The first-knuckle rule

It sounds crazy, but there’s an easy way to measure how much water you need – and it works for any kind of rice. Pour your rice into a pot, and add water until it reaches the first knuckle of your forefinger. It doesn’t matter how much rice you use, or the size of your pot. “It works!” confirms TASTE food director Abigail Donnelly. Amazing, especially given the range of finger sizes and rice quantities!

Prof Andy Meharg of Queen’s University Belfast – an arsenic expert – found that the best way to reduce the level was to soak the rice overnight and then cook it with more water – a 5:1 ratio.