Secrets for Making the Perfect Risotto

Making the perfect risotto
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

One of Italy’s most famous and popular dishes is risotto, a dish from the northern part of the country which combines rice with a broth in which it is cooked. Combined with butter, onion, parmesan cheese, and white wine, it’s hard not to love this classic staple. Making risotto can be a bit challenging especially for novice cooks, but these three tips will help you perfect the craft.

Use the Right Rice

Italian chefs will let you know immediately that the rice you use is a key part of ensuring that your risotto turns out good. Don’t use cheap, long-grain rice. If you can find it, use short grain Italian varieties like carnaroli or vialone nano. If you can’t find those, bomba and arborio are acceptable substitutes.

The Correct Stock Makes All the Difference

It might go without saying, but choosing the right stock is also very important when it comes to making the dish, as it’s one of the bases. Any risotto containing fish or seafood should use a fish stock, while a veggie stock or a chicken stock can be good for other risottos. Never allow flavors to clash!

Don’t Constantly Stir

It takes a long time to prepare risotto and a lot of patience. A lot of time is spent watching it as it simmers in the pan, and it can be tempting to constantly stir around in the hopes that everything cooks evenly. However, don’t do this! This will agitate the rice and not allow it to properly cook. Only stir if you see the risotto drying up.