At first glance, this topic may seem unnecessary to discuss. After all, washing rice and cooking it is such a familiar task that everyone thinks they know how to do it. But are you really sure you're doing it right? After reading the information below, each person will have their own answer—and I know many of you will feel a bit embarrassed realizing you’ve been doing it all wrong.

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1. Over-washing the rice

Many people are in the habit of washing rice 4–5 times until the water becomes clear. But this habit actually washes away a lot of the rice’s nutrients.
To retain the nutritional value of rice, you should only rinse it 1–2 times—just enough to remove dirt and impurities.

Gently wash the rice by adding water to the pot, then use your hand to stir it slowly so that the dirt and husks float to the top. Then gently drain the water. Avoid rubbing the rice grains together, as this will strip away a lot of the nutrients on the surface.

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2. Cooking rice with cold water

Most people only use hot water to cook rice when they’re in a hurry, otherwise they usually use cold water. But using hot or cold water doesn’t just affect the cooking time—it significantly affects the nutritional value of the cooked rice.

Experts confirm that cooking rice with boiling water is better than cold water (regardless of whether you use an electric rice cooker or cook it over gas or firewood). Why? Because when rice is cooked in cold water, the grains swell slowly and nutrients dissolve and evaporate.
But if you cook rice in hot water, the outer layer of the grains tightens quickly, forming a protective layer that prevents the grains from cracking and helps retain more nutrients.

In fact, cooking rice with boiling water, keeping the lid tightly closed to retain heat and avoid air exposure, helps preserve up to 30% more vitamin B1 compared to cooking with cold water.

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3. Choosing overly fragrant rice

Nowadays, most households no longer eat dry, tasteless rice. Everyone prefers soft, aromatic types. However, be careful—rice that smells too fragrant could be dangerous for your health.

To make rice smell like that, sellers may use artificial flavoring agents of unclear origin, which often contain harmful chemicals. Eating rice with such additives can cause poisoning, diarrhea, and over time may even lead to cancer due to toxic buildup.

So when buying rice, choose grains that are long, white, not broken, and free from strange colors or odors. You can test by grabbing a handful and sniffing it—if it smells too strong or unnatural, it might have been chemically treated.

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4. Stirring the rice right after it’s cooked

Normally, when using a rice cooker, it will automatically switch to "warm" mode about 5 minutes after boiling. Many people tend to open the lid and stir the rice immediately at that point. However, doing so can make the top layer soggy and cause the bottom to stick to the pot, making it hard to clean.

To make the rice fluffy and less sticky, wait about 5 minutes after the cooker switches to warm mode before unplugging it and stirring the rice. Then plug it back in for another 5 minutes—the rice will become much softer and tastier.

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5. Not fluffing the rice before serving

Even when the rice is cooked, if you don’t fluff it with chopsticks or a spoon before serving, it’ll be clumpy and hard to scoop. Worse, it won’t taste or smell as good.
So make it a habit to gently fluff the rice before scooping it into bowls.

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Bonus Tips for Cooking Delicious Rice:

• Use tea water to cook rice:
  The rice not only smells amazing and has a unique color, but it's also good for digestion. Here’s how:
  Use 0.5–0.7g of tea leaves, soak them in 1kg of boiling water for 5–8 minutes. Strain out the tea leaves and use the tea to cook rice as usual. Once the rice is done, it will be both fragrant and healthy.

• Add a few drops of oil:
  If you add a few drops of cooking oil or animal fat when cooking rice, it will be more fragrant, fluffy, and less likely to stick or burn at the bottom of the pot.

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Wise homemaker secrets:

• The nutrients in fresh and frozen foods differ more than you think—this will surprise any homemaker.

• Everyone makes this mistake with green vegetables, causing them to lose all their nutrients.

• After learning about this, you’ll never throw this item away again—its benefits are more powerful than any supplement you're currently taking.