Rice-lovers worldwide are divided over whether they should throw it onto the pot and boil it, or give it a good rinse before cooking. The Chowhound says that because there are different types of rice on the market, what works for one variety won't work on the other.

If you're cooking with short-grain rice and are looking to make a dish like risotto, the rice's starchy layer adds to the dish's creamy texture, so washing is not recommended. Some rice processors also add nutrients to white rice (to make it healthier), and that appears as a dusty white powder on the rice, so washing the rice will most certainly make it less healthy.

However, don’t confuse rinsing with soaking rice, because rinsing cleans the grains, while soaking it kick starts the cooking process and yields a fluffier texture. Both rinsing and soaking are critical for rice varieties like the Indian Basmati which needs both pre-cooking processes to become the rice dish it was meant to be.

Regarding medium and long-grain rice, washing rice will remove debris, and also rid of any chemicals which might have been used in the milling process. Apart from running rice under clean water to remove its surface starch and give it a gummy texture, washing rice also removes the smell that spoils rice faster.