By Rawia Younis · Last reviewed November 2026
For 1 cup of long-grain white rice, use 1½ cups of water in a pot with a tight lid. Bring it to a boil, turn the heat to low, cover, cook 15 to 18 minutes, then leave it covered off the heat for 10 minutes.
That is the whole method. The rules below keep it from going wrong:
- Water: 1½ cups per cup of white rice. The bag may say 2 cups; both work, and the difference is explained below.
- Pot: a 2- to 3-quart (about 2 to 3 liter) saucepan with a lid that sits flat.
- Heat: boil at 212°F (100°C), then the lowest setting that keeps a faint bubble.
- Lid: on from the moment the heat drops until the rest is over. No peeking.
- Rinsing: fine for texture, but it does little for arsenic. FDA testing found a minimal effect, and it washes off the iron and B vitamins added to enriched US white rice.
- Leftovers: in the fridge within 2 hours, eaten within 3 to 4 days.
Cook rice most days? A rice cooker takes the timer off your hands, and our non-toxic rice cooker guide goes through the inner-pot materials to look for.
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The pot we'd use for this
Tramontina Signature tri-ply 3-quart saucepan with lid. Per the listing, the cooking surface is 18/10 stainless steel, made without PTFE or PFAS, with an aluminum core sealed in the walls and a stainless lid. Three quarts (2.8 liters) holds 1 to 2 cups of dry rice without spreading it thin.
See the Tramontina saucepan on AmazonWater-to-rice ratio by type
You will see two numbers for white rice, and neither is wrong. The USA Rice cooking chart, which many US package directions also use, calls for 2 cups of water per cup of long-grain white rice. Many recipes use 1½. The gap comes from the lid and the rest: when steam stays in the pot and the rice sits covered for 10 minutes, it needs less water and the grains come out firmer and more separate. The 2-cup version gives softer rice and is more forgiving if your lid lets steam out.
Same cup for both: one cup of rice, then 1½ cups of water.
Water and time per 1 cup of dry rice
| Rice (1 cup dry) | Water, tight lid | Low simmer, then rest |
|---|---|---|
| Long-grain white | 1½ cups (bag: 2) | 15 to 18 min, rest 10 |
| Jasmine | 1½ cups (bag: 2) | 15 min, rest 10 |
| Basmati | 1½ cups (bag: 2) | 15 min, rest 10 |
| Brown (long or medium grain) | 2¼ cups | 40 to 45 min, rest 10 |
| Parboiled (converted) | 2¼ cups | 20 to 30 min, rest 5 to 10 |
| Sushi (short grain) | 1¼ cups | 15 min, rest 10 |
A US cup is about 240 ml, but any cup works as long as you use the same one for rice and water. A cup of dry white rice makes about 3 cups cooked. If jasmine comes out soft for your taste, drop to 1¼ cups next time; it is a softer, slightly sticky rice to begin with. Brown rice keeps its bran layer, so water gets in slowly, which is why it needs more of it and nearly three times as long.
How much rice to cook
Plan on about ½ cup of dry rice per person when rice is the main side, which comes to roughly 1½ cups cooked. If there is plenty else on the table, ⅓ cup each is enough.
Cooking 2 cups of rice? Double the water, use the same 3-quart pot, and start checking at the same time. A bigger batch takes a few minutes longer at most, not twice as long.
Cooking ½ cup? Use ¾ cup of water in your smallest pot, ideally 1 to 1½ quarts (1 to 1.4 liters), and check at 12 minutes. A small amount in a big pot loses its water fast, so if the pot is wide, add an extra tablespoon of water.
The knuckle method
Plenty of home cooks in Asia never measure the water at all. Level the rice in the pot, rest your fingertip on top of it, and add water until it reaches your first knuckle, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the rice. It works because the water above the rice stays about the same whatever the amount underneath, so it scales from one cup to four in the same pot. It suits white, jasmine and short-grain rice; brown rice needs more.
How to cook rice on the stove, step by step
Lid on, flame low. A thin wisp of steam at the rim is normal; a steady jet means the lid is loose.
- Measure with one cup. Use the same cup for the rice and the water, and level it off. Ratios only work if both are measured the same way.
- Rinse, if you want to. A quick rinse in a fine strainer takes surface starch off and makes the grains less sticky. Skip it for enriched long-grain white rice if you would rather keep the added vitamins.
- Bring it to a boil. Put the rice, water and about ½ teaspoon of salt in the pot over medium-high heat, lid off. Water boils at 212°F (100°C) at sea level, a little lower up a mountain. Stir once to free any grains stuck to the bottom.
- Drop the heat and cover. Turn the burner to low and put the lid on. You want a few lazy bubbles, not a boil. On an electric coil that stays hot, move the pot to a second burner that is already on low.
