Perfect Fluffy Rice; like the "Bend & Snap," it works every time!

I love rice, from the sticky Asian rices, to wild rice, to fluffy white rice. Unfortunately, I have always had difficulty with making fluffy white rice.  I usually buy rice in bulk, and when buying white rice, I love both the basmatti and jasmine varieties.  The directions always state to rinse the rice before cooking to remove the starches.  No matter mow many times I pre-rinse the rice, I seem to end up with a sticky overcooked mess. I really hate overcooked rice, and for years, it seemed that I was cursed when trying to make fluffy rice.

After some experimenting, I came up with this method of cooking fluffy, and slightly al dente, white rice. Like the bend and snap, it works every time!

Perfect Fluffy Rice

Skill level:

Ingredients

1 cup long grain white rice 

4 1/4 cups water

2 tablespoons butter, margarine, or olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Preparation

1. Put the rice, and 4 cups of water, and 1 teaspoon of salt  in a pan with a lid. 
2. Bring the rice and water to a boil.
3. When rice mix comes to a boil, reduce the heat (maintaining a rolling boil) and cook for 9 minutes.
4. Remove the rice from heat.  (The water in the rice mixture will be milky with the rice starches, which is the cause of gummy and sticky rice).  

5. Pour the rice into a colander, and rinse thoroughly with cold water.  Rinse until the water flows clear, and the rice is completely cold.  This usually takes about 3 to 4 minutes.

6. Rinse any residue from the pan used for boiling the rice.
7. Put the remaining 1/4 cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and butter in the pan.  
8. Bring the butter and water mixture to a boil.

9. When mixture is boiling, add 1/2 of the rice, and stir so that the rice gets coated. Repeat with remaining rice.

10. When the rice is all back in the pan, reduce the heat to just past the low setting, and put the lid on the pan.  This will rewarm the rice, and the liquid will absorb completely within 5 minutes.

11. Fluff with a fork, and serve.