As heating proceeds during the cooking of rice, starch granules within the rice grains absorb water, swell, and then gelatinize. To determine the optimal cooking conditions for various kinds of rice, it is desirable to be able to detect differences in the water absorption of rice grains during cooking. NMR imaging was used to follow changes in the content and distribution of water during the cooking of Nipponbare (Japonica), Khao Dawk Mali (Indica) and High Amylose (Indica) rice. Samples were cooked for various cooking times in closed-glass vials, quenched to stop the cooking process, and then investigated using two-dimensional multi-echo 1H imaging at room temperature. Images obtained from the first-echo revealed changes in the water distribution of the rice grains. T₂ images calculated using the echoes were converted into quantitatively reliable contour maps of the water concentrations using an empirical T₂ vs. water content calibration determined from a series of water/rice starch mixtures. Japonica rice samples with different milled ratios were also investigated to observe the effect of rice grain husks on water absorption. The degree of gelatinization of rice during cooking was measured by the β-amylase·pullulanase method (BAP) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR/ATR). An FT-IR peak seen at around 1 000 cm^-1 increased with increasing cooking time. There was a high correlation in the degree of gelatinization between the FT-IR method and the BAP method.