{"id":117994,"date":"2026-10-19T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=import-25497-not-with-water-spanish-chefs-agree-there-202610190915"},"modified":"2026-10-19T03:24:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T07:24:51","slug":"not-with-water-spanish-chefs-agree-theres-only-one-way-to-cook-white-rice-25497-g01","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/not-with-water-spanish-chefs-agree-theres-only-one-way-to-cook-white-rice-25497-g01\/","title":{"rendered":"Not With Water: Spanish Chefs Agree There’s Only One Way to Cook White Rice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plain white rice is the side dish nobody thinks about. A cup of rice, two cups of water, a pinch of salt, and twenty minutes later it is on the table, filling but forgettable. In Spain, where rice is the star of some of the country’s most famous dishes, chefs see things differently. And they agree on one change that has nothing to do with the type of rice or the pot.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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What do Spanish chefs do differently?<\/b><\/h2>\n

They do not use water. According to a June 2026 report in the Spanish daily El Espa\u00f1ol<\/a>, several well-known Spanish chefs share the same rule: even for a simple white rice, the cooking liquid should be a good homemade broth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Juanjo L\u00f3pez, chef of La Tasquita de Enfrente in Madrid, recommends replacing water with homemade broth, choosing fish, chicken or vegetable broth depending on the dish, and adding garlic and bay leaf for aroma. Quique Dacosta<\/a>, whose restaurant in D\u00e9nia has held three Michelin stars since 2012, says much of a good rice’s flavor comes from using broth instead of water. And for Luis Arrufat, the broth, or fumet for seafood dishes, shapes much of a rice dish’s character.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why does it make such a difference?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Rice absorbs almost all of its cooking liquid. Cooked in water, it absorbs water, which adds nothing. Cooked in broth, every grain absorbs flavor from the inside, which is why Spanish rice dishes, from paella<\/a> to arroz caldoso, start with a carefully made stock. The garlic and bay leaf add a subtle background aroma without overpowering the dish.<\/span><\/p>\n

The method, step by step<\/b><\/h2>\n

Here is the simple version described by El Espa\u00f1ol, for four servings:<\/span><\/p>\n