The Foolproof Water To Rice Ratio For Perfect Fluffiness

Love it or hate it, rice is a staple food for 3.5 billion people around the world, per National Geographic. The Rice Association reports there are over 40,000 varieties of cultivated rice in the world. Much like potatoes, rice goes well with a myriad of dishes: gravy, chicken soup, curries, vegetables, and so much more.

Cooking rice sounds like child's play — wash the rice, pour some water, and boil — but anyone who has cooked it will tell you otherwise. When you don't know exactly what you're doing, you make rookie rice cooking mistakes and the result is gummy, sticky, burnt, or undercooked rice. We've all been there, even our grandmas.

Cooking rice can be daunting after the first few fails, but fluffy and well-cooked rice isn't as elusive as you think. As long as you're using the right tools, all you need to do is get the water-to-rice ratio right.

Some people add water to washed rice and boil them together while others boil the water first and add the grains to it. Real Simple suggests boiling water in a saucepan with a tight lid first. The rice goes into the boiling water. As for the water-to-rice ratio, the outlet recommends adding 1¾ cup of water for each cup of rice for perfectly cooked rice. Make sure you don't overstir while removing the clumps because they might turn out to be sticky. The fully cooked rice should be fluffed with a fork for distinct, individual grains.

Southern Living recommends adding 1¼ of water for every cup of short grain rice to cook and 1¾ water for every cup of brown rice.

Recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating suggests adding some butter to cooked rice. "Stirring through a bit of butter once the rice is cooked adds a delicious rich, salty flavor," she said of her simple white rice recipe. Consistency is key, so once you perfectly cook rice, make sure to follow the same technique every time.