How To Make The Perfect Rice

To think, until the last few months, I have lived my life thinking I knew how to make rice. For years, I have followed the instructions on the back of the package and was always sure never to lift the lid. Lately, as I have ventured into more frugal cooking, my rice technique left me wanting more. I started searching online for the "perfect" recipe. My search ended in disappointment as I tried a few recipes and was left with no better results than before. I did not want sticky or mushy rice. I was sick of tripling the recipe to feed my BIG family and opening the lid with anticipation at the end of the 20 minute cooking time, only to find it cooked around the edges and crunchy in the middle. Oh, what sadness I felt as I fed my rice to the garbage disposal, rather than my starving kiddos and scrambling to cook something else FAST ! I wanted long beautiful grains of rice that were perfectly blissful being on their own in the pan. I was sick of looking in the pan and seeing scared rice, stuck together and mushy, clinging to their fellow grains for support. About a month ago, it all changed for me. I was flipping channels and stopped to watch the chef (sadly, I do not remember her name) make what she called the perfect rice. I watched with awe as she gave the instructions hoping that this time, it would work. I immediately got up and made it, so I would not forget. So here is what I did...

What you need:
1-2 tsp of oil
As much rice as you want

Heat the oil in the pan at about medium heat and add as much rice as you need. Stir it into the oil until chalky. Then add hot water until it is two fingers above the rice line. Boil the rice until the water meets the rice level. You probably only want to stir it once or twice during this time just to make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Once the water is level with the rice, turn the heat down to low and put the lid on. Set the timer for 20 minutes. DO NOT LIFT THE LID. At the end of the 20 minutes, take the lid off and fluff the rice with a fork.