How To Cook The Perfect Brown Rice
Brown rice takes much longer to cook than white rice and sometimes it can be confusing why your brown rice didn’t turn out if you have never cooked it before. Brown rice is a whole grain and still contains the outer layer of bran. White rice has just been de-hulled and reveals the white endosperm inside. Any rice that contains the outer layer of bran will look brown and can be called brown “rice”.
So let me show you how to cook brown rice in 2 easy ways, on the stovetop or in a rice cooker.
Stove Top Directions For Cooking Brown Rice:
- Measure out rice using a measuring cup. Usually it’s 1/3 cup for a small single serving and 1 cup for several servings. You can always make a big batch in advance and reheat it later or use to make rice salad.
- Place rice in a mesh strainer or a bowl and rinse with cool water to remove any debris and excess starch. Drain.
- Add rinsed rice to a pot and add 1 ½ times the amount of rice you have in fresh water. For 1 cup of rice, add 1 ½ cups of water.
- Put the pot on the stove uncovered and turn the heat to high and bring it to a boil.
- Once your water is boiling, turn the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. If your lid has a hole or steam valve cover it with a little cloth. Let the rice cook at a simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let the rice sit and steam for another 10 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and serve.
Rice Cooker Directions For Cooking Brown Rice:
- Measure out rice using the measuring cup that comes with rice cooker. Usually it’s 1/3 cup for a small serving and 1 cup for several servings. You can always make a big batch in advance and reheat it later or use to make rice salad.
- Place rice in a mesh strainer or in rice cooker pan and rinse with cool water to remove any debris and excess starch. Drain.
- Add rinsed rice back to rice cooker pan and add water to the corresponding water level for brown rice. If your rice cooker pan does not have a brown rice and white rice water line, use 1 ½ times the amount of rice for water. For example: 1 cup of dried brown rice will need 1½ cups of water.
- Turn rice cooker on and select brown rice setting. If your rice cooker does not have a brown rice setting, select white rice or just press on/start.
- Once cooking is complete and the rice cooker turns to the keep warm setting, let the rice sit and steam for 5-10 minutes before opening. (This helps your grains stay separated and not stick together when you scoop it out.)
- Fluff with a fork and serve.
I suggest setting your rice cooker to cook 1 to 2 hours before your main dish is ready to ensure that it is ready on time. For basic rice cookers it’s about 1 hour of cook time, for the Zojirushi it’s about 2 hours because it adds a soaking cycle (and produces better brown rice.)
Why don’t you tell us americans measurements for the rice cooker? All over the internet I see people asking how much water to rice to use but everyone only answers (get a new rice cooker cup). Come on?
You’re comment is a little rude. Every type of rice requires a different amount of water to rice. The rice cup that comes with the cooker is about 3/4 cup. Japanese cups are smaller than North American standard. So use that size for your rice and fill according to the waterline on the inside of your cooker for that type of rice.
I cook my rice in a little pot and I also wash my brown rice, but the instructions say 35 to 45 min. and I cook it 40 min. so I will try your way.My rice is alittle sticky. So glad to find you the the web.
My favorite way to cook brown rice is to use two cups of rinsed rice with 4 cups of water plus one teaspoon of salt. Put into an 8×8 or 9×9 flat glass baking dish, cover with foil and bake in the toaster oven for 1-1/2 hours at 375 degrees Farenheit. It comes out fluffy and well cooked.
Great tips. Has anyone ever made rice in a pressure cooker? I wonder if you can. I am trying to think of ways to save counter space in the kitchen and wondering if i really need a rice cooker and a pressure cooker. Any ideas?
Yes it’s possible. But i don’t like the results. Every pressure cooker is different and you have to manually play around with figuring out the perfect amount of water to add. The rice is always wet and sticky and doesn’t turn out like in a rice cooker at all. I would never give up my Zojirushi. I love my pressure cooker for beans and lentils but after several times of following the directions to cook brown rice the rice isn’t very light and fluffy. Just very wet.
My brown jasmine rice always comes out too sticky in the rice cooker. Do you have any tips for ensuring a more flaky and fluffy result? Love your website!
Thanks
Are you rinsing your rice before you put it in the pot? Rice needs some of the starch removed so it is less sticky. I also make sure to fill it just the level required for brown rice. If it’s still a little sticky I will add just a few hairs less than it says on the measuring line so it turns out a little drier.