Most experienced cooks know how to cook rice to have it turn out fluffy with separated grains. However, it has come to my attention that not all cooks know this, even those who are quite experienced.

My daughter Elizabeth told me just the other day that her boyfriend’s grandmother puts the correct proportion of rice to water into a covered pan, but she also lifts the lid during the cooking process and stirs the rice. Perhaps some of you are doing this as well.

Here’s my rice cooking method, and it has worked very well for me for many years.

Do not rinse the rice. Place the rice and water into a pan for which you have a tight fitting lid. A heavy pan is best. The ratio of water to rice is 2:1, which simply means two parts water to one part rice.

Place the uncovered pan on low heat and observe it until it just barely begins to simmer. Put the lid on the pan, keeping the heat low, and cook the rice for the prescribed amount of time. 20 minutes for white rice; 35 minutes for brown rice.

Do NOT lift the lid during the cooking time. When the time is up, remove the pan from the heat, leaving the lid on, and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. Only after that, lift the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.

Lifting the lid during cooking allows heat and steam to escape and you need that to cook the rice properly. Stirring during cooking breaks the grains and releases starches that cause gumminess and makes the rice stick to the pan.

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