Ever feel like you’re not getting the most out of a simple bag of rice? In this video, Nicole shares 16 smart rice hacks, tips, and recipes that go far beyond the basic side dish. From flavor-boosting cooking techniques to clever household uses, these practical ideas will help you cook rice better, use up leftovers, and even solve a few everyday problems around the house.
Discover game-changing tricks like toasting your rice for deeper flavor, the towel lid method for perfectly fluffy grains, and an ice cube hack that revives leftovers in minutes. Nicole also walks through creative recipes like oven-baked French onion rice, spicy tuna fried rice cakes, and crispy arancini. Plus, learn surprising non-cooking uses for rice — from deodorizing musty spaces and ripening fruit to making rice water glass cleaner and even homemade glue. Watch to the end for simple tricks that make rice one of the most versatile ingredients in your kitchen.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Rice Hacks, Tips & Recipes
0:14 – Oven-Baked French Onion Rice
1:44 – Spicy Tuna Fried Rice Cakes
3:25 – Toast Your Rice for More Flavor
4:59 – Towel Lid Trick for Fluffy Rice
5:23 – Microwave Rice Method
6:22 – Rice as a Soup Thickener
7:40 – Ice Cube Hack for Reheating Rice
8:21 – Freeze Leftover Rice
9:36 – Crispy Arancini
11:39 – Rice Heating & Cooling Pad
13:35 – Rice in a Salt Shaker
13:59 – Bust Musty Smells with Rice
14:54 – Use Rice to Ripen Fruit
15:40 – Rice Scrub for Cleaning Jars
16:13 – Rice Water Glass Cleaner
16:58 – Rice Water Glue
Get the recipes here:
Oven-Baked French Onion Rice: https://www.allrecipes.com/stick-of-butter-french-onion-rice-recipe-11808540
Crispy Arancini: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/214768/rice-balls-a-la-tim/
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29 Comments
I rested my rice in a pot of boiling water, put the rice in a strainer or small colander, put the lid on it and steam your rice.
Rice water is the best liquid to wash your face.
I bet your sons friends love coming to your house 😂
We always heated the rice in a pan. We didn't have microwaves when I was little. You can also use salt
I made large lavender rice packs to put in my daughter’s bridesmaids gift bags. Just quickly sewed up two large, satin pouches (in lavender, of course!). A long rectangle to place across the eyes and drape well past the temples, and a larger rectangle for the lower tummy for cramps, etc. Then I filled each with rice and high quality, freshly dried lavender flowers, and finished with a few drops of essential lavender oil. I added a small pretty corded loop in one corner for hanging, and closed the opening with a tidy invisible hand stitch. The ladies absolutely loved them! Plus, they cost very little to make!
Tip: best place to get the lavender flowers was at a street fair! There was a stand there representing one of the local lavender farms. They had beautiful flowers, lavender scented bath salts, lavender goat milk soaps, candles, etc.! I had to go back the next day to buy more for the gift bags!😂😂
I bought myself a small rice cooker and can do grains in it or cake etc. it was just a great little helper, when hubby was ill.. it always turns out perfect, but your ideas are always welcome
Rinsing your rice before you cook it also helps keep it from being sticky.
Refrigerating or freezing your rice reduces the glycemic index by 50 %. Which if you are eating a lot of rice or have DM or prediabetes is important.
I love love your video’s. Has made me want to cook again at 76, thank you
I was impressed with the rice in the microwave hack, which reminded me of your egg hack video( specifically the microwave omelette), perhaps you could do a video on microwave hacks?
The best way to cook perfect rice is: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pot. Add 1 cup (I use Star jasmine), not necessary to rinse. Coat rice and cook until the rice starts to turn from opaque to white and I like a slight brown to a few grains. Add 1.5 cups water. Bring to boil. Lower heat to simmer, cover. Set timer for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, turn off the heat but DO NOT OPEN THE LID (no need for a towel). Set the timer for another 15 minutes. Remove lid and fluff. Perfect every single time. My brother was a chef and taught me that method. It is foolproof every single time.
Having cooked professionally for 30+ years, I have never rinsed rice. Cooking it on the stove is not difficult! I've never understood the hullabaloo about rice.
sorry, but…how do you carmelize onions? never did it. tx!
At m house it is forbidden to peek at the cooking rice… Just do it one time and it will be your last.
My husband recently suffered a heart attack so we’re on a low/no sodium diet. I can’t use any of your hacks now! I need to do the extra work to make stock, broth, biscuits, etc… nothing is easy now! 😢
Will you marry me?
What brand of cookware do you use?
I like cheap rice. I'm the only one here, so who cares?
I was a labor and birth doula for decades. I made rice socks for my clients. They are invaluable when a mom is really uncomfortable or needs help with pain.
Who has 3 stoves?!
While stationed in Sicily we had "rice balls" called Calzone. Cooked hamburger formed into a cone (Sicilian) or a ball. Inside the ball was a piece of cheese and a sauce. It was coated like you did. Then fried. So delicious. It went well with "Black Spaghetti".
I like them the size of a medium boulder.
I MADE THE RICE SQUARES FROZE THEM WHEN I BROUGHT THE. OUT TO CUT THEY JUST FELL APART! DID NOT WORK !!!
Love this channel, Nicole is the best host, she is to the point, she don't mess around with long drawn out videos before they ever get to cooking, she gets sh*t done 💯👍😁
Love all the rice hacks ❤❤ thank you
The purpose of rinsing the rice first is not just to wash off excess starch, it is to wash away dust, debris, including insects and excess arsenic. Never save that water. Don’t believe it? Google it.
My dog ate my last rice heat pack 🤣
I don’t rinse my rice when I toast it
I'm Japanese and Asian rice is too expensive to use for anything but eating 😅