The secret to the best risotto is patience!
Have you ever tried to make risotto and failed dismally? Well, this article will show you how to make the best risotto and leave you feeling super proud of your efforts.
Before you get started, make sure you have the time to dedicate to your risotto as you’ll need to stay near the pot for most of the cooking time. A distracted cook won’t make a good risotto.
Here are my 8 tips to make the best risotto
- Read the recipe before you start cooking so you’re familiar with how to make the recipe.
- Use arborio rice only and don’t rinse it as you need the starch to help give the risotto its texture. Arborio rice will absorb the stock well, giving you a lovely thick, velvety texture.
- Use low salt/sodium liquid stock (tetra packs) found in the supermarket, rather than make your own. Don’t add salt to the risotto as the liquid will be salty enough.
- Get all your ingredients prepped and ready to add to the pan. Some ingredients will be cooked during the cooking time, as I have done in my Chicken and Spinach Risotto in book 2, while some may need to be pre-cooked and left to one side to add in at the end.
- Spray a deep pan with cooking spray, place over medium heat, and then add some low fat margarine. Add the unwashed, raw rice to the pan and stir continuously for 3 minutes.
- Add stock liquid about 1 cup at a time. Cook on low heat, and simmer gently. Don’t add more stock until the rice absorbs all the liquid, repeat until the required amount of stock has been added and absorbed. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the base of the pot.
- Bite into a grain of rice to test if it’s cooked. If it’s still chalky in the centre, add a little more stock liquid if needed, and keep cooking.
- Once the rice is al dente add your other ingredients – the parmesan cheese, herbs, pre-cooked vegetables and protein, plus freshly ground pepper to taste.
The rice should be still a little wet when cooked, serve immediately.
Diced chicken and seafood are great protein options for risotto. Some ideal veggies include peas, roasted diced vegetables, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli and onion. Avoid including any mushy ingredients.
Prefer to follow a recipe?
Here are some recipe suggestions from my cookbooks.
Salmon Risotto – Book 6 and More Cooking for 1 or 2 people
Vegetable Risotto – Book 2
Chicken and Roast Pumpkin Risotto – Book 7 (Pictured)
Chicken and Spinach Risotto – Book 2
Dessert Risotto – More Cooking for 1 or 2 people
I hope this article gives you the confidence to try your hand at making risotto. Because, as I said in the beginning, the secret to the best risotto really is nothing more than patience.