American rice typically can be cooked straight out of the bag. Rice in much of the world must be washed or it's sticky. I learned that (probably via Mudcat) a couple of years ago when I experimented with some new Asian rice.
I buy a brand from Mexico, an extra long grain San Francisco brand (with the saint pictured and the package is all in Spanish). It tastes wonderful. I cook it on the stove top in a heavy saucepan, and over time I've discovered that a wider pan is better to avoid sticky rice. When the rice is washed for 10 minutes or so it doesn't need so much water. I put it about 1:1.25 for 18-20 minutes to make this rice and it comes out great.