- Set a timer and leave it. 15 minutes for white, jasmine, basmati and sushi rice; 20 for parboiled; 40 for brown. Every time the lid comes off, steam and water leave with it.
- Check once. Tilt the pot slightly. You should see no water pooling, and the surface should have small steam holes. If water is still there, cover and give it 2 to 4 more minutes.
- Rest off the heat. Move the pot off the burner, lid still on, for 10 minutes. The grains at the top finish cooking in the trapped steam and the bottom layer loosens.
- Fluff with a fork. Lift and separate rather than stir, which mashes the grains.
For the fluffiest, most separate grains, three things matter most: not too much water, no stirring once the lid is on, and the full 10-minute rest. Rinsing helps too if you don't mind losing the added vitamins.
Salt, butter or broth
About ½ teaspoon of salt per cup of rice is enough to season it; add it to the water before it boils. A tablespoon of butter or oil gives a richer taste and helps keep the grains apart. To cook rice in chicken or vegetable broth, swap it for the water cup for cup and use the same timing. If the broth is already salted, leave the salt out and taste after fluffing.
Choosing the pot
When the ratio is right and the rice still fails, the pot is usually why.
Size. USA Rice's method calls for a 2- to 3-quart saucepan (about 2 to 3 liters). One cup of rice in a wide 5-quart pot sits in a shallow layer, the water evaporates faster than the recipe allows for, and the bottom catches before the top is cooked.
The lid. If steam puffs out around the edge all through the simmer, you are losing water you counted on, and you will get crunchy rice on a ratio that works for everyone else. A sheet of foil pressed under the lid closes the gap on a loose one.
The base. A thin pot has hot spots right over the flame, which is where that brown ring of stuck rice comes from. A clad pot, with aluminum sealed between layers of steel, spreads the heat across the bottom so the low setting stays low everywhere.
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Tramontina Signature tri-ply 3-quart saucepan
Why it fits: it is tri-ply clad with an aluminum core, per the listing, so heat spreads across the base instead of sitting in one hot spot. The cooking surface is 18/10 stainless made without PTFE or PFAS, the stainless lid sits flat, and 3 quarts is the size USA Rice's method calls for. It works on gas, electric, glass and induction, and is oven-safe to 500°F (260°C).
The drawback: at 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg) it is heavier than a thin pot, and like any stainless pan it can hold a few grains on the bottom if the heat runs too high. A short soak in warm water lifts them.
Check it on AmazonShould you rinse rice? What the FDA found about arsenic
Rinsing clears surface starch for less sticky rice. It does little for arsenic.
Many cooks rinse rice to get rid of arsenic. FDA testing found it makes little difference.
Rice takes up arsenic more readily than other crops, partly because it is usually grown in flooded fields, the FDA says. The FDA looked at whether home cooking changes that. Its finding on rinsing: it has a minimal effect on the arsenic in the cooked grain. What it does wash away is the iron, folate, thiamine and niacin that are added to enriched white and parboiled rice. USA Rice says the same about the enrichment, and adds that American-grown rice does not need rinsing at all.
The method that does cut arsenic is cooking rice like pasta: 6 to 10 parts water to 1 part rice, then draining. FDA research found that removes 40 to 60 percent of the inorganic arsenic, depending on the rice. The cost is steep, though. The same method cut the added nutrients in enriched rice by 50 to 70 percent.
What each method does, per the FDA
| How you cook it | Arsenic | Added vitamins and iron |
|---|---|---|
| Absorption, no rinse (this page) | No change | Kept |
| Rinse, then absorption | Minimal change | Some washed off |
| 6 to 10 parts water, drained | 40 to 60% lower | 50 to 70% lower |
In the FDA's testing, brown rice averaged 154 parts per billion of inorganic arsenic and white rice 92. The agency's line for adults is that rice can be part of a well-balanced diet. For babies, its advice is variety: iron-fortified rice cereal should not be the only cereal and does not need to be the first one, and oat, barley and multigrain cereals are good alternatives.
So rinse if you like the texture, especially for jasmine and sushi rice. Don't rinse expecting it to deal with arsenic. If arsenic is the worry, the drain method now and then and a mix of grains through the week do more than any rinse. The absorption method on this page keeps the vitamins and leaves the arsenic where it is.
How to fix mushy, crunchy or burnt rice
Mushy rice
Too much water, too long on the heat, or both. Take the lid off and leave the pot on the lowest setting for a few minutes so the extra moisture steams away, then spread the rice on a tray to stop it cooking further. Next time, take about 2 tablespoons of water off per cup of rice.
Crunchy or undercooked rice
The water ran out before the grains softened, almost always because steam escaped. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of hot water over the top, put the lid back on, and give it 5 minutes on the lowest heat, then 5 more off the heat. Check the lid fit before the next batch.
