**Yes—your coworker is right that boiling and draining can produce perfectly good, fluffy rice.** Think of cooking pasta: plenty of water doesn’t make it mushy provided you stop cooking when it’s done and drain it. The rice industry’s cooking guide explicitly describes this method as producing tender, separate grains. [USA Rice cooking guide](https://www.usarice.com/docs/default-source/thinkrice/rice-in-the-culinary-classroom/part_iii_cooking_rice.pdf?sfvrsn=1f3fd28d_10)

There are three methods worth distinguishing:

- **Boiling and draining:** Cook rice in plenty of water until tender, then drain. This tends to give separate, less sticky grains because some released starch leaves with the water.
- **Absorption cooking:** Cook rice in a measured amount of water in a covered pot. The rice absorbs much of the water, and some evaporates. This is often called “steamed rice,” although the rice initially cooks directly in simmering water.
- **True steaming:** Cook rice above boiling water so that steam supplies the heat, usually after soaking it.

The variety of rice matters greatly: sticky rice won’t become basmati simply because you drain it. With the same variety, both boiling and absorption can produce excellent results; draining generally favors loose grains, while absorption retains the starch and anything you’ve added to the cooking water.

To try it, rinse some basmati, add it to a large pan of boiling water, and start checking for tenderness around 10 minutes. Drain when ready, let it stand for about five minutes, then fluff. [Tilda’s boiling method](https://www.tilda.com/en-nz-foodservice/blog/tips-advice/secret-to-cooking-perfect-rice/)

Your concern applies if you add too much water **and keep cooking until it all disappears**. By then, the rice may be badly overcooked. Pouring off the excess changes the outcome.