The Best Way To Reheat Rice For First-Day Fluffiness

When cooking staple foods like rice, it makes sense to cook a big batch. Whether you're parboiling rice first or trying the flipping trick for evenly-cooked rice on the stove, there's no use dirtying the pot for just one serve. After all, you can use rice in so many dishes throughout the week — think fried rice, risotto, or even creamy rice pudding made with leftover rice. 

As long as you store and reheat rice correctly, it's great for meal prep. The downside to leftover rice, though, is that it can often become dry or stick together in clumps. Sure, it's edible, but we wouldn't be fooling anybody if we told them it's fresh. So, here's a handy trick for reheating your rice to get it back to first-day fluffiness. While there are several methods you can use, the important thing for all of them is to add a splash of water to the rice before you reheat it. 

You'll want to keep your rice covered while heating, because the trapped steam is key to fluffing your rice back up and containing moisture. You only need a few spoonfuls of water since creating steam is the main goal, not re-soaking the grains.

Microwaving your rice is the easiest and quickest way to reheat it — just cover your rice and a little water in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave it for three or four minutes. An alternative microwave method is to add an ice cube directly to the rice and microwave it for around a minute. The ice cube will create steam, although it will remain intact rather than melting as you might expect — so remember to throw it out before serving.

If you have a little more time to spare, reheating your rice on the stovetop is an efficient method for fluffy rice.  In a covered pot, heat the rice and water, taking it off the heat soon after the water steams. The aim is to keep the lid on for at least a few more minutes to let the steam soften the rice, or ideally until serving. If your rice is too wet, just let it sit covered for longer, and if the rice still looks dry, heat it on the stovetop again with a little more water. 

Reheating rice in the oven takes longer, but its ideal for when you more than a few cups of rice to reheat. This time add your water first, before adding the rice to an oven-friendly dish with a lid. Heating a bigger batch of rice at 300 degrees Fahrenheit can take 20 minutes or so, but be sure to check on it around halfway through. No matter which method you prefer, thanks to the addition of a little water, you'll be serving fresh rice all week long.