do you stir constantly, when making rissoto?

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Actually, it was "battle rice". I worked under Paul Bartolotta's chefs watchful eye on risotto station back in the day.

40-100 bowls a night.
100% ala minute.
2-4 varieties.

Every single bowl tasted for seasoning, consistency and texture by the chef.

Only 4 of 4 star restaurant in the city that year.

Three people that can tell me about risotto; Chef Paul Bartolotta, Chef Adam Siegel and Mario Batali.

Stir your risotto.
 
After tasting 2 risottos that my old chef made exactly the same (to prove this exact point to me), except one was stirred constantly and one was stirred only when adding liquid, and maybe once or twice to see if more liquid was needed, I noticed absolutely NO difference at all.

There is nothing you can do to change my mind on this, just like there's nothing i can do to change your mind on this either.

People that cant tell me about risotto: Anyone over the internet. I need to see things first hand to believe it.
 
how about a compromise? the way we do it at my job is to stir while you add liquid to help it absorb evenly. then when the risotto check gets fired you finish with nearly constant stirring for 3-5min while adding butter, liquid and seasonings. this works well and is pretty practical too.
 
It's all good. Our industry is full of alpha males. I don't expect anyone that has any real skills to bow down to my ideals. I'm a stubborn, cocky sob when it comes to my craft. Dozens of years has a tendency to do that to ya.
 
Couldn't have said it better myself. Although I prefer "passionate" to "stubborn, cocky sob" haha.
 
jgraeff said:
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?
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Two cups of liquid for every cup of arborio rice works very well for me in my pressure cooker.

(Note: I'm just a simple home cook ;) )
 
I never take it all the way. I bring to 75 to 85 percent done then cool off immediately on sheet pans thin layers. Diamond them out into portions and finish with more stock s and p when coming off the heat butter and cheese and a lil pepper to help the cheese flaviors stand out. Stir vigorously at end and sauté to fold air into it so I fluffs a lil and u have a lighter texture and not a whole pole of dense food. Depends what type of risotto I'll fold stiff peak egg white or heavy cream to and air and a little flavor usually fold some flavor into the cream or egg so that it intensifies the flavor between the air molecules in the risotto. Thus leaving you a light creamy risotto with layers of flavor that you can taste on at the back of the throat. That's wwhat Keller does. He folds in stiff whipped heavy cream. But he doesnt tell you that the cream is infused with different layers of acidic flaviors to cut the fat in the risotto. Like lemon or lime rinds or reduced vinegars then turned into powders with malto so it doesn't affect the stiff peaks or even super Reduced stocks I then malto dextrin them into powder and fold in with whipped butter to help aerate the risotto with a different layer u can taste that's separately from the risotto. So u feel like your eating risotto and a protein in one bite but actually only eating risotto
 
My English not so good today. I'm super tired from working a double and drinking with the boupys after work
 
I agree with no chop no matter how good pans are and heat sources u have to stir risotto constantly to get every grain cooked evenly or u gonna have rough texture. Or you over cook it and you have too much liquid to compensate.
 
I've cooked a few thousand risottos and I be seen perfect risottos and fixed risottos. And u can tell the difference.
 
If this was titled "do you stir constantly, when making hollandaise?" would we be having this debate? also surprised no one pointed out...

[video=youtube;Sm6Tclz_-J8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm6Tclz_-J8[/video]
 
I just found out the restaurant is getting some faro to play with on Monday. Make riso with this and enjoy it, and don't worry about the amount you stirred it.
 
From a home cooks perspective, I'm enjoying the passion in craft being shown. I guess risotto is one of those traditional dishes with traditional technique. I certainly have the time to baby my risottos, can't imagine that being very viable in a busy kitchen!
 
read smth like this in an italian cook book written by an old italian MAMA (she probably wasn't slim): you're doing it right when you gently stir, making sure you don't scratch the bottom of the pan, and in the end, some of the rice has stuck to the bottom of the pan and it has got golden-brown. you serve the risotto, and then the cook can choose: either you top the risotto with the golden-brown, crispy rice from the pan, or you keep that for yourself!!! :hungry: really, that is the best part of risotto! i have found the right temperature, pan, and technique and i will always end up with this delicacy in my pan... this is so yummy!!!
 
But it won't be similar at all texturally, more akin to a barley risotto, much, much less starch
 
Don't get me wrong, it'll be delicious, and I love farro (Emmer wheat) but it doesn't really 'risotto'
'
 
Go slow, and it will do everything you want it to.
 
You could, but I think it's best just to say you are cooking farro, rather than risotto. Its like when people say that they're making a carpaccio of pineapple; its a lack of understanding-carpaccio is the beef dish so named for the artist Carpaccio who used red and white to strong effect. So carpaccio of pineapple is unnecessary nomenclature, as is farro risotto
 
I've noticed it's easy to overcook risoto if you attempt to use any rice other then aborio! What's the story with using other rices???
 
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