White rice can be a fantastic pairing for a healthy dinner, but it can often be a bland dish if you do not cook it properly. Many people simply boil rice in water, but this can cause it to clump together while cooking, resulting in mushy rice, which makes it unappealing to eat.

However, Jeanine Donofrio, a cook and founder of Love and Lemons, has shared that an easy way to get perfectly cooked rice that is much fluffier is to add a little olive oil to the water. She said: “Combine the rinsed rice, water, and oil in the saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce the heat so that the water maintains a gentle simmer.”

It may sound bizarre, but adding oil to your pot of boiling water helps prevent the rice from sticking to each other, reducing the chance of it becoming gummy.

A little oil also helps reduce any excess starch in the rice, making it much fluffier.

This is a simple way to greatly improve the texture of your white rice, and will also give it a beautiful glossy finish, so it will look far more appetising once you serve it.

Jeanine said, “It’s easy to make in under 30 minutes, and it always yields tender, fluffy rice.”

It should be noted that this cooking technique only works with white rice, such as jasmine or basmati. It is less effective with brown rice, as brown rice is naturally less sticky and takes longer to cook, which reduces the effectiveness of the oil.

How to make white rice fluffier

You will need:

• 375ml of water
• 200g of white rice
• One tablespoon of olive oil
• Saucepan with a tight-fitting lid

Instructions

You will need one and a half cups of water (375ml) for every cup of rice (200g). Make sure to get the water ratio right, as it is essential for cooking rice properly.

Jeanine said: “Many white rice packages say to use two cups of water for every one cup of rice. But I find that my rice is fluffier when I use slightly less water.”

Using too much water will cause the rice to absorb more moisture than needed, which can cause it to become soggy or even have a glue-like texture.

Make sure to also wash your rice in a colander before cooking, as it also helps remove excess starch, which causes the rice to clump together.

When you are ready to cook, cover the rice in water and add a tablespoon of oil. Bring the mixture to a boil on high heat, then reduce the heat so the water is just simmering.

Let the rice simmer for 15 minutes until the rice absorbs the liquid. Next, turn off the heat on the stove, place the lid on it, and let it steam for 10 minutes.

It is important to let the rice rest, as this allows the moisture to spread evenly throughout the pot, resulting in less excess water and a fluffier rice.

Then simply run a fork through the rice to help fluff it up even more, and your white rice will be beautifully tender and light.