“Chewy” can mean two different things, and the distinction matters:

- **A firm or chalky center:** The rice hasn’t hydrated and cooked all the way through. Too little water, a leaking lid, or heat high enough to boil the water away before the grains soften can cause this.
- **A soft grain that’s still springy or sticky:** That may be the rice itself. Glutinous rice is naturally chewy, and short-grain varieties tend to have more bite than fluffy long-grain rice. Brown rice also retains some chew from its bran layer.

Adding water and cooking longer helps the first problem, but won’t necessarily change the second. It can simply make the outside mushy while the rice still has its characteristic texture.

For more consistent rice:

1. **Use the instructions for your particular variety.** Water requirements differ, and the pot and lid affect how much evaporates.
2. **Rinse ordinary white rice** to remove loose surface starch. This reduces gumminess, though it won’t fix a hard center.
3. **Cook covered at a gentle simmer**, with a tight-fitting lid. Avoid frequent lifting of the lid or stirring.
4. **Rest it off the heat, still covered, for 10–15 minutes.** This lets moisture redistribute and finishes softening the grains.
5. **Try soaking before cooking** if the grains repeatedly have hard centers, especially with brown rice. Follow the variety’s guidance and account for water absorbed during soaking.

To rescue rice with hard centers, sprinkle in a little boiling water, cover tightly, and cook on very low heat for several minutes, then let it rest covered. If the grains are already fully soft but remain elastic, choosing a different rice variety is more likely to help than adding more water.