Bobby Flay Controversially Skips This Crucial Step When He Cooks Rice

At this point, celebrity chef Bobby Flay needs no introduction. His takes on Southwestern cuisine propelled him into the spotlight years ago, and his expertise in cooking extends to everything from dishes like chili to breakfast staples like French toast. And as with any chef, he has some unique approaches when it comes to preparing certain ingredients. On an Instagram video by Food Network some years back, Flay admitted to leaving out a certain step that most people take as gospel when it comes to preparing rice.

In the video, Flay stated that he doesn't wash his rice before he cooks it. It's accepted by many that it's necessary to rinse your rice prior to cooking, as it removes excess starches on the grains which allows them to become fluffy later. This general practice isn't limited to cuisine types; people across the world tend to rinse their rice for that very reason (though you should avoid this step with risotto, as the extra starch helps create that creamy consistency). So his approach is more unconventional than you'd think. But some of his rice recipes also celebrate a particular texture that many do not, which might help explain his thinking.

As mentioned, some of Bobby Flay's recipes for rice don't always call for a fluffy end product. In fact, it's the complete opposite: Some of his rice dishes come out crispy, like his recipes for coconut-scallion rice and paella, which blend both fluffy grains and more well-cooked ones that are exposed to the bottom of the pan or skillet. In those cases, a bit of extra starch would actually come in handy, because starch crisps up when it's exposed to high heat.

Still, many cooks would not side with Flay's practice of cooking rice without first washing it. I wouldn't dare skip that step before letting the rice cooker do its thing when making sticky short grain rice at home. (My mom would disapprove of this, too.) Flay doesn't give a reason for leaving the rice unwashed in the Food Network video, so for all we know, it could just be a time-saving gesture. But whatever the reason is, the idea of not rinsing your rice is definitely an unconventional one.