Perfect White Rice

Prep time: 2 minutes. Cook time: 10 to 15 minutes (depending on your rice cooker). Rest time: 10 minutes.

The five or less things: One cup / 2.5 dl of white rice. Long grain, medium grain, or jasmine. Any white rice works. The rice does not have a preference. It is not picky. It does not care about brand names. It just wants to be cooked. One cup / 2.5 dl of water. Tap water is fine. The rice does not know the difference between tap and bottled. It is not fancy. It does not have a sommelier. Save your money. A sprinkle of salt. Adds flavor. Do not skip it. Rice without salt is sad. Do not make sad rice. Sad rice leads to sad dinners. Sad dinners lead to sad people. Break the cycle. Add the salt.

Directions:

1. Place the rice in the inner pot. Add water and swish it around with your hand. The water will turn cloudy. That is the starch leaving the rice. Pour off the cloudy water. Repeat until the water runs almost clear. This removes excess starch. Starch makes rice sticky. You want fluffy rice.
2. Add the measured water and salt. Give it one quick stir. That is all it needs. Over-stirring makes glue. Glue is not rice. Glue is for crafts. You are not making crafts. You are making dinner.
3. Close the lid. Press the cook button. Let the machine do its work. It has one job. It is good at it. It has been doing this for years.
4. When it beeps, leave the lid on for 10 minutes. The residual steam finishes the cooking. Do not peek. Peeking lets steam escape. Escaped steam means uneven rice. Uneven rice is a tragedy. You are stronger than your curiosity. Wait.
5. Open the lid. Fluff with a fork. Gently separate the grains. Do not stir. Stirring makes it sticky. Sticky rice is for sushi. This is not sushi. This is fluffy rice. Respect the fluff.
6. Serve hot. Or leave it on keep warm. It stays good for hours. Hours. That is a long time. The rice will wait for you. It is patient. It is not like your cat. It will not knock things off the counter.

Note: White rice is the foundation of this book. Master this and you can cook anything. Swap the water for broth for extra flavor. Add a pat of butter for richness. Add a bay leaf for aroma. Add a clove of garlic for depth. The rice is your canvas. The flavors are your paint. Go make something beautiful. Or just make rice. That is enough.