Taming the beast: I finally made good risotto!

[TrishUntrapped]

I have tried making straightforward, parmigiana-reggiano and butter-laced risotto three or four times in the past with poor results. The rice was always too too firm, crunchy, and tasted bland to boot.

I thought if I followed risotto directions on the package exactly, the results would be good, but they never were. After my previous attempt, my husband begged me never to make such a foul dish again. "I hate risotto," he said. And because he hated mine so much, he never ordered it out.

But I just had to try it one more time before throwing in the towel. A container of half-priced Arborio rice called my name at a local Balducci's before it closed, and I couldn't resist its song.

I made Cajun Chicken Brochettes on the grill and thought a nice, creamy risotto would go well with it, so I gave the beast another chance.

This risotto came out so good my husband ate two helpings and said it was delicious.

The difference between risotto then and risotto now?

I used nearly twice the amount of liquid called for in a basic recipe for risotto and cooked it nearly twice the amount of time the recipe called for. Other than that, I did nothing different.

Maybe risotto experts can explain why I needed to use so much liquid or time. I don't know. I tried to keep my temperature simmering but not boiling... I don't know if that was too hot...

It took me about 50-55 minutes, but this risotto was well worth it.

TrishUntrapped's Risotto

1 Cup Arborio rice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 Cups (one quart) Pacific Organic Chicken Broth
2 Cups water
1/2 cup dry, white vermouth (I was out of white wine)
1/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

1. In an 8-inch, high sided saucepan, stir together rice and oil, and saute over medium heat about two minutes.
2. Add salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, stir, and add white wine (or vermouth in my case), and stir over medium to medium low heat until it nearly evaporates.
3. While stirring in the vermouth, in a saucepan heat the broth and water till boiling.
4. Add the liquid to the rice, one half cup ladle at a time, stirring till nearly absorbed. Repeat until by taste test, the rice is soft, edible, and creamy, not crunchy. (This step took about 45-50 minutes)
5. When the rice has the right non-crunchy texture, stir in the butter and parmigiana cheese.
Remove bay leaf and serve immediately.

[TrishUntrapped]

Thanks everyone for your comments and tips, they are most helpful. We live in Connecticut and not in a high altitude area, but I do think pan size and temperature do come into play.

I am also heartened to hear others say it takes longer than 20 minutes for their risotto to cook too.

One thing I learned is to have patience and don't rush it, just love it.

I only made one cup of uncooked rice (yields two cups cooked) because I expected it to come out bad like it usually does, and thus inedible. The surprise was a real delight.

There was one comment on here about the time it takes to saute the rice in oil. I sauteed for two minutes, is that about right? Do you all have different takes on that?

Now that I am getting the hang of it, next time I will be a little more adventuresome with ingredients.

Thank you again!

[MMRuth]

I think I usually saute the rice for less time - but I'll check - and I do use a combination of butter and oil.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Oh, as to any cheese rinds or tough bits, try to grate and chop up as finely as possible and toss in (with any other cheese) right at the end right before and as you pull the pan off the heat.

[Den]

You want to saute the risotto until it becomes translucent. It will take longer than 2 minutes.

[cimui]

Right--you want the rice to be uniformly translucent. The exact timing will depend on the amount of rice to the size of the pan. I usually make a biggish batch in a pot with about a 1' diameter and it takes probably three to four minutes. If you're only using one cup of rice and a pan with a wide base, two minutes seems reasonable.

[Boccone Dolce]

ugh i don't make a good risotto, as a result we don't really ever have it!
i live for arancini instead- not at all risotto-ish, but brings me joy...

[haggisdragon]

turn up the heat, don't measure just make sure you have more than enough liquid. just keep tasting until it's just before done, not done,(it will continue to cook a bit off the heat) then whip in the butter and cheese off the heat . presto.

[MMRuth]

When you say "turn up the heat", what do you actually see in terms of the liquid - simmer, boil, bubbly?

[haggisdragon]

more than a simmer, I would call it a controlled boil, constant bubbling but not exploding, low enough that you could turn your back for maybe a minute, and it won't be burnt to the bottom when you begin stirring again.

