If cooking rice makes you nervous, know that you are not alone. Even really seasoned and confident cooks get intimidated by plain old rice. But making perfect rice is well within anyones grasp. And if you have kids, you probably know how much kids like rice. Its ideal for soaking up sauces, balancing out spiced or spicy main dishes, and when all else fails, its what a picky eater will eat. This is how to make perfect white rice. American long-grain white rice is the most familiar rice in american kitchens. It's usually cooked in a tightly covered pot with a measured amount of water, which gets completely absorbed by the rice, resulting in a dry, fluffy texture with distinct grains. The basic recipe is 2 to 1, in terms of water and rice. You can easily, double and even triple the recipe; make sure you are using a pot large enough to hold the rice as it will expand a bit when cooking. Other rice varieties, like brown and arborio, can be a little different in terms of proportions and timing, but this is how youll get perfect white rice every time. Rice keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so you can make extra to serve later in the week, or to use in different dishes, like stir-fries, risotto or frittatas.