FWIW Here is how I cook white rice (generally short grain, usually Hokkaido rice FWIW).
clean/rinse the (already generally clean) pot (just a stainless steel pot) with my hands a very very lot under cold running water
put in rice (any amount, but say a cup or two)
with my hands, gently clean the rice (pour in cold clean water, wash with hands, pour out dirty water) say 7 or 8 times until the water is pretty clear (I'm too lazy to get it really clear)
turn on range fairly hot but not extreme
put water in the rice. about twice the height of the rice.
I do usually add a SMALL knob of butter (or, if none is to hand, a very small splash of say peanut OIL); I guess my reasoning is to avoid it sticking to the bottom. I also do add some salt at this stage, not too much.
get it boiling fairly hard - not extreme hard. generally no lid. stir somewhat frequentlyonly once or twice basically to avoid sticking to bottom
"at some point" - basically when most of the water is gone - turn the heat off (though I usually leave the pot on the same still-hot element), put on a lid, put something heavy on top to press down the lid
leave it alone. once only (say, "half way" through the time), dash the lid of, quickly life/stir the rice around around [use only a wooden spoon throughout] and replace weighted lid
after some time (15, 20 mins? no rush) it's ready (and still very hot).
I just did this and the rice comes out STICKY. Occasionally it "magically" as it were comes out fluffy. Generally it comes out sticky.
I like both sticky and fluffy:
however, would it be possible, given the process I describe, for someone to explain to me how to get fluffy consistently?
What is the variable, secret or technique? What are the principles involved? TY
PS typical rice used:
