What Is Important When Preparing Risotto?

A perfect risotto has a creamy texture, so it shouldn’t be lumpy or mushy. The rice grains should still remain al dente. In order for this to succeed, you should use special risotto rice for the preparation. Typical varieties include Arborio, Carnaroli, and Vialone nano. The round grains must not cook too quickly: if the rice absorbs too much liquid too quickly, too much starch will get into the cooking water and the risotto will become mushy.

Other basic ingredients for a classic risotto are shallots, fresh garlic, white wine, broth or stock, butter, and grated parmesan. For a balanced aroma, the white wine should be dry and not acidic. You will also need salt and pepper for seasoning.

The butter is melted in a sauté pan – it must not turn brown. Then the finely chopped shallots and garlic cloves are sautéed over medium heat until translucent. They shouldn’t turn brown either. Then add the rice and sauté it for about a minute. This prepares the rice to swell later without bursting too much. Stir the rice gently with a wooden spoon to avoid crushing the grains. It is best to toss the mixture in the sauté pan without tools.

Once the rice is heated, deglaze with white wine and allow the liquid to reduce over medium-high heat. Then pour enough broth or stock over the rice to just cover it and stir or toss the mixture until the rice grains have absorbed the broth. Always keep to this order: keep pouring in a small amount, let it boil down while stirring or tossing, and only then add more liquid. With our Thermomix® Parmesan Risotto recipe, the high-quality kitchen appliance takes care of this work for you.

When the risotto is creamy and the rice grains can be easily pressed, it is ready. In this case, when panning, you will see that it forms waves. Stir in some butter and the grated cheese and season the risotto with salt and pepper. The basic recipe can be supplemented with fresh herbs, for example with a wild garlic risotto, with vegetables and mushrooms – in the mushroom risotto recipe with shiitake, for example – and served with meat or fish. However, a risotto also tastes good on its own as a main course. Our risotto recipes provide further inspiration. Be sure to try our fennel risotto recipe.