[cimui]

congrats, trish!! it also took me a bunch of tries before i figured out how to make risotto just the way i like it. like sam and mmruth, i put a sh*t ton of all sorts of different hard, grated cheeses in (and leftover cheese rinds, which i specifically hoard for this purpose). and i start out with sauteed onions and garlic, then supplement with lots of onion and garlic powder to taste. i use white, instead of black, pepper for the (lack of) color and more subtle taste, and use a stainless steel pot. it generally takes about 40 minutes for mine to reach the state of doneness i like (soft, but with just a bit of bite, no crunch), with constant stirring and the addition of about 3/4 of a cup of broth at a time.

anyhoo, these are just a few ideas. keep playing with your recipe until it suits you perfectly. you could experiment with different herbs. i just throw in whatever i have on hand (dill, basil, tarragon, etc...)

[Caitlin McGrath]

I've never used cheese rinds in risotto, but I'm interested. Do you just add them to the rice mixture as you're cooking it?

[cimui]

I add my cheese rinds about halfway through cooking (about 15-20 minutes in). Rinds from certain cheeses don't disintegrate properly (aged cheeses, in particular), but rinds from soft cheeses work really well in risotto (and in soups / pasta sauces). A good test is to determine whether the cheese rinds would break your teeth if you were to chew them. If yes, do not include; if no, it'll probably melt. ;)

[Caitlin McGrath]

Thanks! I've used rinds in soups and sauces, but it never occurred to me to add them to risotto. I imagine hard rinds (e.g., from Parmesan) would still add a lot of flavor even though you'd need to remove before serving, as they do in soup/sauce. (Then chewing on them becomes cook's treat!)

[cimui]

Oops, caught redhanded. :) I don't fish cheese rinds out of my risotto. If you add around 15-20 minutes in and cook for another 15-20 minutes, they really just dissolve. I cut my parmesan rinds into a quarter inch dice and they blend in quite well.

[jaykayen]

switch to carnaroli instead of arborio.

I never measure my liquid or time it. The amount of liquid you use will vary based on your heat level, size and shape of pot, stirring style, etc, so it's not useful to say you need a certain ratio of liquid to rice.

[nomadchowwoman]

Hmmm--I wonder if it has something to do with variations in the stove burners. I make risotto often and it always takes 25-30 minutes. If anything, I've been known to overcook it. I cook it over a medium - med. low flame in a heavy (enameled cast iron) pot. But I would imagine that one person's "medium" is another's "high"--or "low"--, depending on the stove. (You're not cooking at high altitude by any chance?)

I, too, often need more liquid than standard recipes call for. I've always wondered if that might have something to do with the age of the rice.

[Den]

IMO, speed of completion has a to do with 2 things, heat as you mention and how long you saute the rice kernels before beginning to add liquid.

[Den]

One of the reasons it's taking so long is the heat. If you're constantly stirring, you can crank up the heat more.

[Sam Fujisaka]

For risotto, one should always just continue stirring in the stock as needed until the overall texture is right. You can't use a set time and amoiunt of stock. And like MMRuth, I'd add a lot more grated cheese. Oh, and I'd never make less than two cups of arborio: too much work if starting with just one cup of rice.

[MMRuth]

I use two cups as well - to about 5.5 - 6 cups broth, plus some white wine. I do find that it takes practice to get the burner at the right temperature - I try to have it barely barely simmering. The time it takes does vary I've noticed - may be a function of the rice used, the humidity (?), etc. Also, I start by adding 1/2 cup of liquid at a time, but as the dish gets closer to being done, I add less and less.

[Father Kitchen]

Mary Risley, in her cooking book, makes a wise observation. Risotto sometimes takes a bit of practice to get right. You know you've overcooked the rice when it begins to break open--it will look like dog bones.

[MMRuth]

I'm glad it worked out. I think I usually put in more cheese, which also adds some salt to the dish.

[MMRuth]

P. S. - I hope you don't mind the unsolicited advice of mine! I'm just trying to figure out how you might make it a little more quickly (and therefore with a little less elbow grease!) as the time frame you mention does seem a bit long.

[charlieboy]

My last risotto recipe was something of a disaster but after reading your post its given me hope that next time I will have cracked it too. Like yours, mine needed lots more liquid than my recipe stated, and after about 45 minutes I was starting to lose patience as the rice was still a little on the crunchy side but my stomach wouldn't wait. While it tasted great, the texture was all wrong. I wasn't about to throw it out as the ingredients and add-ins were rather costly. Next time I've vowed to have more patience and add as much liquid and extra time it takes for a creamy result.