True statement: I cannot, for the life of me, cook white rice. Or any rice for that matter. Crispy, crunchy, mushy, burnt—you name it, I've mangled it. In culinary school, teachers practically drilled the water-to-rice ratio into our brain. But do I remember the recipe? Of course not. Even if I did, it probably wouldn't do me very much good. I seem to have a rice-cooking curse.

I shamefully admitted this plight to my kitchen-savvy friend Meghan; thankfully she didn't even bat an eye. She just pointed me to Alton Brown's recipe for Red Beans & Rice and told me it's the only method I needed to know. I was intrigued—perhaps even skeptical—but decided to try it anyway. I mean, what did I have to lose?

Sure enough, it was my most successful batch of white rice to date! Even Walt was impressed (he'd given up on me a long time ago), and he is one tough rice-eater to please. I will be keeping this cooking technique in my bag of tricks, but it's definitely too good not to share!

How to cook white rice: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot. Meanwhile, melt 1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is sizzling, add 2 cups long grain rice and stir to combine. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and sauté rice, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Pour the boiling water over the rice and stir to combine. Turn heat to low and cook, covered, until water has evaporated and rice is done, about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from heat and steam for an additional 10 minutes. Gently fluff rice with a fork and season to taste. (Adapted from Alton Brown)

Here are some additional tricks from Bon Appetit, but I'd love to hear from you. Do you think you hold the secret to perfect white rice?

(Image source: It's For Dinner)