The Common Rice Mistake Leaving You With Mushy Results

Rice is a staple food for more than 4 billion people across the world. It's mild, neutral, and pairs well with just about anything. So whether you're making a savory, earthy chicken paella, rich and hearty stuffed cabbage rolls, spicy prawn jambalaya, or a creamy rice pudding for dessert, it's one of the most versatile ingredients you'll find in the kitchen. However, there's one common rice mistake that too many people make, leading to mushy results: overcooking it. 

Rice is very easy to overcook. Take your eyes off the pot for a second, and you'll quickly end up with a mushy mess instead of the perfectly fluffy rice you were initially hoping for. The reason for this is a complex carbohydrate called starch, which plays a massive role in the texture of rice. Starch makes up about 90% of a rice grain's weight. As rice cooks, its starch granules absorb water and swell. But with a couple of extra minutes on the stove (or even too much water or simply stirring too soon after cooking), those fragile granules can burst and leak sticky starch into the pan. This causes the grains to turn clumpy, heavy, and mushy. Luckily, a few easy tricks can help you nail the perfect rice texture. Moreover, just as fixing undercooked rice is easier than you think, you can salvage overcooked rice, too. 

Perfectly cooked rice should be fluffy, tender, and slightly firm at the same time. To nail the right texture, measure both the rice and the water carefully. Using the right water-to-rice ratio is one of the easiest ways to prevent overcooking. The perfect balance is typically 1 cup of rice to 1 cup of water, plus an extra ¼ cup to make up for losses due to evaporation. 

Unless your rice's instructions specify otherwise, failing to rinse the grain before cooking is another of several common mistakes keeping you from perfect rice. Rinsing removes the excess surface starch that would otherwise dissolve into the cooking water, clumping up your grains. In addition, your choice of cooking equipment matters too. A rice cooker is the best tool for wonderfully fluffy rice. It automatically controls the temperature and cooking time, thus minimizing the risk of overcooking. 

That said, if you've already overcooked your rice, don't worry. Instead, fix mushy rice with this easy oven trick. Simply rinse it in a mesh strainer, then spread it thinly over a sheet and bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 10 minutes to remove the extra moisture. Alternatively, drain the rice in a strainer and return it to the pot as you let it cook uncovered over low heat. Placing a slice of bread over it can also help soak up some of the extra water. Ultimately, if nothing else works, you could always turn your mushy rice into a comforting rice pudding or crispy rice cakes.