I was making risotto the other night (following a recipe), and started wondering why I had to add a scoop of broth, stir until it is absorbed, then add another scoop, and repeat until done. Why not just add all the broth at once? Does exposure to air make a difference in the “creaminess” of the final product? Does some starch only get released under certain conditions?
In: Chemistry
You don’t. Good old Kenji Lopez-Alt did a test and found that the whole slow stock and stirring thing is unnecessary. See here:
https://www.seriouseats.com/2011/10/the-food-lab-the-science-of-risotto.html
You can bet your ass restaurants aren’t standing over pots of risotto for half an hour every time someone orders it – they have various different half-done and no-stir versions that they just bring to a finished state quickly.
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I always just thought it was because you dont want to put too much in. You can always add more. I know stirring helps to make it creamy (with a wooden spoon of course). Kind of the opposite with regular rice, where you dont want to touch it and break the grains.
Stirring is important, nothing else. So that recipe is only a trick to keep you near the pot.
Theoretically they could produce a automated risotto cooker or add a stir to those asian rice cookers.
Being efficient versus actually making the dish. Have done the 1/2 version. Works great. Making the dish means adding the other flavors and layering into the starch goo. Pouring flavors over finished risotto is crude.
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Started making risotto in my instant pot and it is the greatest thing ever, it comes out perfect everytime. No stirring and it takes about 8 – 9 minutes.
It’s because properly cooked risotto, like pasta, should be *al dente*, at least according to Italian culinary tradition. As other commenters have said, the problem with adding all of the stock at once is that it makes it difficult to control the texture of the final product.
A well prepared risotto should be creamy but not gooey. Overcooked risotto will be gooey because too much of the grain has cooked away. It should still have some texture to it, which is why Italian chefs will say it should be cooked to order.
I watched the katering show ages ago and I’ve never had risotto is it really just hot wet rice?
Adding hot liquid in increments greatly speeds up the process and I feel causes you to stir more often. The more you agitate the rice the more starch is released resulting in a creamy texture.
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