Buy Cook's Science today: http://amzn.to/212U0nCThe Science of Good Cooking: http://amzn.to/1O8oGw7Despite what many cookbooks suggest, rice-to-water ratios can’t simply be scaled up proportionally.Cook's Illustrated member's recipe for Rice and Pasta Pilaf: http://cooks.io/1cY8OkpGet tips from the pros about how to cook grains (like rice) perfectly. Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68PPJuFgnUwHow much do you know about Asian noodle types? Watch now:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYiLrPQmcnAWe have a rice pilaf recipe that works without fail when made using 1 1/2 cups of rice, but many readers have written us to ask why they end up with an inch of mushy rice on the bottom of the pot when they try to double it. The reason is that, despite what many cookbooks suggest, rice-to-water ratios can’t simply be scaled up proportionally. After running a series of tests, we confirmed that rice absorbs water in a 1:1 ratio, no matter the volume. So in our original rice pilaf recipe, which calls for 1 1/2 cups of rice and 2 1/4 cups of water, the rice absorbed 1 1/2 cups of water. The remaining 3/4 cup of water evaporated. But here’s the catch: The amount of water that evaporates doesn’t double when the amount of rice is doubled. In fact, we found that when cooking a double batch of rice using the same conditions—the same large pot and lid and on the same stove burner over low heat—as we’d used for a single batch, the same quantity of water evaporated: 3/4 cup. Hence, simply doubling the recipe—increasing the amount of rice to 3 cups and the water to 4 1/2 cups—leads to mushy rice because there is an excess of water in the pot. The bottom line: To double our rice pilaf recipe, use 3 cups of rice and only 3 3/4 cups of water.ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America's Test Kitchen features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.Each week, the cast of America's Test Kitchen brings the recipes, testings, and tastings from Cook's Illustrated magazine to life on our public television series. With more than 2 million viewers per episode, we are the most-watched cooking show on public television.http://www.americastestkitchen.comMore than 1.3 million home cooks rely on Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines to provide trusted recipes that work, honest ratings of equipment and supermarket ingredients, and kitchen tips.http://www.cooksillustrated.comhttp://www.cookscountry.comIf you like us, follow us:http://cooksillustrated.comhttp://facebook.com/cooksillustratedhttp://twitter.com/testkitchenhttp://instagram.com/cooksillustratedhttp://pinterest.com/testkitchen
