Is It Necessary To Wash Rice Before Cooking? This Is What Experts And Chefs Say

JAKARTA - Washing rice or not before cooking is still often a debate. Some are used to mixing rice, but some immediately soak it with water to cook.

Quoting from Eating Well, on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, washing or washing rice is important to do. Although heavy metals or bacteria cannot completely disappear, washed rice can make cooked rice more flexible or soft.

Not only that, washing rice before cooking is also good for removing dust and dirt from the milling process. Washing rice is also important because rice is very susceptible to rice tick contamination.

Washing rice helps eliminate dust, some bags, and even heavy metals like arsenic. Arsonics are present on the ground naturally and due to human activity. The condition of rice plants, seeds can absorb and collect these heavy metals," explained food engineer Mariana Zapien.

The celebrity chef, Kai Chase, also mentioned that washing rice before cooking can have a good effect on the taste. The taste and texture of the rice produced will be better.

Washing rice can remove excess starch content, produce a more flexible texture and a better taste," added Kai Chase.

Meanwhile, there are two tips in washing rice that can be done, as below.

- Washing the rice under running water

To do this, you can pour the rice into a fine sieve placed on a large bowl. Put both of them in the kitchen sink, channel the tap water all over the surface of the rice and use your hands to mix rice.

Then pour the water from the bowl after it is full. Pay attention to the color of the water, initially it will look white milk, but as you rinse the rice, the water will change more clearly and the rice is ready to be cooked.

- Wash the rice in the bowl

Washing rice in a bowl or a rice cooker container can also be done. To do this step, the rice is put in it, pour the tap water, then stir the rice with your hands.

The water will turn white milk, then pour water from the bowl carefully, hold the rice with one hand if desired. Repeat this process until the rice washing water is clearer.