Rice will taste 'amazing' and have more flavour if one ingredient is added to the pan

Rice is a staple food that pairs well with a variety of dishes, from chicken, beef and fish to curries, stir-fried vegetables and an array of sauces. However, cooking it can sometimes be a tricky task.

Common blunders when preparing rice include failing to rinse the grains properly or not using the correct water-to-rice ratio. These mistakes can lead to undercooked, mushy or dry rice, none of which are particularly appetising. Even if you manage to avoid these pitfalls, you might still end up with a bland side dish. Fortunately, there's a simple solution.

In a post on food blog The Kitchn, expert Emma Christensen revealed her top tips for transforming "a boring pot of rice taste amazing".

Her first secret to "keep rice flavourful" is to toast the grains.

"Toasting the dry rice grains in a little butter or olive oil before adding the water brings out their flavour and adds a fantastic nutty note in the finished dish," she explained.

She suggested trying this technique with brown rice or whole grains like barley.

Her second piece of advice involved incorporating just one additional ingredient during the cooking process.

Emma recommended cooking the rice with chicken or vegetable stock, which could be leftover homemade stock or a stock cube.

She noted: "I sometimes find that using 100 percent chicken broth can make the rice feel gummy or overly-starchy," adding: "I usually go for a 50/50 mix of broth and water. This adds a layer of flavour and richness without going overboard."

Her top tip was to season the rice with whatever you're already cooking, using some of the same seasonings for the main dish.

The culinary guru encouraged amateur chefs to employ whole spices for understated tastes and ground spices for more prominent flavours. Additionally, she mentioned that she "almost always" includes a bay leaf in her cooking, no matter the recipe.