Cooking rice: An automatic rice cooker is highly recommended. Just add rice and water according to the instruction. All you have to do is push the button. Fifteen or twenty minutes later, the rice is done.

You can also easily cook rice in a normal pot, if you learn a few tricks. One cup of rice is enough for two people. The ratio of rice to water is 1 to 1.5; add 1 1/2 cup of water to one cup of rice. If the rice is a new crop, reduce water by 10%. Let the water and rice boil with the lid off. When the water is reduced enough that you can see all the rice grains on top, cover the pot and lower the heat to the lowest temperature. Simmer for 7 minutes more. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit covered until you are ready to serve. If your lowest level of heat is too hot, you might burn the bottom. It might take a couple tries at first to get great results.