It all depends on the type of rice you want to cook.
If you use parboiled, in which case the rice is partially cooked, there is no need to soak it.
The different varieties of white rice may not need soaking because they boil fast enough. However, soaking is highly recommended because of the technology that growers use to peel and bleach the grains.
The time the rice needs to be soaked can vary from 30 minutes to 2 hours, and in both cases the rice will be cooked in about 20 minutes.
The situation is completely different with the more non-traditional types and varieties of rice - black, brown, whole grain, wild, etc.
These varieties of rice have a much longer cooking time and this principle applies to them - the longer it is soaked, the faster it cooks.
Wild and brown rice is highly recommended to soak for 8-10 hours. This way you will be able to cook them for 20-30 minutes.
For black and whole grain rice, 5-6 hours of soaking are enough.
Whenever you soak rice, use a large enough bowl to hold at least 2-3 times its volume. This will allow you to pour enough water and allow the rice to swell.
Although the rice has been soaked in water, be sure to wash it well before you get cooking.
Once you are familiar with soaking rice, we would recommend that you prepare various delicious recipes with rice such as baked rice, lean rice, rice with meat, mushrooms with rice, and why not rice pudding.
