Rice is the food I eat most often, and it took me an embarrassingly long time to cook it well. Not because it’s hard — it’s genuinely one of the simplest things you can cook — but because I was following bad advice.

The internet is full of rice cooking guides that overcomplicate things or, worse, give incorrect ratios. Here’s what actually works, based on years of cooking rice almost daily in a Taiwanese-Australian household.

The first rule: rinse your rice

I know some people skip this. Don’t. Rinsing removes excess surface starch, which is what makes rice gluey and clumpy. Put your rice in a bowl, cover with cold water, swish it around with your hand, drain. Repeat until the water runs mostly clear — usually three to four times.

The exception is risotto rice (arborio, carnaroli). You want that surface starch for risotto’s creaminess. Don’t rinse risotto rice.

For everything else — jasmine, basmati, long grain, short grain, sushi rice — rinse.

The absorption method (stovetop)

This is how most of the world cooks rice and it works perfectly once you get the ratios right.

Jasmine rice (the everyday rice)

Ratio: 1 cup rice to 1.25 cups water. Not 1:2, which is what many Western recipes say and which produces mush.

Method: Rinse the rice. Put rice and water in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as it boils, reduce heat to the lowest possible setting. Cover. Cook for 12 minutes. Don’t lift the lid. Don’t stir. Turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork or rice paddle.

Basmati rice

Ratio: 1 cup rice to 1.5 cups water. Basmati needs slightly more water than jasmine because the grains are longer and drier.

Method: Rinse the rice, then soak it in cold water for 20-30 minutes (this is the step most people skip, and it makes a huge difference — the grains cook more evenly and stay separate). Drain. Add fresh water at the ratio above. Same method as jasmine: boil, reduce, cover, 12 minutes, rest 10 minutes.

Short grain / sushi rice

Ratio: 1 cup rice to 1.1 cups water. Short grain rice needs less water because the grains absorb less.

Method: Rinse thoroughly — this is especially important for sushi rice, which has a lot of surface starch. Same cooking method. The result should be sticky enough to pick up with chopsticks but not mushy.

Brown rice

Ratio: 1 cup rice to 1.75 cups water.

Method: Rinse. Soak for at least 30 minutes if you have time (it reduces cooking time). Bring to a boil, reduce to low, cover, cook for 40-45 minutes. Rest 10 minutes. Brown rice takes longer because the bran layer slows water absorption.

The rice cooker

I’ll be honest: I use a rice cooker 90 percent of the time. It’s not laziness. It’s that a good rice cooker produces more consistent results than stovetop cooking because it adjusts temperature automatically.

If you eat rice more than twice a week, a rice cooker is a worthwhile investment. You don’t need the $500 Japanese models (though they are excellent). A $60-80 basic Zojirushi or Tiger does the job brilliantly.

Rice cooker ratios are different from stovetop ratios. Use the measuring cup that came with the cooker (it’s usually smaller than a standard cup — about 180ml) and fill water to the corresponding line inside the pot. The manufacturer already figured out the ratios. Trust them.

Common mistakes

Too much water. This is the number one problem. If your rice is mushy, soggy, or porridge-like, you used too much water. Reduce by 2-3 tablespoons next time.

Lifting the lid. Every time you lift the lid, steam escapes and the cooking time changes. Set a timer and leave it alone.

Stirring during cooking. Don’t. Stirring breaks the grains and releases more starch, making the rice sticky in the wrong way. The only rice you stir during cooking is risotto.

Not resting. The rest period after cooking is essential. It allows the moisture to redistribute evenly through the rice. Skip it and the bottom will be wet while the top is dry.

Using old rice with fresh rice ratios. Rice that’s been sitting in your pantry for months has less moisture than freshly milled rice. It might need slightly more water. Adjust by a tablespoon or two.

Fried rice secret

Leftover rice makes the best fried rice. Specifically, rice that’s been in the fridge overnight. The drying process removes surface moisture, which means the grains separate better in the wok and you get that slightly chewy texture that good fried rice needs.

If you want fried rice tonight and don’t have leftovers, cook rice with slightly less water than normal, spread it on a tray, and put it in the fridge uncovered for a couple of hours.

Rice is a foundation food. Get it right and everything you serve it with tastes better.