Symptom matcher
Which one looks most like yours?
Small visual differences can point to very different causes.
Excess water
Overhydration or overcooking
Surface starch and stirring
Right now
Can it be saved?
If the rice is only slightly wet, stop cooking, uncover it and let excess steam escape. Once the grains have collapsed, their original structure cannot be restored.
Diagnosis
Check the likely causes
Start at the top, but skip anything that clearly does not match your batch. Evidence labels describe the support for each cause, not a fake probability score.
Too much water
Grains are very soft, swollen and may be surrounded by free moisture.
Keep rice, pot and method constant and reduce only water in a controlled next batch.
Stop cooking; uncover and allow excess steam to escape if grains still retain structure.
Measure rice and water consistently for the exact grain and method.
Overcooking
Water ratio appears reasonable but the rice stayed hot or cooking much longer than intended.
Hold the ratio constant and compare cooking/holding time.
Stop additional cooking once the target texture is reached.
Record cooking and resting times.
Surface starch or excessive stirring
Grains are mostly intact but cling together or feel gummy rather than collapsed.
Compare rinsed and unrinsed rice under otherwise identical conditions.
Fluff gently; avoid aggressive stirring once grains are very soft.
Use the preparation method appropriate to the rice style you want.
Don't jump to conclusions
Common misdiagnoses
Kitchen science
What is actually happening?
Rice texture depends on hydration, starch release, heat, time and evaporation. A ratio that works for one rice or cooking method may not produce the same result in another.
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