Which type of rice should I use?

The difference is starch composition. High-amylose rice cooks up separate and fluffy; high-amylopectin rice releases starch and clings. That single property determines which dishes a rice can make.

What you'll need

• A recipe (optional)

Step by step

1. Use long grain for separate fluffy rice.Basmati, jasmine, American long grain. High amylose, so the grains stay distinct. This is what you want alongside curry or in a pilaf.
2. Use short grain for anything that should be creamy or sticky.Arborio and carnaroli for risotto, bomba for paella, sushi rice, pudding rice. They release starch, which is the point.
3. Rinse long grain, do not rinse risotto rice.Rinsing removes surface starch. That is what you want for separate rice and exactly what you do not want for risotto.
4. Use basmati where aroma matters.It has a distinctive fragrance and cooks up very long and separate. It is the default for Indian and Persian dishes for good reason.
5. Use jasmine for South East Asian dishes.Slightly stickier and softer than basmati, with a floral aroma. It clumps a little, which suits eating with chopsticks.
6. Adjust the water ratio by type.Basmati around 1.4 parts water, long grain 1.5, brown rice about 2. Risotto uses a completely different method with stock added gradually.
7. Allow longer for brown rice.The bran layer slows water absorption. Around 25-30 minutes and more water, or soak it first to shorten the cooking.
8. Store rice airtight and cool.It keeps for years but absorbs odours and can attract pantry pests. An airtight container rather than the opened bag.

Tips

• Old rice absorbs more water than fresh. If a familiar ratio suddenly gives dry rice, that is usually why.
• Cooked rice must be cooled quickly and refrigerated within an hour. It is the leftover most associated with food poisoning.
• Rice varies between brands even within a type. Once you find one that works, sticking with it removes a variable.

Common mistakes

• Using long grain rice for risotto — It has too little surface starch to create the creamy sauce, so you get rice in stock rather than risotto.
• Rinsing risotto rice — You wash away the starch that makes the dish. Rinsing is correct for long grain and wrong here.
• Using the same water ratio for every rice — Basmati, long grain and brown rice all absorb differently. One ratio gives dry rice for some and mushy for others.

Questions people ask