Old-Fashioned Boiled Rice

From: Theory & Practice of Good Cooking by James Beard

I know it might sound weird to boil rice (I had never heard of doing such a thing until seeing this recipe) but it honestly gives you the fluffiest rice ever. No sticking to the pan.

Bring 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a rapid boil in a 6 to 8 quart pot. Throw in 1 ½ cups of rice in small handfuls, making sure that the water continues to boil throughout. Boil the rice rapidly for 15 minutes, uncovered, and then drain through a sieve. Do not overcook. This will give you fluffy rice with well-separated grains, slightly firm with well-separated grains, slightly firm to the bite.

If the rice seems a little moist and not fluffy, after draining return it to the pan and dry out over very low heat for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring it occasionally with a fork to fluff it up. Always stir cooked rice with a fork or toss it with two forks. Using a spoon bruises the grains and makes them sticky.

This method also works well with the Italian short-grain rice.