One Ingredient Gives Your Fried Rice The Best Flavor And Texture

Fried rice is one of the most underrated meals when it comes to convenient weeknight dinners. Versatile, nutrient-dense, and literally made with leftovers (otherwise your fried rice will be mushy), this dish comes together in just minutes, can easily be stretched to feed a crowd, and relies on fairly familiar ingredients to please even the pickiest palate. If you're determined to make restaurant-quality fried rice at home, you're in luck. The secret to getting it right every time is probably in your fridge right now: butter.

Though butter has a lower smoke point than oil, meaning it burns faster if you're not careful, it's superior to oil in almost every other way. Butter carries its own distinct flavor, and its soft, luscious texture coats every grain of rice, cubed carrot, and slice of roasted chicken in savory, creamy goodness. It also gently softens Asian flavors that are easy to overuse, such as soy sauce or mirin. Butter is also advantageous because it crisps the rice with a lightly crunchy crust along the bottom of the pan that's nutty and brings an interesting texture. Butter is also one of the best fats for cooking eggs (a key ingredient in fried rice), meaning the whole dish benefits from this single, small change.

Butter's low smoke point means you need to work quickly when putting this dish together to avoid getting burned veggies or scorched rice. That means everything you intend to add to this dish should be prepared and ready to go before you start cooking. Dice up your veggies, shred or cube your protein, and measure out any fancy ingredients you'd like to add to your fried rice.

It's also a good idea to cook your ingredients in a specific order. Add a little butter to the pan for each new ingredient since the previous ingredient soaks up a lot of that fatty goodness. Start by scrambling your eggs, then add veggies, reserving the rice for just the last five minutes of the cooking process. This ensures there's enough fresh butter for each ingredient to become fully coated and cook for the right length of time, which prevents each layer of food from burning or becoming overcooked.

The only caveat to this process is if you're using an ingredient that requires special treatment, such as mushrooms. Since mushrooms let off a ton of water when cooking, it's best to start them off first, or even cook them in another pan. Consider this for each ingredient you intend to use in fried rice; most foods are delicious cooked in butter, but some may need their own cooking vessel or some extra attention.