In other words, if you've washed your rice you should aim to cook it as soon as you can to prevent it from getting moldy: Leave your washed rice to drain in a sieve. Spread the rice on a paper towel and pat it dry using other paper towels. Use this rice for cooking as soon as possible.
So when do you rinse the rice? In short, the rice should be rinsed before the cooking process. However, keep in mind not all rice needs to be rinsed before cooking.
Pour off the starchy water as often as needed until the water runs nearly clear, at least three times. Drain the rice in a fine-mesh strainer before using it.
Dry rice is better than fried rice because, after a certain amount of time, the rice grains [1] will become a bit dry and turn slender. This period will also allow the grains to absorb more moisture and flavor.
How to fix watery rice. If the rice grains are cooked to your liking, but there's still water in the pot, don't try to cook the water off. Instead, pour the rice into a fine-mesh strainer and, just as you would with pasta, drain the excess water and then continue with your recipe.
How long does it take? At least over night, probably closer to 24 hours, to give the rice a chance to draw the moisture out.
If the rice is only a little sticky, it can be saved. Turn it out into a colander and rinse it under cool water, separating the grains with your fingers. But if it's extra mushy, the best thing to do is start over, make a new batch, and use the overcooked, leftover rice for another purpose.
"Even with a short grain like sticky rice, washing doesn't affect the much-desired stickiness," he explains. The starch sitting inside the grain will come out during cooking, ultimately creating the sticky texture.
When the now starch-coated rice hits the boiling water, the starch blooms and gets sticky. As the water is absorbed, and the rice grains get closer and closer together, they will begin to stick to one anther and form large clumps. The very simple solution is to rinse.
Both culinary experts share that washing rice depends on the type of rice as well as the dish. Kernan says that risotto, paella, and sushi each call for different types of rice. Out of the three, rice for sushi is the only one that needs to be washed.
Whichever method you choose, the water likely won't become crystal clear after rinsing. And for all of those plant parents out there, don't pour that water down the drain! Rice water is beneficial to plants thanks to the added starch, which encourages the growth of healthy bacteria.
Rinsing the rice removes any debris, and most importantly, it removes the surface starch that otherwise causes the rice to clump together or get gummy as it cooks. You can use a bowl or a strainer to rinse your rice. The method isn't as important as simply doing it.
Soaking rice prior to cooking—usually 30 minutes is sufficient—provides a few benefits: First, it shortens cooking time as the grains absorb water. Soaking hydrates the grains and consequently the amylose and amylopectin inside the starch granules absorb water and swell.
Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking, is in this camp: “An initial rinsing of the dry rice removes surface starch and thus a source of added stickiness.” For most long-grain and medium-grain rice, then, rinsing is a good idea.
In the context of rice, rinsing means exposing grains to water until that water runs clear, a task that requires more of a thorough washing. At first, the tap water will appear cloudy. But soon, that water will lose its milky tint and turn clear as a windowpane. When it does, you're done rinsing.
Mushy or soggy rice is simply overcooked rice that has absorbed too much water. Water over-absorption causes the rice grains to split open, ruining the texture and creating a starchy, gummy result.
The Problem: Clumpy White Rice
Whether you're making plain white rice, jasmine rice, basmati rice, sushi rice or even sticky rice, rinse it before cooking. Rinsing the rice removes excess starch, which is what causes clumping. You can also add a touch of oil or butter to your pot to help prevent sticking even further.
Yes, in Japan rice is generally washed before cooking, although the English word “wash” doesn't begin to convey the energy you're supposed to expend. To give you a better idea, the verb in Japanese is togu, the same word used for honing a knife against a whetstone.
Why Your Rice Boils Over. Rice grains are coated in lots of starch — more than you'd think possible for such tiny grains. When boiled in water, those starches form big, soapy, angry bubbles that steam pushes up and out of the pot.
If you're looking for fluffy, separate grains, you'll want to rinse your rice regardless of the variety you use. Rice for pilafs, fried rice, and salads all benefit from washing.
That's fine. A lot of people actually do that on purpose, it's referred to as "soaking". It will shave a bit off the cooking time and won't negatively affect the rice at all.
Shake out most of the water and spread the rice on paper towels patting them dry with other paper towels. Take off the towels and let the rice sit on a clean table until you're sure they're dry. Seep out all the water first using drainer. Then use a fan to dry the excess water.