Have you ever tried to fix a wonderful meal only to have one part spoil the whole thing? I have, and my nemesis is rice. Plain white long grain rice, for me it is rarely perfect. Usually it is sticky and in clumps. Occasionally it will be dry and under cooked. But once in a while it will turn out heavenly. Light and 'fluffy', not sticky at all and such a delicate flavor, indescribable. I had a bad case of the 'icky sticky' again recently and I decided to figure out what I am doing wrong.

Rice should be easy enough: water, rice and a touch of salt and butter. So how can that go wrong? Apparently plenty, that is why we have options at the grocery. The kinds of rice we have today are basically brown, white and instant. With converted thrown in just to confuse things.

First, all rice starts as brown rice. All the different varieties like Arborio, basmati and jasmine as well as plain white rice. The outer layer of bran which gives it the brown color is removed. Then most rice is 'enriched'. Long ago the government found adding nutrients to rice and flour, and iodine to salt, prevented much of the nutritional diseases of the time. So during the twenties or thirties it became mandatory to make this addition. Converted rice though has been steamed before the bran is removed. Not enough to cook the grains but it does allow the nutrients in the bran to transfer into the grain itself. That is why it has a yellow color to it.

Then we have instant and 'boil in the bag' rice. Yuck. Some people say they are fine with it, but to me it just is not the same as the real thing. This rice has been cooked and then flash dried. All you need do is add it to hot water and wait.

I decided to make some test batches to find out what is going wrong. First I tried the way I always do, 2 cups water, one cup rice, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon butter. Into a pan and heat to boiling, cover and lower heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. It didn't work. Next I tried leaving out the salt and then the butter. What about a higher or lower temperature or maybe a wait time after it is done? No help there.

So, after six batches of rice I am still no closer to what I want. I decided to consult a really old cook book. I turned to my good friend Marion Harland. Her book 'Marion Harland's Complete Cook Book' published in 1903 says it all:

So I tried it and it was almost right. I tried it at 9 minutes and it was perfect. And I must admit I did stir it from time to time. Adding the butter after was a great way to get the full flavor of the butter. By boiling you are removing the sprayed on nutrients as well as the excess starch. But I can't help but feel it is worth it. Thanks again Marion!