It is long grain rice which swells only lengthwise when cooked, resulting in long, thin grains. Jasmine rice is a long grain rice which, when cooked, is soft, moist, and clings together. Della rice is a cross of long grain rice and basmati rice which was developed in the United States. It has an aroma and flavor similar to basmati and cooks dry and separate. However, cooked kernels are not as long and slender as basmati because the grains, when cooked, swell in both length and width, like regular long grain rice.
Sweet rice has a short, plump, opaque kernel.
When cooked, this rice loses its shape and becomes very sticky and glutinous. Arborio rice is a translucent, plump rice with a characteristic white dot at the center of the grain. Most often used in cooking risotto, this rice develops a creamy texture around a chewy center.