No Rice Cooker? No Problem — All You Need For Fluffy Rice Is This Kitchen Tool

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Rice is one of those foods that is deceptively difficult to get just right. If you are constantly trying to fix mushy rice because you either cooked it for too long or or used too much water, you may be wondering if there's a better way to make this meal staple. But what if you don't have a rice cooker on hand? Guess what: you don't need one. To get perfectly fluffy rice, all you actually need is a simple tool you probably already have in your kitchen: a strainer.

It's surprisingly simple to use the strainer method to cook rice, because you're just steaming instead of adding the rice to water and boiling it. To steam rice to perfection, pour rinsed rice into a fine-mesh strainer. Set the strainer over a pot with boiling water in it (the pot should be filled high enough that the water will wet the rice and the strainer when they're added), and cover with a lid. The steam will do the work to cook the rice. Plan to check on the rice about every 5-10 minutes to to see if it looks done and ready to fluff.

Cooking rice with a strainer is an often-overlooked method that deserves more credit. It makes the issues surrounding figuring out the ratio of rice to water nonexistent, and it lessens the chance that your rice will end up gummy. You'll never have to deal with burnt rice at the bottom of the pot again. Plus, if you're lacking in kitchen space, it saves you from having to own a rice cooker — another large gadget that will take up counter real estate. A strainer, on the other hand, is easier to store and clearly has multiple uses in a kitchen, from separating liquids from foods to sifting out clumps while baking.

Most strainers will work for steaming rice. But your best bet is to use a fine mesh, stainless steel strainer, such as the GoodCook Everyday Fine Mesh Strainer. Stainless steel is typically very durable, won't react with foods, and is resistant to rust, making it a popular material to use in the kitchen. Chances are, you already have a strainer in your kitchen anyway. So if you struggle with getting your rice just right, trying the strainer cooking method may be the only thing standing between you and getting perfectly fluffy rice once and for all.