Steamed Rice

A double-boiler method from an era when rice was often overcooked and rinsed hard. The technique still works, and it is close to foolproof, but a few details have shifted.

• The hinge: contain the steamThe hinge: gentle indirect heat -- The rice cooks over simmering water, so the lower pan must not run dry. The recipe allows for adding a little more boiling water if things are too dry at the twenty-minute mark; it does not say to cover the pan, though keeping it covered helps the top cook as evenly as the bottom.
• Water ratioTwo cups of water to one of rice is right for the enclosed double boiler, where almost nothing evaporates. In a direct-heat saucepan the same rice needs about 1 1/2 cups and roughly 18 minutes off a boil, covered.
• Washing"Pick the rice over" refers to sorting out grit, stones and hulls from the less thoroughly cleaned rice of the period; modern packaged rice needs no picking. Rinsing until the water runs clear is still worth doing for long-grain, as it removes loose starch and keeps the grains separate.
• Which riceThis assumes plain long- or medium-grain white rice, the standard American table rice of the period. Brown rice needs 40-50 minutes and more water; parboiled and instant rices will not behave as written.
• TimingThirty minutes over water is generous but not damaging in a double boiler, since the rice stays at about boiling temperature and is unlikely to scorch so long as the lower pan still holds water. Test at twenty-five minutes and pull it when the grains are tender with no chalky center.
• SaltA full teaspoon per cup of dry rice is on the salty side by current habit, particularly if the rice is going under a sauced dish. Half a teaspoon suits most uses.
• YieldOne cup of dry rice gives about three cups cooked, enough for four as a side dish.