Some rice recipes (Indian cuisine or otherwise) – ask you to toast the rice before cooking it. Certain pulao recipes, risotto recipes, Mexican tomato rice, etc all require you to toast the rice in various fats – oil, butter, lard, etc and then proceed with cooking. What is the point of toasting the rice? Does it make any difference in the way the cooked rice looks or tastes at the end- shall we find out?
I am choosing to toast the rice in butter here -because it pairs really well with basmati rice (the rice I used for this experiment).
Version 1 (Control version) is rice made the traditional Indian way – by soaking the rice for 20 minutes and then pressure cooking it for 4 minutes (as listed in the Instant Pot booklet).
The experiment
Version 1 (Control):
- Soak the rice for 20 minutes
- Cook it in the Instant Pot for 4 minutes, natural release
Version 2 (Toasted):
- Soak the rice for 20 minutes
- Drain, toast the rice for 2 – 2.5 minutes in 2 Tbsp butter
- Cook in the Instant Pot for 4 minutes, natural release
Here are the pictures of the process:
Soaking grains for both methods for the recommended 20 minutes.

Drain the rice…

At this point, cook the control version for 4 minutes pressure (as recommended in your rice packet).
For the toasted version, turn on Saute mode in Instant Pot and melt butter…

Toast the rice until it is golden in color (2-2.5 minutes)
Add the required water. See the butter floating on the top…

Set pressure cook time in Instant Pot (same time as control)

Allow time for natural release. Now open and compare both methods side by side:

Results
Let’s take a closer look at the 2 results. Here’s the control version:

Here’s the toasted version:

So, how do they look, taste and feel with respect to each other? Let’s discuss…
Toasted version – looks shinier
I don’t know if the camera is picking up this difference, but there is a small visual difference in the 2 methods. The control version (v1) had a ‘Matte’ finish kind of appearance, while the toasted version (v2) looked ‘Shiny’. I think the shine probably comes from the glossiness of the hot butter.
Toasted version -Grains separated easily
With the toasted version, the grain separated easily from one another. Being Basmati, the grains are not that sticky by nature anyways.
Yet the toasted version’s grains could be easily separated without much effort at all compared to the control version. For the control version, I had to use a fork to fluff it (which is fairly normal, most recipes ask you to do that).
Toasted version – was less tasty
While I agree that my sample size was only 2 people 🙂 – however, when both my husband and my younger daughter (who according to me is a super-taster) blind-tasted the 2 versions, both loved the control version better. Both of them loved the chewiness and I guess the ‘natural taste’ of the plain cooked grain.
Toasted version – well-moisturized (day 1), got more dry when refrigerated
You know, how after keeping rice open for a while, the top layer kind of starts to dry out….That did not happen with the toasted version. Coating the grain with fat, kept it well-moisturized (kind of like our skin – is how I think of it) for a few hours.
But here’s the weird part. If you store the rice in the refrigerator, however, it gets quite dried out compared to the normal rice. I guess that’s why most take-out rice from restaurants become hard and unappealing after 1 night in the refrigerator.
Here’s a picture of normal rice the next day after refrigeration:

The above rice is softer and more hydrated.
Here’s a picture of butter toasted rice the next day after refrigeration:

It felt a lot more hard and brittle compared to normally cooked rice.-
However, I do have a way to freshen your grain if that happens. Just soak the dried-out rice in water for an hour or so. See how the butter floats to the top.

Drain out the water. Then just steam it for 10 minutes. Soft and fluffy grains again!!

Conclusion
If you compare my rice experiment results with what Kenji Lopez found in his book The Food Lab, it all adds up. Here’s what he wrote: “Toasted rice produces a risotto that is noticeably less creamy than one made with untoasted rice.” His theory was that the starch breaks down under high heat and the toasting process ends with less starch.
So, if you want a cohesive rice dish like – kichdi or bisibelebath or pongal – then don’t toast the rice. You want the starch, the creaminess, the softness. But if you are looking to serve guests rice in a buffett-style party with a dish like Jeera rice that will be kept open for a few hours, then go ahead and toast it. Hope that makes sense.
I hope you found this experiment in “To toast or not toast the rice is the question” useful. Please post your thoughts and comments below. I look forward to reading them.
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Super interesting read for all food nerds (like me) out there: The Food Lab
Fascinating article!! I’ve never taken the time to research why some recipes call for toasting. Love the analysis and the word of the adorable super-taster 🙂
Can you do one on the different types of vinegars? Why do some recipes call for white/red wine vinegar, while others call for rice, and yet others for apple cider. And what’s a vinaigrette anyway???
Thanks!
V
Hi Varsha,
Thank you!!
Vinegar/ Vinaigrette analysis is an excellent idea!! Will report soon…:)
-Swetha
I love these comparison articles, Swetha! The kinds of things I like to do, to see if some methods are even necessary, or if they improve flavor.
@Versha – It is intimidating, sometimes, when you see all those vinegars out there! Some are actually unique, and have better flavors for some applications, but some, like red and white wine vinegar and balsamic, can vary greatly. I have some favorites in those, and Trader Joe’s, if you are near one, has a great white balsamic vinegar. Sherry vinegar from Spain has a unique and delicious flavor, but is expensive – I save that for special dishes. Those I mentioned already are usually 6% acetic acid. However, plain white, malt, and apple cider vinegar are usually diluted to 5% acid, and are used when flavor isn’t a big deal, though sometimes apple cider adds some flavor to pickles. Rice vinegar is almost always lower – usually 4% – and has a very unique flavor – once you taste it, you recognize it in future dishes you try it in. And a variety of rice vinegar, that has other grains in it, as well, and has an incredible flavor, is the Chinese black vinegar – Chenkiang Vinegar. I could tell when a Chinese restaurant was good when they use this in things like dip sauces, or hot and sour soup! Cheap places use white vinegar.
One vinegar in my pantry that I almost forgot – Coconut Vinegar! This one is from the Philippines, with a very unique flavor. I know that there are coconut vinegars in India, one called for in some Goan recipes, and this was the closest I could do; in fact, I get this at my Indian market. I guess they don’t produce enough of those vinegars in those regions to export, so this is all they can get, at least in my area. And another that I made before was pineapple vinegar – super easy with the scraps!
I’ll leave the “taste test” to Swetha and her super taster daughter! I don’t know how those people take shots of “live” apple cider vinegar! (Blechk!)
Hi Dave, Wonderful explanation of vinegars. I have not had coconut vinegar though this is the second time I heard someone praise it. I have to check it out.
You have very good insights and familiarity with so many food ingredients, I hope you are documenting this either as a blog/YouTube channel/Podcast. It would be very interesting. Cheers!!
in Italy we don’t toast that kind of rice! Just the bigger/thicker one for risotto