First, measure out your rice. The common advice is to use twice as much liquid than rice, which translates to one cup of rice + two full cups of water. That’s plenty of room for the rice to grow, right?
You start by putting the lid back onto the slow cooker, turning the dial to High, then setting the timer for two and a half hours. Higher = faster, right? You put it on high. You go about your business and feel sure about this technique.
You set your timer, then when it’s up you pop open the lid and see what happened. Out comes all that steam and there it is: a wet, gloppy disaster in the pot. It is not fluffy grains of anything; it is just rice soup. It is heavy and wet, clinging together, more like a wet dish rag than something you could chew. It is frustrating because popular wisdom didn’t work.
How to Fix Slow Cooker Rice
Here’s how: You change two things. The first is that you greatly decrease the volume of water. You used to use a two-to-one ratio, where one cup of rice required two cups of water, but now you’re using one and a half cups. So what? Well, it looks like not enough at first, but it keeps the rice from being soggy.
The second change involves lowering the heat. Instead of High, you set it to Low (this way it can absorbs slowly). Now, you leave it cooking for three and a half hours.
This time around the low setting do help, as it doesn’t boil away too much of the water yet will tenderize the grains anyway. It might take a little longer (and then some), but oh well, it’s worth the wait.
Check the pot again. Nearly all the liquid has been soaked up by the rice. No more puddles. You don’t have to drain anything. The grains is separate.
When you stir it with a spoon, you find that it’s light and fluffy. Just as you hoped. And unlike last time, there are no clumps stuck together. Every grain maintains its integrity.
Placing a serving on a plate, you test out the finished product. On the dinner table, the rice isn’t bad-looking at all. There is no more glop and mush. Everyone finishes their dinner without griping about how something taste funny.
When you’re cooking in slow cooker, don’t double the amount of liquid. A little less water and a little cooler heat go a long way. The result is perfect rice every single time. You should of used this method sooner. It would of saved me so much frustation.