My good friend Jeb recently bought a new home with a spacious kitchen and a even more spacious refrigerator (you could hide at least two bodies inside it). If you know Jeb, you know that the only thing inside that big ole fridge of his – are pizza boxes and beer. So for his birthday I decided to have him over for a little cooking lesson. Jeb’s favorite foods are ginger and potato chips, so I thought a lesson in stir-fry would be fitting. And while we were chopping chili peppers and ginger root, I realized that Jeb probably needed a quick lesson in rice before we got any farther.

I can only make two points about rice. Both are important to me – only one is crucial.  

1. The secret to good rice is – buying good rice. I buy long grained special basmati rice in bulk at Costco – and I think it makes all the difference. I recommend sharing it with a friend – as 20 pounds of rice can last you nearly a lifetime (and is completely insane plus embarrassing for a single person).

2. When I told Jeb that if he wanted one cup of rice he needed two cups of water. He asked, “what if I want two cups of rice?”  It is a 2 to 1 ratio – and I tend to be scant on the water so it isnt too wet.