“Rinsing” is a bit misleading. In the context of rice, rinsing means exposing grains to water until that water runs clear, a task that requires more of a thorough washing. At first, the tap water will appear cloudy. But soon, that water will lose its milky tint and turn clear as a windowpane. When it does, you’re done rinsing.
Why do we need to wash rice before cooking?
There are a few reasons to rinse rice. For these reasons, giving the rice a quick-but-careful rinsing can improve your final product in a way that isn’t huge but isn’t small either. By rinsing, you can be sure that the rice is clean, properly hydrated, and well textured.
So what’s the best approach to rinsing rice?
The process is pretty straightforward—no guesswork is needed. There are many ways to rinse rice. Here, we recommend two. Once you’ve rinsed, cook. The ratio of rice to water varies but usually hovers around 1.5 cups of rice for every cup of water. Bottom line: rinsing rice requires almost zero effort and can improve your rice noticeably. It’s the kind of small, non-obvious kitchen step that, worked into your routine together over time with other similar steps, can greatly enhance your cooking. (And we’re here for that.)
