do you stir constantly, when making rissoto?

i did a green pea risotto last night. i served it along side a double thick cut center-cut pork chop that i grill smoked with almond wood.

running between stovetop and my backyard weber was very interesting..eventually, i decided fire management was more important than risotto management.

i went into the kitchen to add more broth and shake the pan and stir (occasionally)..then i did other things.

i'll be honest..the resulting risotto was still creamy and soft..

what gives? also, what is the inside the restaurant secrets to rissoto? you pro chefs make a big batch and just warm it thru with added hot broth and vigorous stirring? no way you make each to order, right?

I can tell you one thing, you don't see a lot of risotto being made for family meal.

I used to, but I get pretty much the same results stirring once every few minutes

I like to pressure cook it these days just under done, the finish it after I release pressure. got that one from Modernist Cuisine for Home

I stir constantly but gently.

No. I add a ladle of stock, shake the pan and let it simmer and absorb until almost all the liquid is gone from the pan, then repeat. All that stirring is unnecessary. I only stir at the end when adding some cream and/or cheese.

cnochef said:

No. I add a ladle of stock, shake the pan and let it simmer and absorb until almost all the liquid is gone from the pan, then repeat. All that stirring is unnecessary. I only stir at the end when adding some cream and/or cheese.

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That's exactly what I do, but I never add cream. Usually add butter and cheese tho.

cnochef said:

No. I add a ladle of stock, shake the pan and let it simmer and absorb until almost all the liquid is gone from the pan, then repeat. All that stirring is unnecessary. I only stir at the end when adding some cream and/or cheese.

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I do it precisely the same way.

where I used to work at, they cook a big batch, blast chill, portion by grams, then do what you said during service.

In my opinion, the constant stirring technique is a remnant from the days before consistent flames and good quality pans. I can see why you'd have to do so in the past when most flames were just wood fires, and pans that transferred heat unevenly were what people were using. Thankfully, we live in a age where pans are mass produced to a consistently high quality, and our heat source is easily controlled.

I still stir it regularly, but I don't do it constantly. I also eschew the old idea that you need to add the liquid in small additions, and there are a lot of modern cooks out there who do the same. I personally prefer to soak my rice (usually broth, but any liquid works) for at least two hours, then strain while reserving the liquid for cooking (there's a good bit of starch in the soaking liquid). Afterwards, follow regular risotto technique (sweat aromatics, saute rice, add liquid), but the soaking reduces the cooking time to about 6 minutes as oppose to ~20. The restaurants I work at do not do this and parcook the risotto instead. I prefer soaking because it's easier, although it takes a bit more planning and time, and by saving the starch in the soaking liquid, I'm able to use less cream to achieve the same creamy consistency. For parcooking, we just do regular risotto technique, with the exception of adding all the liquid at once, then cook it until it's got a bit more bite than al dente, then spread the risotto out onto a sheet tray for cooling. When an order comes in, the risotto is simply dropped into a pan with some cream and other liquid (broth, wine, etc. it depends on what kind of risotto), cooked down, then seasoned to taste before plating.

Mucho Bocho said:

I like to pressure cook it these days just under done, the finish it after I release pressure. got that one from Modernist Cuisine for Home

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Can you go into more detail, so you use like 2/3 of the liquid required and pressure cook it? then finish?

wouldn't a rice cooker do the same thing?

thanks everyone.

i especially appreciate the peeks you allow us home cooks, into your pro kitchens..nice!!

i barely stir polenta/grits either..

I sweat down onions and garlic till translucent and sweet, not browned tho. Add rice and dry stir to slightly toast to bring a nuttyness out. Deglaze with white wine and reduce that till nearly gone, then add chicken stock till abiut 2/3 cooked and lay out on sheet try to cool. Reheat to order in pan with butter, cheesen S&P, and stock. Never cream. Stir rappidly at the end.

Its interesting to see how people differ when they make their rissoto. I have heard that technically you are not supposed to toast the rice even though I like to toast it until it starts to get translucent. I dont like to take the rice to when it begins to brown since I feel the final product looks off with darker rice grains. I stir every few minutes, especially when adding my cooking liquid. I dont stand over the stove stiring constantly as I have tried both methods and didnt really notice a difference in the final dish. Both came out creamy and with the same consistancy.

I have also tried Thomas Keller's recipe and that calls for heavy cream whipped to stiff peaks to be added at the very end along with butter and cheese. I agree with the butter and cheese but the heavy cream was overkill.

Of course shaving on a generous portion of white truffle never hurts

I'm careful about letting it go to long alone, becauase I've had a couple of rissotto's for a mass quantity die in a rondo.

i will continue to stand over the stove for 20 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon stamped "france" for the rest of my life. risotto is something that is genuine and should be kept as something sacred. what the hell else do we have in the kitchen? we should keep the traditions.

maybe mine is better than yours, its most likely.

Mascarpone/butter and Parmesan/pecorino should be added right at the end, off the heat for mantecatura (emulsification). Cooking these out can split them and the silky finish is compromised.
At work I don't get time to stand over the pan, completely dedicated, but I definitely make time for it and make sure whatever I'm doing concurrently is low-maintenance, ie. washing and chopping herbs, as a forgotten risotto is a KP's scourge and a place in chefs' hell.

Brad Gibson said:

i will continue to stand over the stove for 20 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon stamped "france" for the rest of my life. risotto is something that is genuine and should be kept as something sacred. what the hell else do we have in the kitchen? we should keep the traditions.

maybe mine is better than yours, its most likely.

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Not when the traditions waste time for no reason. If I'm making a risotto at home it's because I have family over. I'd rather spend more time with family than stirring risotto. If I'm making one at work I for sure don't have time to constantly stir the risotto.

