How to cook rice in the Microwave

No fail microwave rice, light and fluffy every time. Read on to learn how to cook rice in the microwave . You will find this is the easiest way to cook perfect rice!

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Perfect white rice every time

How many times have you tried to cook rice in a saucepan on the stove, only to have it either burn on the bottom of the pan or come out over-cooked and stodgy?

When I lived in South Africa, there were many different types of rice, but there was only one brand that everyone used.  Its catchphrase was ‘Cooks perfectly – every time’.  It didn’t matter how you cooked it, it always delivered the goods.

When I came back to the UK I really missed that rice!  No matter what I tried, I always ended up with a stodgy mess – in fact, I stopped eating rice for a while.   I even considered getting my daughter who still lives in South Africa, to post some over to me.

Then I experimented with cooking rice in the microwave, and guess what?  Perfect rice.

With my quick and easy microwave recipe, you will get perfectly cooked rice every time. There is no need to rinse the rice first either – so this is a real time-saver. 

The rice comes out perfectly cooked with every grain fluffy and light.

Word of warning – for best results use good quality rice.  You can use a supermarket ‘own’ brand – but I’ve found the supermarkets normally have 2 ‘own’ brands – a cheap one and a better quality, so go for the better quality, it’s worth it.

I have tested this recipe using Basmati rice, but it will work just as well for any long-grained rice.

How to cook rice in the microwave

Equipment

The only equipment you will need is a glass bowl with a tight-fitting lid. I have a set of pyrex bowls which are great for cooking in the microwave.

Ingredients

You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for how to make rice in the microwave on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

To cook perfect rice, you will need the following ingredients:

• Rice – any long-grain rice is suitable for this cooking method.
• Water – use cold tap water. Don’t use hot or boiling water as this will alter the cooking time.
• Salt – use salt according to your own taste. I find half a teaspoon of salt is sufficient for my taste.

The ratio of rice to water is 1 : 2 (ie 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of cold water). It doesn’t matter whether you use a measuring cup or a normal kitchen teacup. Just use the same cup for measuring both the rice and the water.

One cup of dried uncooked rice will yield 3 cups of cooked rice.

Steps

• Measure the rice into your container and add the water and salt.
• Put the lid on the dish, place it in the microwave and cook on full power for 8 minutes.
• After 8 minutes take the rice out of the microwave and give it a stir.  It should still be wet.
• Replace it in the microwave and cook on full power for another 3 minutes.
• Give it a stir with a fork – it should be light and fluffy with every grain separate.

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Storage and reheating

You can freeze the cooked rice either in a plastic freezer bag or in a plastic container such as Tupperware. Rice can be frozen for up to 6 months.

To use, allow to defrost in the refrigerator and then place it in the microwave (in a covered container) and heat at 30-second bursts on full power until the rice is piping hot.

If you are in a hurry you could use the microwave to defrost the rice first.

You can also store the cooked rice in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Should I rinse the rice before cooking?

If you have bought your rice pre-packaged from the supermarket, there is no need to rinse it first.

On the other hand, if you’ve bought the rice loose from a market, I’d be inclined to rinse it before using it for hygiene reasons.

If you do rinse the rice before you cook it, then reduce the cooking water by 2 tablespoons as the rinsed rice will have retained a little water.

Other recipes with rice

Recipe – How to cook rice in the microwave

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