Caroline Blanca
Cooking rice on the stovetop sounds simple until you walk away for two minutes and come back to a burnt pot. The good news is that your LG microwave can cook perfect rice every single time — no watching, no stirring, no burnt bottom. It just takes knowing the right method.
Here is exactly how to do it.
Quick Answer
To cook rice in an LG microwave, combine 1 cup of rice with 2 cups of water in a microwave-safe bowl, cover loosely, and microwave on high for 10 minutes. Then reduce to 50% power and cook for a further 15 minutes. Leave to rest covered for 5 minutes before serving. The result is fluffy, evenly cooked rice every time.
What You Need Before You Start
Before jumping into the method, make sure you have the right equipment. Using the wrong container is the most common reason microwave rice turns out unevenly cooked or boils over and makes a mess.
- A microwave-safe bowl or dish — glass or ceramic works best. The bowl should be at least twice the volume of your uncooked rice to allow for expansion and bubbling
- A microwave-safe lid or cling film — covering the rice traps steam which is essential for even cooking. Leave a small gap for steam to escape
- A measuring cup — the water to rice ratio is critical and needs to be accurate
⚠️ Important: Never use a metal bowl or container in the microwave. Always use glass or ceramic. Additionally, never seal the lid completely — trapped steam needs somewhere to escape or the lid can pop off suddenly during cooking.
The Standard Method: White Rice
Step 01
Rinse the rice
Place your rice in a sieve and rinse under cold running water for about 30 seconds, moving it around with your fingers. This removes excess starch from the surface which is what causes rice to turn out gluey and clumped together. Continue rinsing until the water running through is mostly clear.
Step 02
Measure and combine
Add the rinsed rice to your microwave-safe bowl. For every 1 cup of uncooked white rice, add exactly 2 cups of cold water. You can also add a pinch of salt at this stage if desired. The 1:2 ratio is the key to getting the texture right — too little water and the rice is undercooked, too much and it goes mushy.
Step 03
First cook — high power
Cover the bowl loosely with a microwave-safe lid or cling film, leaving a small gap for steam to escape. Place it in your LG microwave and cook on 100% power (high) for 10 minutes. During this stage the water will come to a full boil and the rice will begin absorbing moisture.
Step 04
Second cook — reduced power
Without removing the cover or stirring, reduce the power level on your LG microwave to 50% and cook for a further 15 minutes. This lower power stage allows the rice to finish absorbing the water gently and evenly without boiling dry or turning mushy on the outside while remaining hard in the centre.
To set 50% power on your LG microwave: press the Power Level button, then press 5, then set your time and press Start.
Step 05
Rest and serve
When the cooking cycle finishes, do not remove the cover immediately. Instead, leave the bowl sitting in the microwave with the cover still on for 5 minutes. This resting stage is crucial — it allows the steam trapped inside to finish cooking the top layer of rice and lets the grains firm up slightly. After 5 minutes, remove the cover, fluff the rice gently with a fork, and serve.
💡 Tip: If you notice water pooling at the bottom of the bowl after the resting stage, recover and microwave on high for an additional 2 minutes. Different LG microwave models vary slightly in wattage which can affect cooking times by a minute or two.
Quick Reference: Cooking Times by Rice Type
| Rice Type | Water Ratio | High Power | Low Power (50%) | Rest Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White rice (long grain) | 1:2 | 10 mins | 15 mins | 5 mins |
| Basmati rice | 1:1.5 | 10 mins | 12 mins | 5 mins |
| Brown rice | 1:2.5 | 10 mins | 20 mins | 10 mins |
| Jasmine rice | 1:1.75 | 10 mins | 13 mins | 5 mins |
| Wild rice | 1:3 | 10 mins | 25 mins | 10 mins |
How to Use the Auto Cook Feature on Your LG Microwave
Many LG microwave models include an Auto Cook preset specifically for rice. This removes the guesswork entirely — you simply input the weight of the uncooked rice and the microwave calculates the power level and cooking time automatically.
How to use it:
- Press the Auto Cook button on your LG microwave
- Scroll through the presets until you find the rice option
- Input the weight of your uncooked rice using the dial
- Press Start and the microwave handles the rest
Notably, not all LG models include this preset. If yours does not have an Auto Cook button, the manual two-stage method above works just as well.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Rice is undercooked or hard in the centre
This almost always means the water ratio was too low or the cooking time was too short. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, cover, and microwave on 50% power for an additional 5 minutes.
Rice is mushy or overcooked
Too much water is the most common cause. Furthermore, cooking on full power throughout without reducing to 50% for the second stage will also cause the outside to overcook before the centre is done. Stick to the two-stage method above.
Rice boiled over and made a mess
Your bowl was too small. As a result, the bubbling water had nowhere to go. Always use a bowl that is at least twice the volume of your uncooked rice — a large glass mixing bowl works perfectly.
Rice is unevenly cooked
This happens when the bowl is too close to the microwave walls or the turntable is not rotating properly. Make sure the turntable is seated correctly and rotating freely before you start cooking.
💡 Tip: For extra flavour, replace the water with chicken or vegetable stock when cooking rice in the microwave. The method is exactly the same but the result is noticeably more flavourful — particularly good with basmati or jasmine rice.
The Bottom Line
Cooking rice in your LG microwave is one of those techniques that feels uncertain the first time and completely reliable from the second time onwards. The two-stage method — 10 minutes on high followed by 15 minutes on 50% power with a 5-minute rest — produces consistently fl
