For most of my twenties my stovetop rice came out in one of two states: crunchy in the middle or glued into a solid puck. I owned a rice cooker, hated cleaning it, and gave it away. Then I spent a year learning to do it in a pot.

Here is the version that finally worked, and it has not failed me in two years.

The ratio that matters

Long grain white rice, one part rice to one and three quarter parts water. Not two to one. That extra quarter cup is where mushy rice comes from. For jasmine, use one and a half parts water. For brown rice, two parts and an extra ten minutes of cooking.

The method

1. Rinse the rice in a bowl of cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Two or three changes usually does it.
2. Put rice, water, and a pinch of salt in a heavy pot with a tight lid.
3. Bring it to a full boil uncovered. As soon as the surface is bubbling all over, turn the heat to the lowest setting and put the lid on.
4. Set a timer for fifteen minutes and do not lift the lid. Not once. Every peek lets steam out and costs you texture.
5. Turn off the heat and let it sit, still covered, for ten minutes.
6. Fluff with a fork, not a spoon. A spoon smashes the grains together.

The lid rule is the one I broke for years. I would peek at ten minutes, see a little water left, panic, and stir. That single habit caused most of my bad rice.

If it still goes wrong

• Crunchy rice: add two tablespoons of water, lid back on, lowest heat, five more minutes.
• Wet rice: take the lid off, cook on low for two minutes, then let it rest. Do not stir.
• Burned bottom: move the rice to a new pot without scraping the bottom layer. It is salvageable.

A heavy pot matters more than any brand. Thin pots develop hot spots and scorch one side of the rice while the other side stays wet. A cheap cast iron Dutch oven fixed that for me.