Brown rice is one of the tastiest accompaniments to any meal! However, if you’ve never cooked brown rice before, you may find yourself asking: How to cook brown rice on the stove?
To cook brown rice on a stove, place 1 to 2 cups of brown rice in a medium saucepan of boiling water at a 1:2 ratio. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and do not turn off the heat or remove the lid for 45 minutes.
In this article, we will offer you a step by step guide to cooking this delicious dish, instructions on storing leftovers, and more!
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How to Cook Brown Rice on The Stove
Cooking rice on the stovetop is actually one of the simplest adventures to embark on in your kitchen!
With that being said, if you have never done it before, it is natural and great foresight to be looking for a step-by-step guide on how to accomplish it. Below, we’ve provided you with that helpful guide!
- Select Your Pan
- Put the Correct Amount of Rice In the Pan
- Rinse the Rice
- Simmer the Rice
- Cover Saucepan and Cook
- Check on Progress
- Finish and Serve
Although this seven-step process is pretty straightforward, we’ll go into more detail to make sure you feel confident and well-prepared as you go into your stovetop quest.
1. Select Your Pan
The correct pan is essential for cooking on the stovetop, no matter what you are making, but when it comes to brown rice, it is especially important!
If you don’t measure out exactly the right size pan for how much rice you intend to cook, you could wind up with underdone rice or worse, a scorched bottom of the pan!
In terms of equipment, stainless steel with a glass lid is a great choice.
Therefore, you should carefully consider which pan you plan on using. We recommend a medium-sized saucepan.
A medium-sized saucepan is great for one to two cups of brown rice, providing enough room for the liquid you’ll add to soak into the rice without boiling over.
2. Put the Correct Amount of Rice In the Pan
Speaking of one to two cups, you’ll need to calculate how much rice actually goes in the pan just as carefully as you calculate which pot to pick.
Truthfully, those who are hungry may find themselves adding three or four cups of dried rice to a pan.
If you do this, you’ll wind up with a giant mountain of rice that is probably too much for you to eat. This is because as rice cooks, it expands, soaking in the liquid you’re using.
One cup of rice usually turns into somewhere around three and a half cups of rice, for example.
We recommend using one cup of dried brown rice, as it will serve two quite easily!
3. Rinse the Rice
This may be considered a pro tip, because not many home cooks realize the importance of this step: rinsing your rice!
Before you even begin cooking, rinsing the grains of rice in a fine strainer can separate each grain.
This is important because it causes the grains of rice to lose that tendency to clump together during the serving process, leaving you with fluffy, delightful brown rice at the end of your work.
4. Simmer the Rice
Now that you have finished measuring out, selecting your pan, and rinsing your rice, it is time to begin the actual cooking process!
For brown rice, you want to use two cups of water for every cup of rice you intend to cook.
Therefore, if you’re cooking two cups of brown rice, you’ll want to boil four cups of water, and so on. It is important that you boil the water in your saucepan over high heat before adding the rice.
It is also important to check the package of your rice, since grains of rice of varying length may need a little more or less water.
When the water reaches a rolling boil with big bubbles disturbing the surface, it is time to add your rice!
After a quick pour of the grains, take a wooden spoon and stir once or twice to make sure that they are separate: you do not want a big mound of rice heaped in the center of the saucepan.
Now you need to lower the heat to a simmer, meaning the stovetop should be on low heat.
5. Cover Saucepan and Cook
Now that the rice and water are boiling together in the pot, immediately cover the saucepan with a tight lid. The very worst thing you could do is lift this lid off while your rice is cooking.
This is because the whole cooking process of rice is created by steam. Lifting the lid away from the pot will cause all that steam to escape and leave you with ruined rice.
However, you don’t want overdone rice, either. Therefore, set a timer for around 45 minutes. This is much longer than white rice, but it is more than worth it!
6. Check on Progress
After 45 minutes, you can break that all-important rule and take the lid off! What you want to see is no water and fluffy brown rice.
However, even if this is the result of your patience, don’t start eating just yet! Instead, we recommend that you cover the rice up again with the lid and turn the heat completely off.
Once the heat is off and the lid is on, steam will begin rising within the saucepan again. Let this slow steaming process go on for ten minutes. After 10 minutes, your rice should be ready!
7. Finish and Serve
After about an hour-long process, total, your brown rice is finally ready to eat! All that there is left to do is fluff the rice up, which is a term that just means taking a fork and stirring or agitating the brown rice.
Leave the lid off the rice so that no more steaming occurs, and serve alongside your favorite source of protein or veggies!
Read also >> How to Cook Japanese Rice on The Stove? (Video + Helpful Tips)
What to Serve With Brown Rice
Brown rice might be tasty enough on it’s own, especially if you add some salt and pepper. However, it can get pretty plain and if you want to spice things up, brown rice really works best alongside other meal elements.
We recommend serving brown rice with steamed veggies as a healthy alternative. However, meat works just as well!
In fact, combining sauteed chicken, onions, and carrots, and topping it all with a thoroughly fried egg can make an excellent dinner full of protein and nutrients.
Finally, brown rice is a wonderful accompaniment to burritos or even tacos on Taco Tuesdays!
How to Store Leftovers
When you’re done making your brown rice and enjoying it for one night, don’t stress about putting the leftovers away!
There is a very simple way to store the rice so that you can have it again later! Check out the list of steps to take toward this goal below:
- Select an Airtight Container – It is important to put any brown rice you may have left over in an airtight container. Plastic tupperware is the best thing to use, thanks to the sealing plastic lids, but if you need to use sandwich baggies, that’s just fine too. As long as the air can’t penetrate the container, you’re good to go!
- Store the Rice at 40 Degrees Fahrenheit or Lower – The temperature you store your already-cooked brown rice at is key to keeping it safe and tasty to eat later. You can choose to store your brown rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or you can freeze the whole container under 32 degrees for an even longer shelf life!
Ingredients
Brown rice on it’s own is an ingredient all by itself! It is technically a grain or whole grain, meaning it contains the following ingredients:
- Bran
- Endosperm
- Germ
In addition to these ingredients, it is natural to season your brown rice dish with the following ingredients, no matter what you choose to add to the dish as a side element:
- Salt
- Pepper
- Butter
Nutrition Facts Per Serving
Below are the nutrition facts per one half-cup serving of long grain variety of brown rice according to WebMD:
| Calories | 108 |
| Protein | 3 grams |
| Fat | 1 gram |
| Carbohydrates | 22 grams |
| Fiber | 2 grams |
Brown Rice Cookin FAQs
Below are some frequently asked questions related to this topic!
What is the ratio of water to brown rice?
The ratio of water to brown rice, in most cases, is 2 cups of water per 1 cup of rice.
How long do you cook brown rice for?
Brown rice should be cooked over a simmering, low heat for 45 minutes.
Do you add more water for brown rice?
The amount of water you add to brown rice really depends on what kind of consistency of rice you like.
For the fluffiest results, add two cups of water per cup of rice. For crunchier rice, try a bit less liquid.
How to Cook Perfect Brown Rice – How to cook brown rice quickly > > Check out the video below:
In conclusion
In conclusion, brown rice is a delicious dish which can be served as an accompaniment to chicken, veggies, or even in burritos! It should be cooked on the stovetop, covered tightly, with two cups of simmering water per one cup of rice grains used.
For the best results, rinse the brown rice grains before cooking, and allow them to simmer for 45 minutes.