Even though it seems like a simple process, making rice, things frequently go wrong.
You will inevitably run into a snag with your rice dish at least once in your life, regardless of how skilled a cook you are.
I’m sure I’ve had my fair number of mushy, soggy, or dry rice meals, and each time it was just a tiny error on my part and a huge disaster!
How To Fix Mushy Rice?
The point is that cooking ideal rice is not as easy as it seems. And when you fail too, do not feel upset but rather act quickly!
Yes, there is a solution! Do not throw away your mushy rice! If you are wondering how to fix mushy rice, simply read the following text! There are some suggestions on how to use it as well!
Identifying The Problem
As I have already mentioned, I have had a problem with mushy rice a few times before. Thanks to that, I have learned how to fix mushy rice or use it in a dish that will mask the lack of its proper texture.
It is always useful to know how to make the best of a bad situation, and this is why I want to share my knowledge with you.
First of all, you need to be able to identify the problem and what caused it. This will not only help you choose the next step but also prevent any future mistakes of that kind.
The most common problems that occur when cooking rice are:
Your Rice Is Still Hard To Chew Although Cooking Time Has Elapsed
Some rice will take longer to cook than other – so use the time given in the recipe only as your guideline. After that time has passed, try the rice and determine if it needs more cooking or not. If it does, add 1/4 a cup of water and leave the rice to slow cook for 5 additional minutes.
Your Rice Is Well-Cooked But Feels Too Wet
Pour your rice out on a baking sheet and dry it in your oven on a low heat setting. Be careful not to overdo it though, a few minutes are all it takes!
Your Rice Has Turned Out Mushy
As this is the most common issue cooks all over the world face, we will discuss it in a separate section, and I will offer quite a few solutions, so hang in there!
Your Rice Has Become Burnt Underneath
Quickly transfer the entire pot of rice over a container (or a bigger pot) filled with cold water. That will prevent the burnt smell from spreading on the rest of the cooked rice. Leave it for two minutes and then carefully transfer all the “healthy” rice into another bowl.
Avoid the problems, use a Japanese cooker to prepare the rice!
Extra Tip
To avoid having issues with the rice you are cooking, try not to lift the lid too often. In this way, you release some heat and vapor, which can lead to having to prolong the time of cooking. However, you do need to check the rice when the time to turn off the heat is near to determine if all the water has been absorbed – just make sure you do it quickly, and you will not compromise the quality of the rice!
Five Easy Tricks: How To Fix Mushy Rice?
All of you have already probably experienced the mushy grains scenario (or you will, it is quite inevitable), and I suppose that most of you tried to resolve the issue in one way or another. Of course, I hope you will share your ideas and attempts later on too.
All of you have already probably experienced the mushy grains scenario (or you will, it is quite inevitable), and I suppose that most of you tried to resolve the issue in one way or another. Of course, I hope you will share your ideas and attempts later on too.
In fact, there are numerous ways you can try to alleviate the situation and save your rice dish, for example:
1. Microwave The Mushy Rice
Most people turn to the microwave when they need to fix the mushy rice. Why? Well, it is the simplest and quickest solution out there.
- Spread the rice over the baking sheet.
- Microwave it on a low setting for a minute or two.
Related article – Our Recommendations For Compact Microwaves in 2022
2. Refrigerate The Mushy Rice
There is a “cold” solution to the problem of mushy rice as well, and it is easy too.
- Distribute your mushy rice over a baking sheet (the thinner the layer, the quicker it will dry), and then cover it with parchment paper.
- Transfer the rice to the fridge and leave it there for approximately half an hour.
- When the rice has dried out, transfer it into your microwave, reheat it and serve it!
3. Drain And Cook The Mushy Rice
This method is almost as easy as the previous one.
- Drain the excess water from your rice.
- Return the pot with rice (no lid!) back to the cooktop and turn it on low heat.
- Monitor to see when the excess water evaporates and the rice dries out.
- Turn the stove off but leave the pot on it for another minute or so.
- The rice is now ready to serve.
4. Use The Salt Method
A little bit of table salt can save the day as well. It might sound a bit unusual, but you simply do the following:
- Fill a small sauce bowl with table salt.
- Position the bowl with salt inside the pan with rice.
- Leave it there for about fifteen minutes and it should absorb all the excess moisture.
5. Oven-Dry The Mushy Rice
You will need the same equipment as for the previous method, and this is how you do it:
- Once again equally spread the rice over the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place the rice in the oven and turn it on to a low heat setting.
- Monitor the process by opening the oven door from time to time and checking if the rice has dried out.
- Once you are certain that the rice is dry enough, turn off the oven and leave the rice to sit in it for another minute or so.
- Remove the rice from the oven and serve it as usual. Do not forget to use the oven mitts! I’ve made a list of the most recommended oven mitts.
Bonus Method: Make A Rice Pudding
If everything else fails you, make a dessert! Eating sweets is sure to make you feel better, and it will save your rice from being fed to a trash can too!
You Will Need:
- 8 ounces of milk
- 8-ounce measure of mushy rice
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
- Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Pour the milk and rice into a saucepan. Mix in the sugar, vanilla, and salt.
- Cook on medium heat for about ten minutes, stirring from the bottom all the time.
- When the pudding gets thick enough, and there is no milk on the surface, turn off the heat and let it simmer for one minute more.
- Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the pudding and serve it.
The key to successful rice cooking is getting the proper water to rice-ratio. If you fail to use enough water, your rice will be undercooked. Too much water will make it mushy or wet! So, what would be the right ratio? It depends on the amount and type of rice you cook:
- COOKING THE SHORT GRAIN WHITE RICE: Use 1 cup of white rice for 1 cup of water.
- COOKING THE MEDIUM GRAIN WHITE RICE: Use 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of rice.
- COOKING THE BROWN RICE: Use 1 cup of brown rice for every 2 cups of water.
Conclusion
As you can see there is no need to fret about cooking rice anymore, there are numerous methods we can all use to resolve the issue and enjoy our rice meal.
Now that you have so many tricks up your sleeve, the only fair thing would be to spread the word! Please share this article so that your family and friends can know how to fix the mushy rice problem too!
If you have some suggestions or additional methods that will help us all fix the mushy rice, share that as well!
Final Tip: Do not stir the rice too much while it is cooking as that will activate the starch and make the rice mushy!
Additional Recipe: Learn how to prepare fried rice as they make it in Singapore