Oven Baked Rice
Make rice on the stovetop can feel a bit finicky, and not everyone has (or wants to use) a rice cooker. But, if you've got the oven free, this is an easy way to make rice for dinner.
|
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1/4 teaspoon salt |
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse rice well under cold water.
In a large ovenproof saucepan, heat butter over medium heat until foaming. Add rice and stir to combine. Cook until rice is coated with butter and starts to smell nutty. Add 2 cups of water and the salt. Bring to a boil, cover with a tightfitting lid and place in oven. Bake for 17 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes without removing the lid. |
This was inspired by a NYTimes recipe, but then I culled tips and wisdom from all over the internet. Here are my notes:
- This doesn't work very well for short grain or sushi rice. These varieties tend to come out soggy and overly mushy. Try using a medium or long grain rice.
- White rice may also need a little less water than called for above.
- You can use this method to cook brown rice; you need to increase the amount of water (usually a 2:1 water:rice ratio) and increase the baking time to 1 hour.
- Not sure how much more water brown rice needs, will update later :)
- Add in some onion and/or garlic by sauteeing it in the butter before adding the rice.
- Replace some or all of the water with chicken or beef stock.