Some friends called the other day with a culinary 911. Not an emergency per se, but they were making risotto and wondered—what’s with all the stirring?
Other rice dishes don’t require stirring. Not pilaf. Not Mexican rice. Not jambalaya. So why risotto?
Here’s what I told them—it’s exactly the stirring that makes risotto, well, risotto.
In other words, unlike those other rice dishes, risotto comes with a trademark luscious, creamy sauce (take my Carrot Risotto with Scallions, pictured, for example). And it’s the stirring that creates the sauce.
See, you start with a stubby, starchy, short-grain rice—one that’s akin to what you’d use for sticky sushi rice—versus not-so-starchy long-grain rice, which you’d use for pilaf. And as your stir, you essentially scratch the starch off those stubby grains, making it available to thicken your cooking liquid and create creaminess. If you didn’t stir, you’d have rice in broth. But because you do, you have creamy, saucy heaven-in-a-bowl.
Friction, or grains scratching up against each other, is also why, unlike other rice dishes, you add risotto’s liquid a little bit at a time. If you added the liquid all at once, the grains would just be floating around, not rubbing up against each other, not creating sauciness.
So, yes, making risotto means stirring and patient, incremental additions of liquid. Which lead many to think risotto issomehow difficult or challenging. But what’s so hard about stirring orladling? A monkey could do it.
Counter that “effort” with the fact that risotto is basically a one-pot meal. Okay, two pots if you count the saucepan that keeps your cooking liquid hot. So in exchange for your attentiveness, in addition to a uniquely swoonworthy dish, cleanup is quick and painless.
I’ve been seeing recipes for slow cooker risotto and pressure cooker risotto and other “easy” risottos lately—but I’m dubious. You might be able to cook it sans stirring, but I can’t believe it’d turn out nearly as—risotto-y.
I’ll stir.
FAQs
Stirring the rice constantly will add air into the risotto, cooling it down and making it gluey. But if you don't stir enough, the rice will stick to the bottom and burn. Agitating the rice is important, because risotto's creaminess comes from the starch generated when grains of rice rub against each other.
Why add liquid slowly to risotto? ›
Friction, or grains scratching up against each other, is also why, unlike other rice dishes, you add risotto's liquid a little bit at a time. If you added the liquid all at once, the grains would just be floating around, not rubbing up against each other, not creating sauciness.
Do you actually need to stir risotto? ›
When cooking risotto on a stovetop, you're required to periodically stir it to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Some people, however, stir it too frequently. This adds air into the risotto, cooling it down and making it gluey.
What is the secret ingredient in risotto? ›
Use Salted Water Instead of Broth in Risotto
It's an ingenious tip on many levels. First and foremost, you don't have to run to the store to buy stock, which saves you time and money. Also, the flavor of store-bought broths or stocks varies widely and can sometimes overpower the other ingredients in your risotto.
How do restaurants make risotto so creamy? ›
The technique of risotto is to slowly and gradually cook a starchy ingredient by adding liquid in small amounts and stirring. This technique's main purpose is to draw starch out of the main ingredient to give the dish a creamy texture.
How do restaurants get risotto so fast? ›
In his post, López-Alt writes that the speediness of restaurant risotto boils down to the fact that chefs “par-cook it to around 75 per cent done then cool it rapidly by spreading it in a thin layer on a sheet tray and refrigerating it”.
What happens if you put too much liquid in risotto? ›
Instead of water, risotto calls for a good soup stock that needs to be heated thoroughly and added slowly. She says: "...if you insert a lot of water here, that's when the rice will open up because there's so much liquid. And you'll lose your al dente kernel."
Why do you stir risotto with a wooden spoon? ›
“The hole in the middle of the spoon allows some of the rice to pass through, making for a smoother stir that's gentler on the grains and results in fewer broken kernels,” she says, adding that too many broken kernels can ruin a risotto. Gorline agrees: “If the rice shatters, it can create an over-starched mess!”.
How to stop risotto from going gluggy? ›
"Stir as little as you can," says Tomelleri. "When you stir, the rice releases starch, which will make your risotto gluggy." If risotto gets too gluggy, says Fava, add a touch of hot stock. Risotto, like pasta, should be served al dente.
Why is my risotto rice always hard? ›
Maybe you didn't add enough liquid to begin with. Whatever the case, if your rice is looking dried out, or the texture is still hard or crunchy when all the liquid has been absorbed, add up to ½ cup water and return to a simmer with the lid on.
