The Secret To Cooking A Large Batch Of Rice Without Ending Up With A Mushy Bottom

Here's something most home cooks discover the hard way: scaling up stovetop rice is hard work, and escaping without a mushy bottom is hardly guaranteed. But the solution isn't a better technique — it's abandoning the stovetop entirely and cooking your rice in the oven instead.

There are plenty of everyday mistakes people make when cooking rice, but for large batches, your stove might be working against you. Think about it: When you're cooking rice on the stovetop, all the heat comes from directly below. That bottom layer gets hammered with intense heat while the top barely simmers, creating an uneven cooking environment that gets worse as you scale up. But in the oven, the heat surrounds your rice. Not only is this method more risk-free, but it's extremely helpful if you don't own a rice cooker: No scorches on the bottom of the pan, and you can walk away without babysitting a pot.

The method works beautifully for different rice varieties, too. Brown rice, which can be notoriously tricky on the stovetop, bakes for one hour and comes out perfectly, as long as you remember to pre-soak your brown rice first. Long-grain white rice, jasmine, and basmati also respond well to this cooking method. When the rice is fully cooked and there is only a little bit of liquid left, fluff it with a fork and cover the pan again. The steaming process will allow it to absorb any remaining liquid. 

For generations, rice cooking has been seen as this delicate, hands-on process that requires constant attention and intuitive timing. But it wasn't always like that. In South Asia, ancient Indus Valley cultures utilized this hands-off cooking method using tandoor ovens (cylindrical clay pits). Rice dishes like biryani were baked within these sealed vessels surrounded by charcoal embers, relying on trapped steam and indirect heat to cook the rice over several hours.

Moreover, the beauty of oven-baked rice goes beyond just avoiding the mushy bottom problem. You are then free to work on other dishes. All you do is dump the rice and salt into a pan with some boiling water, cover with foil, then bake. When you're cooking for a crowd, that freedom is priceless. Instead of standing over a pot, stirring, and adjusting heat, you can focus on your main dishes, marinate your vegetables, or spend time with your guests.

Next time you're facing the prospect of cooking rice for more than just a few people, remember this secret weapon. Your oven could be a better rice cooker than your stovetop ever was. The consistent results, the hands-off convenience, and the complete elimination of that mushy bottom layer make this technique a genuine game changer. Once you try it, you'll wonder why anyone ever bothered with the stovetop method for large batches in the first place.