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Add this buttery boxed dish to your dinner rotation
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Rice-a-Roni is one of the trickiest boxed dinners to make. When prepared improperly, you end up with unpleasantly crunchy rice. This guide is here to provide a culinary commentary on the instructions that already come on the box.
Things You Should Know
- Bring your water and seasonings to a boil and then reduce the heat to "low."
- Cover the mixture and let it continue warming for 15 minutes.
- Uncover the rice-a-roni at 15 minutes and after letting it sit for five more, you're all set to eat.
Steps
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After bringing the water and seasonings to a boil, bring the temperature down to low. Many people bring it down to medium, or medium-low, but when the instructions say low, they really do mean low. Anything higher will cause the mixture to bubble over and the rice will burn onto the bottom of the pan. -
Cover the mixture when the boiling has calmed. Once you set the heat to low, the boiling should subside within a minute or two. After that happens, covered the pan or pot completely . Many people are used to leaving the lid a little lopsided to let steam come out, but this is the opposite of what you need to do here. You need steam to build up within the pot, and if the temperature is low, you won't have to worry about the mixture overflowing.Advertisement -
Leave the lid on for at least 15 minutes. Opening the lid to check on the rice, or to stir it, can seem harmless enough...but what it really does is let out all the steam that was faithfully cooking your rice. Resist the temptation to check the rice. Trust the forces of cooking nature. If the heat is low, it will not burn . Promise. -
When at least 15 minutes have passed, you are now allowed to check on your rice. You may find that it is softer, now, than it has been in past Rice-a-Roni cooking adventures. It probably has a little more to go, though, so after a brief stir, put that lid back on tightly and check the rice only every ten minutes. -
Don't ignore the last sentence of the box's instructions: Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. When the rice is finished cooking, it will probably be a little on the mushy side. Leave the lid off, remove the pot from heat, and let it sit for a full 5 minutes, and perhaps more. This give the rice a chance to dry out and tighten up, as well as letting it cool. A little bit of fluffing with a fork can help this process along.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionWhen making two boxes at once, do I change the butter and water requirements?Community AnswerIf you're making two boxes, then double the ingredients. If the recipe usually calls for 2 cups of water per box, use 4 cups. If the recipe usually calls for 2 tablespoons of butter per box, then use 4 tablespoons of butter.
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Tips
- Topping with grated cheese before serving may earn you some extra compliments.Thanks
- Grating a garlic clove into the mixture right before you put the lid on for the first time can make the rice epically better (and your breath epically worse).Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- My aunt added cooked ground beef and a small can of black olives (the entire can). Add a salad and rolls and it’s an easy weeknight dinner meal!
- Do not double the water when you cook two boxes of rice-a-roni or you will definitely end up with mushy rice.
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About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 109,908 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "I didnt know if I should occasionally stir my rice-a-roni (the way I do when making Zatarains red beans and rice) or leave the lid tightly on during cooking (the way I do when making real rice). This article answered my question & made dinner delicious." ..." more
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"I didnt know if I should occasionally stir my rice-a-roni (the way I do when making Zatarains red beans and rice) or leave the lid tightly on during cooking (the way I do when making real rice). This article answered my question & made dinner delicious."
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"I consider myself a pretty good cook but screwed up this recipe without following the directions. My mother always made this perfectly."
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