When making sushi, why do you have to rinse the rice?

Rinsing the rice helps it cook better and feel nicer in your sushi.

Imagine you're cleaning up after a messy playdate, you want to wash off all the crumbs and dirt so you can enjoy your snacks properly. That’s what happens when you rinse the rice: you’re washing away extra starch that clumps the grains together, making them hard and not as soft or fluffy.

When you cook rice without rinsing, the starch stays on the outside of each grain. It's like wearing a muddy coat, it makes everything stick together, and the rice doesn’t feel as nice when it’s done. But if you rinse it off, the grains can move around more freely in the water, making them softer and fluffier.

Just take your rice and put it in a bowl with some cold water. Give it a good shake or stir, like shaking up a juice box, then pour out the water. Repeat this a few times, like cleaning your hands after playing with clay. After a while, you’ll notice the water gets less cloudy, and that’s when you know the rice is clean and ready to cook!