When cooking rice, you can squeeze a little lime into the pot. This is a simple tip that makes the rice tastier, and not everyone knows about it.

For many people, cooking rice is a simple task done every day. Thanks to the rice cooker, you only need to wash the rice, add it to the pot with the right amount of water, and turn on the cooking mode. After about half an hour, the rice will be ready. During this time, you can prepare other dishes.

Although cooking rice is easy, adding a few small tips can make the result tastier and more appealing. One of these tips is to squeeze lime into the rice cooker.

What does squeezing lime into the rice do?

When you hear about squeezing lime into the rice cooker, you might feel puzzled or worried that the rice will turn sour. However, lime will make the rice whiter, smell better, and the grains will become fluffier. The amount of lime added is very little, so it won't make the rice sour. Moreover, this method helps the rice last longer, especially in hot weather.

The process is simple. Wash the rice as usual. Then, add the rice to the pot, pour in the right amount of water for cooking. Next, add a few drops of lime juice into the pot. Stir it well so that the lime juice mixes with the water. Close the rice cooker lid and select the cooking mode as usual.

If you don't use lime juice, vinegar can be used as a substitute with similar results. You only need 2ml of vinegar for 1.5kg of rice.

Some other rice-cooking tips:

1.  Choosing the Right Rice:

Depending on your preference for sticky or firm rice, fragrant rice or not, you can choose the rice that suits your family. Also, keep in mind that freshly harvested rice is always better than old rice. Old rice turns yellow, and its nutritional content significantly decreases. Therefore, the taste and color won't be as good as fresh rice.

2.  Using Boiling Water to Cook Rice:

Using boiling water to cook rice will yield better results than using cold water. Boiling water helps the rice cook faster and become stickier, and it locks in the nutrients inside the grains, reducing the amount of nutrients lost during the cooking process.

3.  Adding Salt to Rice:

One trick to make your rice tastier and prevent it from spoiling quickly is to add salt. You can wash the rice with a little salt, then add the rice and water to the pot, and cook as usual.

4.  How to Wash Rice:

When washing rice, don't wash it too much because this will wash away the nutrients from the rice. Also, washing it too long can cause the grains to break. When washing rice, just gently stir to remove the dirt and rinse it 1-2 times.

5.  Adding Oil to the Rice Cooker:

When cooking rice, you can add a bit of sesame oil, coconut oil, or olive oil to make the rice shiny, plump, and more flavorful. Just add a small amount of oil. You can also use animal fat like pig or chicken fat as a substitute.

6.  Using Chicken Broth Instead of Water:

You can use chicken broth instead of water to cook rice. This will make the rice much more fragrant and flavorful. This method is often used to make rice for chicken rice dishes.

7.  Using Tea to Cook Rice:

This is a common rice-cooking method in Japan. They brew light tea and use the tea instead of plain water to cook the rice. Rice cooked with tea has a unique and delicious flavor, while also providing health benefits. Tea contains antioxidants that help lower cho.lesterol levels, reduce blo.od lipids, and minimize the ri.sk of atherosclerosis.