Easy Rice Recipes: Jambalaya, Risotto and Fluffy Sides

How we cook rice on a weeknight

Rinse long-grain rice under cold water until it runs mostly clear. That washes off loose surface starch, which is what glues the grains together. The exception is risotto and rice pudding: Arborio is left unrinsed on purpose, because its starch is what makes them creamy.

For plain long-grain white rice on the stove, use about 1¾ cups of water for every cup of rice, simmer covered on low for 15 to 18 minutes, then leave it covered off the heat for 10 minutes. In one-pot dishes, tomatoes and other wet ingredients count toward the liquid, and each recipe here has already accounted for them.

Once the lid is on, leave it alone. Stirring releases starch and lifting the lid lets out the steam that cooks the top layer. The resting time off the heat does the last of the work, so don't skip it.

Short on time? Chicken Fried Rice (Use Your Leftover Rice) is the quickest here at 25 min, with 10 min of hands-on work.