How to Make Risotto

The perfect risotto should be a dish in equipoise.

The perfect risotto should be creamy but never soupy. It should have a delicate chew from the rice, but no crunch. The grains of rice should be loosely bound together by a thick, velvety sauce, but not too thick, or else the risotto becomes a dense block of glutinous yuck. The rice should be coated in this sauce, but not swimming in it, and the sauce should always stick to the rice rather than spread out onto your plate.

The rice itself should be cooked until tender, but never mushy. In flavor, the perfect risotto should be buttery and rich, but not to the point that the richness overwhelms every other flavor in the pot.

And countless home cooks (and more than a few professionals) have tied themselves into knots attempting to produce this gem of a dish.

They’ve cooked their risotto to the point of rendering it into something the approximate consistency of wallpaper paste, reasoning that all it needs to achieve that creamy texture is a long enough cooking time. They’re wrong.

They’ve stirred and stirred for interminable lengths of time, sometimes half an hour or more, until their shoulders ached and their eyes blurred and they’d sworn off risotto forever. They’re wrong there, too, because there’s never any need to work that hard for a risotto. Making risotto should, once you know its secrets, take no more than half an hour and need absolutely no elbow grease whatsoever.

They’ve added pounds and pounds of butter and cream in the hopes of achieving that perfect, creamy texture. (And thoroughly missed the point there, too, because it’s not and never was cream that makes a good risotto creamy.)

As a result of all this, the perfect risotto has something of a reputation as a dish that’s almost impossible to get right.

The perfect risotto is also, in reality, much closer than you think.

The secret lies in knowing just what’s behind that irresistible velvety texture.

Amylopectin is a sticky, waxy starch found on certain types of medium to short grain rice.

It’s also the essential ingredient for a good risotto.

The varieties of rice which are commonly used to make risotto contain and are even coated in this starch to greater or lesser degrees. If you’ve ever scooped a handful of carnaroli out of its bag and held it in your hands, you’ve probably noticed that it leaves a faint powdery residue in the palm of your hand. That’s the surface amylopectin.

When cooked, amylopectin tends to become very sticky and glutinous.

When cooked with plenty of liquid, such as a broth, this stickiness transforms into a thick, binding, creamy sauce.

This is what makes or breaks a risotto: not an eternal cooking time, not the frenzied stirring, and certainly not the addition of any amount of cream.

The key is in the rice itself.

With apologies to Rebecca Black.

There are three types of risotto-style rice commonly available in American supermarkets.

• Arborio

The most common and least recommended is Arborio. This is a medium grain rice, often called ‘superfino’. However, superfine does not mean what an English speaker might think it means. It doesn’t mean that this rice is somehow ‘extra fine’ in terms of being higher quality. Superfino (and semifino and fino) simply refer to the shape and size of the individual grains. That’s all. It has no bearing on quality.

Arborio also contains relatively little amylopectin compared to many other varieties of medium and short grain rice. Its key advantage is that it’s easy to grow, easy to ship, relatively cheap, and…well, that’s about it. It will also tolerate overcooking better, but only up to a certain point, after which it becomes excellent for catching flies or gluing broken vases back together but not very good for eating.

• Carnaroli

Carnaroli is the next most common, and a nice compromise between price and quality. Generally slightly more expensive and harder to find Arborio, I’d nevertheless strongly recommend it over Arborio due to its much higher amylopectin content. It also tends to cook more evenly than Arborio, which, as I mentioned above, can turn on you quite suddenly, going from not quite done to mush in the blink of an eye.

• Vialone Nano (pronounced vee-a-LO-nay na-no)

This is the rice most commonly used in the Veneto, which is the region of Italy which includes such cities as Venice, Padua, and Verona. Vialone Nano is highly prized for both its high amylopectin content and its flavor, which is complex and toasty and overall just more rice-y than that of Arborio or Carnaroli. It’s harder to find in the United States, and more expensive, but it makes for a supremely creamy risotto. The only issue with it is that it can sometimes be a little temperamental about cooking times. It doesn’t snap from undercooked to overcooked as easily as Arborio, but is somewhat trickier to deal with than Carnaroli.

