Should You Rinse Rice Before Cooking? Nutrition Expert Weighs the Tradeoffs

A Hebrew health column by dietitian Dr. Sigal Frischman argues that rinsing rice before cooking is generally advisable, especially because of concerns about contaminants. The article was published by mako Health on June 17, 2026, at 08:04.

Culinarily, washing rice removes surface starch, which helps create separate grains. That is desirable for everyday rice, but not for dishes that should be sticky or creamy, such as risotto, paella, or rice pudding. The article notes that a study comparing no rinsing, three rinses, and ten rinses found no meaningful effect on stickiness or hardness from washing itself, because texture depends mainly on amylopectin released during cooking, not the amylose on the grain surface. Rice type matters most, with glutinous rice the stickiest and jasmine and arborio less sticky and firmer.

On the health side, rinsing can remove dirt, insects, stones, and leftover husks, and recent research also found plastic particles in rice. Washing can remove up to 20% of those particles, while instant rice was found to contain four times more plastic particles than regular rice, with soaking cutting that amount by 40%. The article also says rice can contain arsenic, a toxic metal absorbed from soil, and washing removes about 90% of it. It also lowers other metals, including copper, iron, zinc, vanadium, lead, and cadmium, by 7% to 20%.

Frischman notes that the nutrient loss is usually not significant for most people because rice contributes only a small share of these minerals in the Israeli diet. The World Health Organization warns about arsenic in food and water, and the article says arsenic levels vary by growing region, rice variety, and cooking method. Its bottom line is that rinsing rice before cooking is recommended, along with varying rice types.