check the package to see what you are dealing with. Our method here is for long grain brown rice.

Choose the right pot

To cook 1 to 2 cups of dry brown rice, a 2 quart saucepan is just the right size. Too big and the rice may not steam properly. Too small and it will boil over and make a gooey mess. And you want a lid that fits snugly and doesn’t let tons of vapor escape.

Keep a lid on it

Try not to open the lid a million times while the rice is cooking. Again, it’s one thing that keeps steam from escaping. You can get a few looks, but once you get the hang of it, a look isn’t even necessary.

Cook brown rice low and slow

Start cooking the rice hard over medium-high heat with the lid closed. If you hear your pot hissing or the lid shaking, immediately turn the heat down to medium-low, or as low as you can get, but still let the liquid simmer. Why? Rice likes it nice and easy. Lower heat ensures tender, evenly cooked grains. And it keeps the liquid from boiling over and making a mess.

Every stove is different and it may take a little fiddling to achieve the ideal, comfortably smooth burner heat for yours.

Look for steam holes

Right after the rice has reached the initial hard boil, set your timer for 35 minutes. When it goes out, lift the lid and see if it’s done. Steam holes scattered through the surface of the cooked rice indicate it is fully cooked. cool what?

After cooking, let it rest

Do you like being rushed? No, and brown rice doesn’t like being in a hurry either. Patience makes brown rice fluffy.

The difference between good rice and perfectly cooked rice let it sit and passively steam for 10 minutes after it is ready to cook. This is something 95% of package inserts neglect, but it’s really important.

Consider these 10 minutes part of the cooking time. Now you know the secret!

When to add salt

I don’t add salt to my rice because I usually serve it with something spicy like a curry or stir fry and that will flavor my rice. But unless you plan on serving it to soak up sauces or spicy cooking liquids, you might want to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt for every cup of dry rice.

Troubleshooting brown rice

• Watery Rice: There is too much liquid. Strain off excess liquid, return the rice to the saucepan and let sit on the lowest setting with the lid on (if the rice is still tough) or the lid off (if it’s on the soggy side) for 10 minutes.
• congee: Too much liquid was added to the rice or it was overcooked. Probably both.
• Crispy or dry rice: There was not enough liquid or it did not boil long enough. Did you let it steam passively for 10 minutes after turning off the heat? Often that final rest will fix everything. If it’s still too crispy, add a little more liquid and cook on low for 10 minutes, then steam for 5 minutes.
• Burnt Rice: The heat was too high, or there was not enough liquid, or both. Presumably only the rice on the bottom of the pot is burned. When the remaining rice is edible, remove it without disturbing the burnt rice. Then fill the pot with water and let it soak for a while so you can scrub out the burnt rice and throw it away.

refresh something!

If you think brown rice is blah, consider enhancing the flavor using one of these techniques:

• Toast the rice in 1 teaspoon of any flavorful fat—butter, olive oil, or sesame oil—before adding the liquid.
• Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme or a dried bay leaf before cooking.
• Use vegetable or chicken broth instead of water.
• Use coconut milk for half the amount of liquid.
• For an Indian flair, add two green cardamom pods and a small cinnamon stick before cooking.

Do you have a lot of cooked brown rice? Try these recipes!

• Curry rice salad
• Easy fried vegetable rice
• 5 ways to use a pot of rice throughout the week
• Bulgogi bowls with sous vide beef
• Fried rice with chicken