Of the three, I’d recommend Vialone Nano for those who are willing to spend a little more and search a little harder, and Carnaroli for everyone else.

Don’t use Arborio. If you use Arborio, I’ll find out where you live and come stand on your doorstep and glare at you awkwardly while jiggling a bag of rice menacingly until you have to call the authorities to make me go away.

Just kidding.

But don’t use Arborio. Seriously.

• Stock

This one is second only to the rice, because it's what allows the amylopectin to form a creamy sauce rather than a sticky residue.

In the case of a light vegetable risotto such as a mushroom risotto, I would use a vegetable stock or chicken stock diluted 50/50 with water.

In the case of heavier vegetable risotti such as radicchio, or lighter meat-based ones such as sausage, go ahead and use undiluted chicken stock, or chicken stock diluted 75/25 with water.

In the case of very flavorful risotti, such as a saffron risotto, go ahead and use beef or veal stock. But these are a rare case.

In any of these situations, homemade stock is the absolute best way to go. If you don't have any on hand, though, feel free to turn to a good quality store-bought stock. As a rule of thumb, don’t use anything in a risotto that you wouldn’t be willing to use to make a soup.

For every cup of uncooked rice that you intend to make, use two cups of broth, and keep another half cup to a cup barely simmering on the side in case the rice absorbs more liquid than you expected and you need to add a bit.

• Onion

This is our aromatic and an important part of our flavor base. Chop it finely and evenly. You want it to help build a flavor foundation, but not to be a major player in terms of either texture or flavor.

As a standard for most types of risotto, use half a medium onion for every cup of uncooked rice that goes into the recipe.

• Butter

While you don’t need to add tons and tons of butter to make a risotto sing, you do need some. Use one tablespoon to sauté your half onion, and keep one to two tablespoons to mix into the risotto at the very last minute. This will give it a rich, mellow flavor.

• Cheese

Parmigiano reggiano is Italy’s go-to, all-purpose grating cheese. It’s cheesy enough to add some salty, earthy flavor, but not so much that it takes over the dish.

It’s also the second finishing touch to any risotto, along with the last tablespoon or two of butter. It helps bring up the creaminess a little further, and adds a lovely earthy undertone.

This ingredient is mostly to taste, but I would suggest grating a third of a cup of it for every cup of uncooked rice and using a quarter of a cup immediately, with the rest added to taste or sprinkled over the top for those who’d like their risotto a little cheesier.

• Wine

Wine isn’t strictly necessary, but it adds a nice bright dimension to most risotti. Use a dry white wine. It doesn’t have to be outstanding, and in fact it would be a waste to use something great when cooking will take away a lot of the nuances anyway, but I wouldn’t use anything that you wouldn’t be willing to drink on its own. Think Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, but avoid anything very oaky. Oak tends to be one of the last flavors to cook off, which means you might end up with some powerfully funky, vanilla-ey risotto. Not good.

You don’t need much wine for this. Too much will make your rice taste a little sour. In fact, all you need is a splash, just enough to deglaze the bottom of the pot. You’ll know you’ve used enough when the rice absorbs it and takes on a little bit of a pearly sheen.

Today, in order to demonstrate the basics of risotto-making, we’ll be making a porcini risotto, which is pretty close to basic but far more interesting than a plain white risotto – don’t you think?

If you have a pressure cooker, I would strongly recommend using it. I find that the rice cooks more evenly and absorbs the liquid much more predictably in a pressure cooker than in a pot. (It’s also much quicker, which is a side bonus.)

If, however, you don’t have a pressure cooker, don’t sweat it. You can still make risotto just fine. If you have a heavy enameled cast-iron pot like the ones from Le Creuset, those are best. If not, just use a heavy, large pot. The most important thing is to use a pot which will distribute heat as evenly as possible.

