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If it's sweet rice, it should be sticky. If it's savory rice, I like it separate and almost "dry."

Of course, I cannot make rice so it's all moot.

My SIL is Japanese and has rice with nearly every meal. They eat it with chopsticks, so it would have to be sticky, wouldn't it? The kind I make would be a joke trying to get one grain to stick. Another family member on the opposite coast, so I've never had her rice. I don't eat rice often, but I'd like to add it to my diet, hence my interest in all things rice.

Oh, and I forgot to add: I eat some form of rice almost daily with at least one meal (usually lunch, but often dinner too).

Like chiff0nade, I prefer my savoury rice fluffy (unless we speak about risotto, but then it's a whole different animal, of course). I have all kinds of different ways of cooking rice, depending on what I want to do with it and what kind of rice I make.

With white rice, I am often lazy and I don't wash it. I cook it in plenty of hot boiling water (pretty much like you would cook pasta), until still quite "al dente" (for about 5-7 minutes or so), stirring occasionally so that it does not stick to the pot. Then I drain it and wash under very cold water. I transfer it to a steamer basket or even leave in a colander, which I place over a pot of boiling water, cover with a lid and steam until done (about 10-15 minutes or so). That's if I want plain white fluffy rice (hey, it doesn't get any easier that that, chiff0nade, you don't need to measure anything and it will turn out nice and separate. You should give it a try!).

If I proceed to make my "vegetable sauteed rice", I omit the steaming and just cook it longer, until done (I taste it - again, very much like cooking pasta, only I never wash pasta under cold water:-)). In the meantime, I saute a chopped onion, a couple of grated carrots, sometimes, a grated zucchini, in some olive oil. Once this mixture is golden-coloured, I add the cooked and "washed" rice, some minced garlic and chopped fresh herbs - whichever I have on hand (and season with salt & pepper, of course. Some smoked paprika doesn't hurt, either). If it's too dry, I add some more olive oil or even a little bit of chicken or vegetable stock. I may add corn, if I have any round. It turns out very colourful and flavourful - and despite how long it took me to describe it, it's very easy:-).

Of course, now I also have a rice cooker and a steamer with a rice basket, so it's even easier and faster.

I've got to admit though, that l mostly eat brown rice (and I always cook it in the rice cooker - la-zy!) - I like it plain, or in a salad (cubed ripe tomatoes, sauteed red onion, garlic, basil, chopped kalamata olives, some olive oil and rice vinegar - rice vinegar needs to be pored on the rice while it's still warm. This is one of our favourite summer salads!), or even cooked using risotto techniques: I saute onions and bell peppers in my rice cooker first, then add brown rice, stir, add some wine, let it cook out, and then keep stirring and adding warm stock, until it's ready. I add plenty of smoked paprika to this one. It really looks and tastes very risotto-ey, only with a little bit of extra grainy "bite".

Sorry for the lengthy post. Can you tell that I am supposed to be working now?:-) It's a good thing I work from home and there is no boss standing over my shoulder, or I would be so fired!

sticky rice! I cant stand the long grain stuff.

I do think there is a distinction between a wet sticky mess and perfectly cooked starchy short or medium grain rice. Perfectly cooked starchier rices will "fluff" with separate and distinct grains. Over wet rice will not tolerate fluffing and will slide back into a glob. Good white rice has a unique rice flavor that I find very comforting and familiar.
All my life I've had sticky rice. Still love sticky rice and prefer it to the long grain pilafs in most American restaurants.
In college, I remember the hallmates in my dorm had never had real rice. They had grown up with Uncle Bens Broccoli and Cheddar Rice or Minute Rice. The first time I cooked rice and boolgogi for all those girls was truly a rice revelation for many of them. I didn't even have a rice cooker at the time. I had to cook the rice on the stove top and all those years of having to start the rice for my mom finally paid off.
I just love white medium or short grain rice. I don't eat it at every meal and I have gone months without eating rice, but then I might eat rice twice a day for a week.
I usually use a rice cooker, but when I'm in a hurry, I find it's faster on the stove top.
I always have leftover rice in the freezer for a quick fried rice or even a desperation sushi snack or to fortify or thicken a soup.
Rice is Life.

I have never made rice without a rice cooker, which was quite embarrassing when I worked as a lab instructor for the beginning cooking class in college. They didn't have rice cookers and kept asking for advice for cooking it (all on one day, the "grains" day) and I didn't have any. When they asked how I cooked rice I had to admit I (actually the professor) was asking them to do something I couldn't.

A rice cooker is great for more than rice. Mine has a steam-basket that goes above the rice for steaming vegetables or fish while the rice is cooking. I like to prep my rice/veg/fish in the cooking insert and steamer and put it in the fridge so when I get home at night I just have to put it in the cooker, add the water, and turn it on. Dinner is ready in about 25 minutes with no work and almost no clean up.
I also use mine to hard cook eggs, make/serve fondue, poach chicken, and make rice pudding (not just the rice for it). I find new ways to use it all the time.

I like fluffy whole grain rice from the rice cooker... I also admit that when I have tried to make rice in a regular pot, the results have been less than acceptable. So true to my Cuban upbringing, I always make rice in a rice cooker - the only difference when making brown rice is to put a bit more water so the grain cooks fully - that's it...

Rice is the perfect backdrop/staple to many Latin dishes...
Rice Cheese Burritos
Stewed Potatoes over Brown Rice
Rice and Black Beans
Stewed Tuno Antipasto over Brown Rice
Stuffed Peppers

I buy mostly Mahatma or Uncle Ben's Brown Rice... and for rissottos I buy the boxed Archer Farms risotto blends from Target. It may sound sacrilegious to people on this site, but they're GOOD!! Check it out

Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking

Fluffy please. Medium grain.
When i think of sticky rice, I think of rice cooked with too much water that has gone gluey.

Short grain glutionus rice has its applications, but I much prefer it in sweets than savory applications.