Scientifically the constant stirring does nothing as long as you don't have your pan set at too high of a temperature. I've never had an issue with my risottos not turning out before.

boomchakabowwow said:

i did a green pea risotto last night. i served it along side a double thick cut center-cut pork chop that i grill smoked with almond wood.

running between stovetop and my backyard weber was very interesting..eventually, i decided fire management was more important than risotto management.

i went into the kitchen to add more broth and shake the pan and stir (occasionally)..then i did other things.

i'll be honest..the resulting risotto was still creamy and soft..

what gives? also, what is the inside the restaurant secrets to rissoto? you pro chefs make a big batch and just warm it thru with added hot broth and vigorous stirring? no way you make each to order, right?

Click to expand...

I don't pretend to know everything, but your technique of multi-tasking and stirring when it needs it is on par with most kitchens. Essentially when you stir it, you're releasing the starch which makes vialone nano naturally creamy. That's the whole "science" behind the stirring. Risotto is a grain, which will soak up liquid no matter what you do. The stirring just makes it creamy. the more you stir, the better the end product. But no one in a professional kitchen has time to stand over a stove and focus on one thing for two hours. If I'm wrong, I want a job there.

This thread is a good example of why I don't like making risotto at work anymore. Everybody has a strong opinion for the initial steps and wants to tell you all about it even if they are a teenager from the sticks. They rarely can talk with any authority about what it is supposed to be when it is actually done. Just don't add so much liquid that it will have to over cook or scorch to be ready and save your brain for what to do after you taste it.

(I didn't realize how much resentment I have harboring over risotto. Venting over)

ohbewon said:

I don't pretend to know everything, but your technique of multi-tasking and stirring when it needs it is on par with most kitchens. Essentially when you stir it, you're releasing the starch which makes vialone nano naturally creamy. That's the whole "science" behind the stirring. Risotto is a grain, which will soak up liquid no matter what you do. The stirring just makes it creamy. the more you stir, the better the end product. But no one in a professional kitchen has time to stand over a stove and focus on one thing for two hours. If I'm wrong, I want a job there.

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Most of the starch gets released because water is getting absorbed, and some of the water is replacing the starch not because you're stirring it. Why would stirring the risotto magically make the starch inside the rice come out of the rice?? Stirring just causes the starch on the surface of the rice to release because the grains of rice are rubbing together. All you need is movement for that to happen, not necessarily stirring. Gently shaking the pan works just fine too.

if you want to look at it from another prospective, "risotto" is a technique. arborio is the type of rice it works most properly with and is therefore the common reference to "risotto". you can take most any pasta and stir the piss out of it to release gluten to make it creamy on its own. not stirring arborio is just taking a shortcut from traditional techinique like brad mentioned.

mmm risotto, my favorite starch! stir it, shake it, what ever just dont over cook and it's going to be good, hell overcooked still tastes good just without that beautiful texture.

Brad Gibson said:

i will continue to stand over the stove for 20 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon stamped "france" for the rest of my life. risotto is something that is genuine and should be kept as something sacred. what the hell else do we have in the kitchen? we should keep the traditions.

maybe mine is better than yours, its most likely.

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You have time to stand over a stove for 20 minutes?
A spoon stamped France for an Italian dish?
Fusion... or confusion
I think the later

You stir continually to ensure that the grains are evenly cooked.

The answer is yes, you stir continually.

NO ChoP! said:

You stir continually to ensure that the grains are evenly cooked.

The answer is yes, you stir continually.

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As long as you cook using a thick bottom wide pan, and always add broth at the right time and stir/shake the pan when you add the broth then it's not necessary to stir constantly. The grains will be evenly cooked as long as they're the same size.

Regardless of the pan or heat source, the top, bottom, sides will cook and absorb at different rates. The added weight of the bottom grains will cook under pressure....

Again, stir risotto constantly.

NO ChoP! said:

Regardless of the pan or heat source, the top, bottom, sides will cook and absorb at different rates. The added weight of the bottom grains will cook under pressure....

Again, stir risotto constantly.

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Sure, they'll cook at different rates, but if you follow what I said, the difference will be small. Stirring constantly is overkill and completely unnecessary. Stirring occasionally will suffice.

Again, stirring risotto constantly is a completely old fashioned practice with no real scientific basis behind it.

This reminds me of a cook that kept shocking rice, (50#) but not mixing the rice when in the water. The water creates a pocket of hot water and isn't cooled even when left there for 15 min. This also happens in a pan, granted at smaller lvls. You can see this happen with thick sauces. If you want a hot sauce (alfredo) you have to make sure it is boiling all through out. If you leave the sauce alone you will scorch the bottom before you get the middle of the alfredo to even some were near room temp. I have taught many cooks that think when the edge of a sauce is boiling that it is ok for them to add pasta at this point. If there is no mixing or agitation of the sauce you get hot and cold pockets through out the final dish. Same is also happening when when you add different temp stock when you stir you are creating a equal balance of temps stopping any pockets from forming. Granted this is happening at a small lvl. but will also create problems if you leave it without any agitation.

I never have liked standing still for 20 min doing a constant stirring, but once a min or two should be fine enough.

Sorry forgot most restaurants make their alfredo b4 service and is usually kept cold for a quicker service time.

What your cooking is flavored rice. Risotto is cooked one ladle of liquid at a time, until absorbed, to properly release the starches, and stirred continually. Period. Seasoning with each ladle insures depth of flavor.

I've cooked a few thousand ala minute bowls in probably the most acclaimed for risotto restaurants in the country. Google "battle risotto"....