The Best EVER Risotto Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good risotto? ›

For risotto, that ingredient is salted water, according to chef and writer Naomi Pomeroy (via The Kitchn).

The stock is added a little bit at a time and should be fully absorbed into the rice before more stock is added. This process can take up to 45 minutes and will result in a delicious creamy mixture of al dente rice.

The key to the perfect texture is making sure that the rice cooks slow enough to absorb the stock/broth. Also, be sure to stir so that the Arborio agitates against itself: this will help to create that gorgeous, creamy mouthfeel. Delicious and accurate recipe!

Using beef broth for the risotto was a new twist for us (we always use chicken broth and white wine), but it gives the creamy risotto this amazingly rich, earthy heft. And the white balsamic vinegar adds an invigorating pungency-- almost a mildly sour note, but in a really good way -- to the dish.

Yes, the foundational creaminess of well-made risotto should come from the starches that the grains release slowly over the cooking process—but a bit of actual cream doesn't hurt, either. Make sure to season the risotto with salt after you've added the whipped cream.

It comes from the Spanish word for butter and means to gently work something—usually a dish—into a creamy consistency by blending in some sort of fat or butter. With risotto, at the very end, melt some butter in a spoon of hot stock (or wine) and work it into the rice to form a creamy texture.

According to Salvatore, it all depends on the ingredients. The chef prefers oil over butter (and oil works particularly well with seafood risottos), but butter is better for vegetable-based dishes like Rampoldi's black truffle with mushroom or mixed vegetable and ginger risotto.

How to pimp risotto? ›

Risotto can be flavored in many ways, with ingredients like Parmesan cheese, mushrooms, and truffles commonly used to add depth and complexity to the dish. Because of the mild flavor, it can even be customized to be a dessert with ingredients like chocolate, bananas, or caramel.

One of the most surefire ways to ruin risotto is by overcooking it. Like pasta, the rice should be al dente—just cooked with a little bite to it. If you can mold your risotto into a shape, you've cooked it too long.

The key is to spread the rice out into a thin, uniform layer so that it cools rapidly and evenly. Giving it a few gentle stirs as it starts to cool can hasten the process. *If you're cooking your risotto in a pressure cooker, just cut the cooking time down by about 25%, and leave out the last spoonful of liquid.

Risotto alla parmigiana

Add the rice, brown it over high heat, and add some red wine. Continue cooking, stirring often and adding some hot broth, little by little. After about 12 minutes, when the risotto is still al dente, add some diced scamorza cheese and let it melt.

The key, instead, is to undercook the risotto and cool it rapidly to prevent that rice from overcooking, so you can easily finish cooking it later.

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.

If you've ever wondered how fancy Italian restaurants serve risotto so quickly, it's because the restaurant is pre-cooking and cooling their risotto before service. Risotto topped with sauteed shrimp. Note how the risotto is flat, not mounded. It should always be a little loose, so that it doesn't dry out.