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I recently moved & my new crappy stove won't cook my sushi rice correctly. My old stove cooked it perfectly according to the package directions: 1 1/2 cups rice to 2 cups water, combine, bring to boil, reduce to low, cover & leave for 20 mins. Now it comes out underdone on top & sometimes ever so slightly toasted & mushy on bottom.

Any way I can fix this? I've tried a larger pot, seems to make no difference. Tried turning off heat instead of low, as my new burners seem to cycle more drastically &stayhot longer, but doesn't cook the rice enough. Added more water but doesn't help overdone bottom problem. I don't rinse my sushi rice even tho you're supposed to, because I don't have time & it always came out perfectly before, but I will start if it will fix this.

Or should I just break down and buy a rice cooker? ;-) Thanks!

EDIT: I think my new stove is crap and cycles too hot on lowest possible setting.. Any suggestion of how to adapt to this, please? Thank you

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    It sounds like your new stove is getting hotter than the old one. Have you tried cooking the rice at a lower temperature or covering it sooner? That might keep some of the water in to cook the top part of the rice.
    – BelethorsGeneralGoods
    Commented Jul 10, 2018 at 21:07
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    Buy a rice cooker. You're probably doing something wrong that's not in your description, but it's just easier to get a cheap, reliable rice cooker.
    – FuzzyChef
    Commented Jul 11, 2018 at 5:25
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    A details of the move could be helpful. Elevation change? different water composition? different rice brand?
    – user58697
    Commented Jul 15, 2018 at 23:28
  • What type (material) of pot? Does it have a thick or thin bottom? Thinner pots are more "responsive" but this means that they have issues if the heat is cycling on and off.
    – Joe
    Commented Jul 17, 2018 at 20:21

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If you believe your burners are getting too hot, you can always try using a taller pot with slightly more water to keep the rice from getting dry on top or crispy. A larger pot would not work because it would increase the evaporation rate of water from increased surface area, then drying out the rice on top while overcooking the rice on the bottom. A taller but smaller pot would keep more water from evaporating out of the pot and drying out your rice before cooking is finished.

A smaller diameter pot with a 2:1 ratio of water to rice on the lowest setting would be your best bet for cooking the rice on your stove. Possibly leave the rice covered for the entire cook time to make it cook more uniformly overall, keeping the steam inside to prevent the top layer of rice from getting crispy. If the rice is still mushy, washing the rice helps considerably in getting that "mushy" consistency from forming.

If none of that works, you can always use a microwave to cook rice. I had this issue a few years ago and found that a microwave was more cost efficient than buying a rice cooker since I already owned a microwave. It isn't a fix for troubleshooting your issues with your stove, but it might save you some of the hassle in cooking rice that isn't satisfying on your stove.

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