Rice cooking times
Simmer times and water ratios for white, brown, basmati, jasmine and wild rice using the absorption method.
Almost every rice problem is one of three things: too much water, the lid coming off, or skipping the rest at the end. Get those right and the variety barely matters.
Every time below is simmering time on the lowest heat with a tight lid, followed by 10 minutes off the heat with the lid still on.
Three things that matter more than the timer
Rinse until the water runs clear
Loose surface starch is what makes rice claggy. Two or three changes of cold water is enough for long grain; sushi rice wants four or five. Skip it only if you actually want the grains to stick.
Do not lift the lid
The absorption method only works if the measured water is all the water there is. Every time you check, steam leaves the pan and the ratio you carefully measured stops being true.
Let it rest before you fluff it
At the end of the simmer the bottom is wetter than the top. Ten minutes off the heat with the lid on evens it out. Fluff with a fork after that, never before.
Common questions
What is the right rice to water ratio?
For most long grain white rice, one part rice to one and a half parts water by volume. Jasmine wants slightly less at 1:1.25, sushi rice less again at 1:1.2, and brown rice needs 1:2 because the bran layer slows absorption. The old 1:2 rule for white rice is a common cause of wet results.
Should I salt the water?
Yes, lightly. Unlike pasta water, none of it gets poured away, so use less than you think: about a quarter teaspoon per cup of dry rice.
Egg times come from the thermal-diffusion equation for a spherical egg published by Charles D. H. Williams (University of Exeter), calibrated so a large fridge-cold egg at sea level matches the times cooks actually use. Size, starting temperature and altitude then follow from the physics. Treat the result as a very good starting point, not a guarantee, because pans, hobs and eggs all vary.