665092 Thu Nov 05 21:38:11 -0800 2009 6 41 Cookware 0 5160048 Hello all, I'm new to this site and thought I would ask your learned advice. I'm passionate about cooking risotto and have been searching for the best cookware. I have a Le Creuset French Oven ,Spring fry pan and have always found them to wonderful and reliable. I recently bought the Raco Risotto pan. I was happy with it until I saw AC Paella Pan and thought it would be a better instrument for risotto.I thought the width and simplicity of the AC would perform better due to the better quality of stainless steel and the larger area for the rice to evaporate.I know AC suggests using the Saucier Pan but my instincts told me that the risotto would become too cramped . I'd appreciate any thoughts or experiences you may of had. Thank you Thu Nov 05 21:38:11 -0800 2009 1121902 casimir 1 5160228 My guess would be that a paella pan would be a bit shallow for risotto, but here in the UK we hardly see any All-Clad, so I confess that I haven't seen their version. I use one of these: http://www.johnlewis.com/230487504/Product.aspx?source=14798 Which is perfect for 6+ servings, but less good for smaller numbers. That calls for one of these: http://www.johnlewis.com/230552841/Product.aspx Fri Nov 06 03:07:10 -0800 2009 5160048 156990 Robin Joy 1 5160408 I can't imagine making risotto in a paella pan - two different techniques entirely, though the dishes do share some obvious similarities. The idea in making risotto is not to evaporate the liquid, but rather to have the rice absorb it, leaving some to make a sauce (of sorts) - hence all the stirring, though there are those that claim you can make risotto just as well without the intensive stirring, but paella pans aren't really the right size and shape for that. Fri Nov 06 05:59:09 -0800 2009 5160048 10207 FlyFish 2 5160575 Same here. I would not make risotto in a shallow pan. Fri Nov 06 07:12:53 -0800 2009 5160408 117079 cutipie721 1 5160680 The design of that paella pan is partly to allow the creation of soccarat - the crusty rice on the bottom of the pan that is considered a special part of paella. And as with other posters, a low sided pan would not work well imho for risotto. Stick with the LC - its always worked well for me for risotto Fri Nov 06 07:46:45 -0800 2009 5160048 176367 grant.cook 1 5161278 According to All-Clad's web site, the large paella is 16" in diameter. Would your cooktop be able to handle this? For my cooktop, this would be too large a diameter. I would probably only be able to use 2 burners out of the 4, and the second open one would be tied up with the warmed stock waiting to go in to the risotto. I would also worry that heat distribution across the pan would be off. Perhaps others can correct me if this needn't be a concern. Also- how much risotto are you making at a time? 2 cups of a dry arborio-type rice is the most I ever make in one pot; it's typically more like 1 cup or 1.5 cups. I would lean towards using a 12-13" diameter pan with somewhat higher sides. Lately I have been using a LC buffer/braiser pan, and comparing the results with my previous uses of AC's 3 quart cassoulet or an anodized 4 quart sauteuse. All results have been pretty good. I wanted the LC enameled cast iron so that I could use it on the table and have more heat retention. Hope this helps, -sou Fri Nov 06 10:56:32 -0800 2009 5160048 153308 souvenir 2 5161383 Many thanks to all your comments! I think I was bewitched by the beauty of the AC paella pan. I will go with the AC Saucier instead and see how that goes. Once again many thanks. Fri Nov 06 11:24:22 -0800 2009 5161278 1121902 casimir