Rescuing gummy rice
Each grain of rice is coated in loose starch. Cooked in water, that starch turns sticky and glues the grains together. Short-grain rice has stickier starch than long-grain, which is why sushi rice clumps on purpose.
Water, lid and rest
Too much water makes grains burst and release starch. Measure the water, bring it to a boil, cover and lower the heat, and leave the pot alone. Rest the rice off the heat before fluffing with a fork, so the steam spreads evenly.
Test yourself
Questions from the interactive lesson, with the answer and the why.
You want fluffy long-grain rice. What do you do first?
Rinse it until the water runs mostly clear. Rinsing washes off loose surface starch.
True or false: Stirring rice often while it cooks makes it fluffier.
False. Stirring breaks grains and releases starch, which makes rice clump.
What went wrong? You lift the lid and stir the rice every minute. It turns to paste.
Stirring frees starch, and lifting the lid lets steam out. Both leave the grains gluey and unevenly cooked.
Fill the blank: Loose ___ on the grain surface turns to glue in hot water.
Loose starch on the grain surface turns to glue in hot water. Surface starch gelatinizes into a sticky coating.
You end up with a pot of gummy rice. What helps?
Spread it on a tray so steam can escape. Surface moisture leaves and the grains firm up a little.