Ingredients Rice Perfectly Steamed Rice 5.0 (1) 1 Review Here, Kwame Onwuachi shares his top tip for making the best steamed rice. "The secret to perfectly steamed rice lies in toasting the grains before they go into the water," he says. "This gives them a wonderful nutty flavor that carries through and is augmented by stock and aromatics. It isn't strictly necessary, of course, but once you start toasting, you'll never go back to straight steaming again." By Kwame Onwuachi Kwame Onwuachi Instagram Kwame Onwuachi is the chef of Tatiana in New York City and competed on Top Chef season 13. In 2019, he was a Food & Wine Best New Chef, the James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef of the Year, and Esquire's Chef of the Year. Kwame's the author of Notes from a Young Black Chef and My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on May 17, 2022 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 50 mins Yield: 4 cups Ingredients 1 ½ cups uncooked long-grain white rice (about 10 ounces) 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 ½ cups chicken stock 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste 3 (4-inch) thyme sprigs fresh or dried bay leaf Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Rinse rice until water runs clear; set aside. Heat oil in a small ovenproof saucepan (with a tight-fitting lid) over medium-high until shimmering. Add rice; cook, stirring often, until toasted and shiny with a light golden hue, about 8 minutes. Add stock, salt, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high, stirring often. Remove from heat, and cover with lid. Transfer pot to preheated oven, and cook 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven; let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff rice gently using a fork; let it steam out, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove and discard thyme and bay leaf. If desired, add additional salt to taste. Make Ahead Perfectly steamed rice can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 4 days. Rate it Print