Name: Foolproof Oven-Baked Brown Rice
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice, medium-grain brown rice, or short-grain brown rice; 2 1/3 cups water; 2 teaspoons unsalted butter or vegetable oil; 1/2 teaspoon table salt

Why This Recipe Works

For our brown rice recipe, we cooked the rice in the oven to approximate the controlled, indirect heat of a rice cooker, eliminating the risk of scorching. Experimenting with proportions, we discovered why most brown rice is sodden and overcooked: Most brown rice recipes call for a 2:1 water-to-rice ratio. For our brown rice recipe, we found that 2 1/3 cups water to 1 ½ cups rice gave us perfectly cooked rice.

Before You Begin

To minimize any loss of water through evaporation, cover the saucepan and use the water as soon as it reaches a boil. An 8-inch ceramic baking dish with a lid may be used instead of the baking dish and foil. To double the recipe, use a 13 by 9-inch baking dish; the baking time need not be increased.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread rice in 8-inch-square glass baking dish.

Bring water and butter or oil to boil, covered, in medium saucepan over high heat; once boiling, immediately stir in salt and pour water over rice. Cover baking dish tightly with doubled layer of foil. Bake rice 1 hour, until tender.

Remove baking dish from oven and uncover. Fluff rice with dinner fork, then cover dish with clean kitchen towel; let rice stand 5 minutes. Uncover and let rice stand 5 minutes longer; serve immediately.