Burnt rice on the bottom
Don't stir. Spoon the top rice into a clean bowl without scraping the bottom; the burnt layer stays in the pot and most of the rice above it is fine. If the burnt smell has carried through the whole batch, there is no fixing that. For the pot, fill it with warm water and let it soak before you scrub. Burning usually means the heat was not low enough or the pot was too thin or too wide.
Once it's cooked: the 2-hour rule for rice
Spread cooked rice out to cool fast and get it into the fridge within 2 hours.
In CDC data on US food poisoning outbreaks from 1998 to 2008, rice dishes were behind half of the Bacillus cereus outbreaks that were traced to a single dish. Raw rice often carries this bacterium's spores, and the spores can survive cooking. If the cooked rice then sits warm, the bacteria grow and make a toxin that a quick reheat does not destroy. In one outbreak the CDC wrote up, at two child care centers in Virginia in 1993, the rice had been cooked the night before and left to cool at room temperature before it was refrigerated. It was pan-fried the next morning, held unrefrigerated until lunch, and served without reheating.
USDA and FoodSafety.gov guidance:
- Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the room is above 90°F (32°C).
- Spread it in shallow containers so it cools fast. Don't wait for it to reach room temperature first; it can go in the fridge while it is still steaming.
- Keep the fridge at 40°F (4°C) or below and eat the rice within 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat to 165°F (74°C); without a thermometer, until it is hot and steaming all the way through.
For microwave and stovetop methods that don't dry the rice out, see our guide to reheating food safely.
Questions people ask
Is it 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice?
It can be. The USA Rice chart and many US package directions say 2 cups for long-grain white rice, which gives soft rice. With a tight lid and a 10-minute rest, 1½ cups gives firmer, more separate grains. Brown rice needs about 2¼ cups.
Should I boil rice with the lid on?
Bring it to a boil with the lid off so you can see it and stir once. Once you turn the heat to low, put the lid on and keep it on through the simmer and the 10-minute rest.
Do you boil the water before adding rice?
You don't need to. For the absorption method, put the rice and cold water in the pot together and bring them to a boil. If you prefer to add rice to boiling water, that works too; start the 15-minute timer once the heat goes to low.
How long do you cook 2 cups of rice on the stove?
About the same as 1 cup: 15 to 18 minutes on low for white rice, plus a 10-minute rest. Use 3 cups of water, a 3-quart pot, and check for pooled water at the 15-minute mark before adding time.
Can you freeze cooked rice?
Yes. Spread it in flat freezer bags or shallow containers and freeze it within the same 2-hour window you would use for the fridge. Food kept at 0°F (-18°C) stays safe, though quality slowly drops, so use it within a few months. Reheat it to 165°F (74°C).
How do you fix burnt rice?
Spoon the unburnt rice off the top into a clean bowl without scraping the bottom. The rice above the burnt layer is usually fine. If the burnt smell runs through the whole batch, start again with lower heat.
Do you need to rinse rice?
Usually not. USA Rice says American-grown rice does not need it. Rinse only if you want less sticky grains; FDA testing found it has a minimal effect on arsenic and washes off the iron and B vitamins added to enriched white rice.
Can I cook rice without a rice cooker?
Yes. A saucepan with a tight lid does the same job. Measure the water, keep the heat low, and leave the lid on until the rest is over.
How long does cooked rice last in the fridge?
3 to 4 days, per the USDA, if it went into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking and the fridge is at 40°F (4°C) or below. Reheat it to 165°F (74°C) before eating.
How we checked this
On 8 November 2026 we read the FDA's guidance on limiting arsenic exposure and its 2016 risk assessment of arsenic in rice, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) food safety basics and Danger Zone pages, FoodSafety.gov's leftovers guidance, two CDC reports on Bacillus cereus, and the USA Rice cooking chart. Product details come from the Amazon listing and Amazon's product data on the same date.
Written by Rawia Younis. Rawia writes Cupindy's cooking guides. This page is general food-safety information, not medical advice.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, What You Can Do to Limit Exposure to Arsenic
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Arsenic in Rice and Rice Products Risk Assessment (2016)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Foodborne Disease Outbreaks Caused by Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, and Staphylococcus aureus, United States, 1998 to 2008
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Keep Food Safe! Food Safety Basics and "Danger Zone" (40°F to 140°F / 4°C to 60°C)
- FoodSafety.gov, Leftovers for Safe Keeping
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bacillus cereus Food Poisoning Associated with Fried Rice at Two Child Day Care Centers, Virginia, 1993 (MMWR)
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Supporting Document for Action Level for Inorganic Arsenic in Rice Cereals for Infants
- USA Rice, How to Cook Rice
