comments:
You can get a 20 lb bag of white rice for under $12. Rice is about 1650 calories per pound:link So basically for 60 cents you can get 1650 calories. And surprise surprise- rice is the most common food staple eaten across the world. Potatoes is another good one. And beans. As I've said a few times already- you simply will not beat rice, vegetables, and flavoring (as poor people across Asia already know).
First there's many kinds of rice so you need to figure out what you're getting. Minute rice is par cooked and is more expensive than standard long grain rice. If you're buying minute rice don't follow advice on the internet, follow the directions on the box to finish what you have and don't buy this stuff again. It's expensive for what you get. There's long grain rice and jasmine rice (medium grain); they are the most common rices you can get at Walmart. For value for money get this https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Long-Grain-Enriched-Rice-20-lb/10315883 which is 20 lb for $11.50 Don't get short grain unless you feel more confident in your cooking skills. It's also more expensive so... Several methods to cook rice and they're all valid. The easiest is to use a rice cooker. Use the cup that comes with it, wash the rice until it runs clear, and then fill the pot with water until it meets the mark on the side of the pot that indicates how many cups you're using. Press the button and then wait for the rice to get done. Billions of people make their rice this way. If you don't have the funds to get a rice cooker, you can cook on stovetop, use any pot you have as long as it has a lid. Measure out 1c of rice. Wash rice until the water is clearish. Save the water for watering plants or you could use as a soup base. Add 1 3/4 c water, cover, and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and set a timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn of the heat, remove the cover, fluff the rice, and let it steam out for another 10 minutes. Or you can use pilaf method which makes washing rice optional. In the same covered pot, melt butter then add 1 c rice. Saute rice until it is the color of chocolate chip cookies, a very light brown. Then add your 1 3/4 c water / stock bring to a boil, cover, then lower heat to lowest setting and set a timer for 20 minutes. Then remove cover, turn off heat, fluff, and let it stream out for 10 minutes. Some people boil it like pasta and then drain it with a fine mesh colander. Uncle Roger will scream at you, but it's perfectly valid and has its roots in Indian and Persian cooking (https://www.allrecipes.com/article/why-you-should-cook-rice-like-pasta/) Other techniques are harder to describe (steaming in bamboo basket, finger method) but those are the simplest ways to cook rice.