If your rice is bland you are not seasoning it right. Garlic or onions work great for this. And don't forget to add salt to the water! As for "failure modes" y

If your rice is bland you are not seasoning it right. Garlic or onions work great for this. And don't forget to add salt to the water! As for "failure modes" you can make things more consistent by boiling the water in a kettle before adding it to the rice. You really can't go wrong this way.