Ingredients

1 cup (uncooked) Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice
1 ½ cups vegetable stock or diluted chicken stock
1 cup boiling water
2-3 tbsp butter
½ of a medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced or crushed in a garlic press
½ oz dried porcini
3-4 tbsp minced fresh parsley
¼ to 1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
splash of dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste

As you can see, this is the basic ingredient list for any risotto plus the addition of garlic, parsley, and dried porcini. To make a basic white risotto, remove those ingredients and swap in an extra cup of vegetable or chicken stock for the cup of boiling water.

1. Rinse the dried porcini under running water to remove the grit, then place in a heat-proof 8+ oz bowl and pour the boiling water over. Let soak for half an hour.

2. After soaking, scoop the porcini out of their soaking liquid, being certain to keep the liquid, and chop them coarsely.

3. Strain the porcini liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any remaining grit. Combine it with the 1 ½ cups of vegetable or diluted chicken stock in a small pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and keep warm.

Important Note: By keeping the broth simmering on another burner and adding it to the rice hot, you’ll not only have a better handle on cooking times, but you’ll be able to ensure that the rice cooks more evenly. Adding cool or room temperature stock tends to leave the outside of the rice shaggy and overcooked by the time the interior is cooked through.

4. Melt one tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat.

5. Add the onion and garlic and cook gently until softened but not browned.

6. Add the rice, raise the heat to medium, and toast the rice until it begins to give off a warm, nutty fragrance, about two to three minutes.

7. Throw in a splash of wine. It will bubble and steam furiously and then quickly become absorbed. You’ll know that you’ve added enough when the rice takes on that pearly sheen I mentioned, and when you see no more than a thick residue of the wine clinging to the grains.

8. Add the chopped porcini and stir to combine.

9. Add two cups of hot stock/porcini liquid and immediately either close your pressure cooker or cover your pot with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat to low.

10. For those using the pressure cooker method, wait until it reaches maximum pressure and then cook for five minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the pressure. For those using the stovetop method, cook for fourteen minutes.

Note: The exact cooking time will vary depending on your rice, but fourteen is a decent rule of thumb. If your rice still seems a little crunchy, add one to two minutes next time. If it seems a little mushy, subtract one or two. If using a pressure cooker, add or subtract no more than a minute.

And, no, you don’t need to keep stirring the risotto. That’s a myth. Stirring won’t help starch formation and will hinder cooking since the rice will necessarily have to be uncovered while you’re stirring. In fact, since the amylopectin is released as the rice cooks, you’re actually better leaving it off to cook through without disturbing it.

11. When the cooking time is up, remove the pot from the heat and place it on a countertop trivet or other-heat proof surface.

For the pressure cooking crowd, run cold water over the cooker until the pressure indicator is fully down before opening. I repeat: Make absolutely sure that the pressure is equalized before trying to open your pressure cooker! A faceful of hot steam is no fun.

For the stovetop crowd, just remove the lid. (Duh.)

At this point, the risotto will probably not look very creamy. Don't worry. We're working on that. If it looks a little dry, add a splash of hot stock.

Then:

12. Let the rice have a nice little 3-5 minute rest.

Very important note: This is probably the most important and most overlooked part of risotto making. Amylopectin tends to take longer to fully cook and thicken than the rice takes to cook through. Removing the risotto from the heat a couple of minutes shy of fully cooked and letting it rest allows it to absorb the rest of the liquid and release the last of its sticky starches without overcooking.

Let the rice rest. Your taste buds will thank you.

13. After the rice has rested, vigorously mix in the butter, cheese, and parsley. Now is the time when mixing will help the last of the starch develop, so go ahead and mix. To avoid splattering yourself, mix clockwise, or away from you.

14. Adjust seasonings to taste, sprinkle with additional cheese if so desired, and serve.

15. Enjoy!

See, that wasn't so hard, was it?

This recipe serves two as a generous main course and four as a first course.