Rice & Grain Timer
Pick your grain — white, jasmine, basmati, brown, wild, or sushi rice — for the correct water ratio scaled to your cup count, then run a SIMMER then covered-REST timer with stir and fluff chimes.
Built by the AbraCalc team
How to play
- Pick your grain from the tabs to load its water ratio, simmer time, and rest time.
- Enter how many cups of rice you're cooking — the water amount scales automatically to match the grain's ratio.
- Tap Start Simmer for a fullscreen countdown: SIMMER runs first with the lid on over low heat.
- When SIMMER ends, REST — COVERED starts automatically with the heat off; a chime marks the handoff and another marks when it's time to fluff and serve.
Every grain wants a different amount of water and a different amount of time, and mixing them up is the most common reason rice turns out mushy or crunchy. This timer pairs six common grains with their typical water-to-rice ratio and simmer time — white and jasmine rice simmer fast at roughly 1:1.5 to 1:2 water, while brown rice's bran layer and wild rice's tough hull need close to three times as long. Enter how many cups of rice you're cooking and the water amount scales automatically at the correct ratio, then the timer runs a SIMMER phase followed by an off-heat, lid-on REST phase, because most grains finish absorbing their last bit of moisture after the heat is already off.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does brown rice take so much longer to simmer than white rice?
- Brown rice still has its bran layer intact, which slows down how quickly water can reach and hydrate the starchy interior of each grain. White rice has that layer polished away, so water penetrates much faster. That's why brown rice needs roughly three times the simmer time of white rice at a similar or slightly higher water ratio.
- Why does the timer add a rest period after the simmer instead of stopping there?
- Most rice and grains still have unevenly distributed moisture right when the visible water disappears from the pot — the grains near the bottom are wetter than the ones near the top. Resting off the heat with the lid on lets that remaining steam and moisture even out through the whole pot, which is what gives you fluffy, separate grains instead of a gluey layer at the bottom.
- Are these water ratios exact for every stove and pot?
- They're solid starting ratios for standard stovetop cooking, but evaporation rate depends on your pot's width, how tight the lid seals, and how low you can hold the simmer. If your rice consistently comes out too wet or too dry at these ratios, adjust the water slightly next time — the ratio and timing here are a reliable baseline, not a guarantee for every setup.