Now, do not fear of cooking rice. How exactly rice cooks varies from variety to variety, even from batch to batch means brown rice cooks longer than white and old rice absorbs more water than new.
These days, most rises are available in the market free of dirt, gravel, and chaff so there’s rarely a need to patiently pick through it. Washing rice is another matter.

Soaking the rice
The reasons for soaking rice are to shorten the cooking time and to allow for maximum expansion of long-grain rice, particularly Basmati.
A soak also makes the grains a little less brittle so they’re less likely to break during cooking. If you are using older basmati, which needs to be treated carefully, you should soak it first. (Recipes vary in suggested soaking times, with 30 minutes most common.) But for most everyday meals, skip this step and still get good results. If you do soak your rice, be sure to drain it thoroughly or you’ll be using more water in cooking than you intended.
Cooking rice by the absorption method: simple and reliable
First tip some rice into a large pot of boiling water, adjust the heat to keep the rice just dancing to the surface, and check it now and again by taking a bite. When the rice was resilient without a trace of central hardness, the water got poured off and saved for soup. To make the rice dry and fluffy, tip it back into its pan, cover it, and cook it further over very low heat.
If you prefer the absorption method. In this more smooth process, the rice is cooked in a measured amount of water so that by the time the rice is cooked; all the water has been absorbed. As the water level drops, trapped steam finishes the cooking.
For every cup of rice, use 1-1/2 to 2 cups of water (less if the rice is washed first). You need to experiment a little to find the amount you like best, but in general, use the larger amount for long-grain rice, the lesser for medium and short. Keep in mind that more water gives you softer, stickier rice—great for stir-fries. Less water will keep the grains more separate and result in firmer rice, a good style for rice salads.