How to Boil Rice
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the rice
Rice should be carefully picked over, washed first in warm water, rubbed between the hands, then rinsed five or six times in a good deal of cold water. It will not be white until it is well washed.
Boil the rice
Put one teacupful in a tin pan or porcelain kettle, add one quart boiling water and one teaspoon salt; boil fifteen minutes, not stirring, but taking care that it does not burn; pour into a dish and send to the table, placing a lump of butter in the center. Cooked thus the kernels remain whole. The Southern rice cooks much quicker and is nicer than the Indian rice.
To boil rice in milk, put a pint of rice into nearly two quarts of cold milk an hour before dinner, add two teaspoons salt, boil very slowly and stir often; cook on back.
Take it up into a mould or bowl wet in cold water a short time before serving.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Rice (in the method)
- Forms the body of the dish; its starch gelatinises as it cooks, setting the grains soft and separate.
- Milk
- Adds richness and a creamy texture as it reduces and its milk solids and sugars thicken the grains.
- Salt
- Seasons the rice and milk, bringing out their flavour.
The step that matters
Do not stir the rice while it boils. Stirring releases surface starch from the grains, making the rice gummy and sticky, and the grains stay whole and separate only when left undisturbed. Keep the heat low enough that the bottom does not scorch.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More boiled rice recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.