How to Measure Rice Proportions with Your Finger

Published on Thursday, September 10, 2009, by CHOW Video Team / Edit Post

How to Measure Rice Proportions with Your Finger

All you need to make a pot of rice is the pot, the rice, the water, and an index finger, says Poppy Tooker, author of the Crescent City Farmers Market Cookbook. Fill a pot with long-grain white rice up to the first joint of your finger, then fill it with water up to the second joint and you’re ready to go.

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  • Nice post scarberian. I love to hear those home stories.

  • Well the "secret's" out. My family has been doing this technique since I can remember. In the Philippines this is the method used, except we use a rice dispenser to measure how much rice we want and who needs a pot when you've got a rice cooker (of course if you want your rice flavoured then by all means use the pot). We also "wash" our rice before we cook it - this is a simple rinse before...+READ

    Well the "secret's" out. My family has been doing this technique since I can remember. In the Philippines this is the method used, except we use a rice dispenser to measure how much rice we want and who needs a pot when you've got a rice cooker (of course if you want your rice flavoured then by all means use the pot). We also "wash" our rice before we cook it - this is a simple rinse before adding the cooking water. If you've got long nails then see how long your nail is compared to the first knuckle of your finger and use that as a standard. A great way to cook the rice is over an open flame in an iron pot. This is how they did it in my dad's village. I've never tasted rice so good before... smoky and nutty. Also didn't hurt that we also had skillet fried free range chicken (killed that day). This chicken was so free range that it had to be shot to be caught. No fences.-COLLAPSE

  • Not accurate. If you shake the pot the rice will spread out versus it peaking in the middle such as it did in the video. Since rice is typically cooked to the ratio of one part rice to two parts water (both by volume), the peaked rice around your first knuckle (IF your finger is in the middle of the pot and the rice is distributed evenly around your finger...) would be closer to being accurate....+READ

    Not accurate. If you shake the pot the rice will spread out versus it peaking in the middle such as it did in the video. Since rice is typically cooked to the ratio of one part rice to two parts water (both by volume), the peaked rice around your first knuckle (IF your finger is in the middle of the pot and the rice is distributed evenly around your finger...) would be closer to being accurate. Too many ifs!

    The size of the pot is also going to determine how much rice you make... If I used the size of pot she did and brought it up to my knuckle I would make enough rice for six people, whereas I only need rice for two. How long are your fingers?

    I do as mentioned by others: measure rice, put rice in, measure water, put water in (nuking first, if you want), and put away cup.

    I have used my finger before, but I spread the rice out evenly. I then see how far up it is on my finger (from the tip), and then visually multiply that distance times three to know where to fill the water to.

    This is a half-baked video. Not worth devouring...-COLLAPSE

  • what if you have long nails?

  • Vorpal and Rhody Dave, I'm with ya'll. Besides, even if you DO wash the measuring cup, it looks to me like it would be easier than than pan she's pouring the rice from. ???

  • Vorpal - exactly! That's what I do too. Who the hell needs to wash a measuring cup after putting dry rice in it?

  • But I like to boil the water befor I add the rice

  • Seems a bit trivial to me. I take a 1 cup measuring cup, fill with rice, pour into pot. Using the same cup, either measure out 1.5 or 2 cups of water (depending on type of rice), pour into pot. The cup is now rinsed clean and can be put away just fine, no washing necessary.