Lately I have been cooking several different side dish staples using sous vide and I thought it was time to start sharing them with you. I know it may seem boring and a bit redundant to write about cooking rice, but trust me this is great information for cooking small amounts of rice perfectly while helping you minimize waste or to help you from over indulging! The first of these posts (except for the Mashed Potato for One post I wrote at this time last year) is cooking white rice for one. I’ll admit, rice is common ingredient in many of my recipes, but it is difficult to cook the optimal serving size for just one person. I’ve tried stove top in my smallest pot, microwave in a rice cooking container, and in a typical rice cooker. They all failed me in some manner. First, none of these methods can cook 1/2 cup of rice with the results I desire. All of these methods can cook 1 cup but with issues. The stove top lacks consistency. Getting the heat just right is the real challenge when using the small pot. Too hot and scorched rice with a funky, bitter taste. Too cool and the rice takes longer to cook and soaks rather than cooks. With longer cooking times, the results are more mushy. The microwave cooker produces passable results in a consistent time frame, but typically leaves a boiled over mess inside the microwave making more clean up work… and no one likes that. The rice cooker produces the best results in a consistent amount of time, but typically some rice is stuck on the bottom of the cooker. When cooking a small amount of rice, I want every grain cooked for the meal… and I want less effort in the clean-up!

So I researched cooking rice via sous vide and found some interesting information. The most comprehensive information was contained in a video from America’s Test Kitchen’s Dan Souza that explains water to rice ratios and why sous vide cooking consistently succeeds where other methods may have variable results. The gist of the video is to cook white rice using sous vide in a 1 to 1 water to rice ratio at 200º F for 25 minutes. There are many benefits when using this approach, so here are just a few. First, the results are incredible every time. Second, the portion is perfect for one ‘single diner’ meal. Third, the timing is spot on so you can time the remainder of your meal to finish when the rice is done. Fourth, the possibilities of seasoning or flavorings you can cook/infuse into the rice are endless. And last, it is really simple and clean-up is a breeze! So, are you ready to up your rice cooking game?  If you are, set up your sous vide water bath and let’s get cooking!

Set up the sous vide water bath for 200 degrees F. Rinse the rice to remove any surface starch. In a recloseable bag, add the rice, salt, seasonings (if desired), and water (or broth). Using the water displacement method, remove as much air as possible before closing. Place the bag into the water bath and clip to the side. After 25 minutes, remove the bag and empty into a bowl. Lightly fluff the rice with a fork.

Enjoy!