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Is it OK to keep risotto warm in a rice cooker?


Norm Matthews

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Son gave me an Italian cookbook for fathers day and I am making dinner with recipes from it.  I want to make as much ahead as possible so last minuted prep will be at a minimum.  The recipe is for risotto with onions, mushrooms, red wine and chicken stock.  After I have made it on the stovetop, is it going to be ok to keep it warm in the rice cooker?

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It should be ok in the rice cooker on the low setting. For insurance, you could wait for the final "finish" on the risotto until just before you serve and stir in the final butter/cheese/cream or whatever in the rice cooker on low.

"Life is Too Short to Not Play With Your Food" 

My blog: Fun Playing With Food

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Do what the restaurants do and cook it 3/4 through and then spread over a sheet pan to rapidly cool. It then takes about 10 minutes to finish before service. If risotto could be held in a rice cooker, restauraunts wouldn't be par-cooking it.

PS: I am a guy.

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Do what the restaurants do and cook it 3/4 through and then spread over a sheet pan to rapidly cool. It then takes about 10 minutes to finish before service. If risotto could be held in a rice cooker, restauraunts wouldn't be par-cooking it.

This technique works well for me (in fact, you can tweak the timing so the finish step is even faster than that if you want). If you've got access to Modernist Cuisine they've got a nice overview of the technique.

Chris Hennes
Director of Operations
chennes@egullet.org

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The rice was done about 5:30 and the kids were off work at 5 so i figured I'd be OK if they were a little late.  They went to get rentals for the guys in their wedding and didn't get home until almost 8.  The rice was in the rice cooker all that time. It didn't dry out but was kind of gummy looking. It still tasted OK but next time i won't start it until everybody is home. 

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Do what the restaurants do and cook it 3/4 through and then spread over a sheet pan to rapidly cool. It then takes about 10 minutes to finish before service. If risotto could be held in a rice cooker, restauraunts wouldn't be par-cooking it.

 

I do the same method, somewhat simplified. I was taught to cook the risotto up to the point that you're ready to add the last ladle of broth. Take the pan off the heat. To finish, reheat, add the last ladle of broth and any fillings. The couple times I tried this stop and hold method, it worked fine.

Edited by djyee100 (log)
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Thanks for all the information.  I have never had risotto in a restaurant but only at home when I made once or twice a long time ago. I expected to hold it in the rice cooker for less than an hour but it turned out to be over two hours before they got home. I learned my lesson. It looked a lot more appealing before it went in the rice cooker than it did when it came out but it still tasted good.  It was the first time Cassie and Charles had had it and they both made comments about how it looked.. like oatmeal or gruel, but both liked the taste.  Charles said if he was forced to have only one thing for a long time, he'd be ok with that.

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I have tried cooking risotto in the pressure cooker (using the canning jar method, a la MC@H) and was rewarded with something like rice soup.  Is pressure cooked risotto supposed to turn out the same as traditionally prepared risotto?

 

At this point I am new to rice cookers, but if for some reason I absolutely had to hold risotto I think I'd give the rice cooker a try.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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I have tried cooking risotto in the pressure cooker (using the canning jar method, a la MC@H) and was rewarded with something like rice soup.  Is pressure cooked risotto supposed to turn out the same as traditionally prepared risotto?

 

At this point I am new to rice cookers, but if for some reason I absolutely had to hold risotto I think I'd give the rice cooker a try.

 

Jo, next time, I'll take pictures, no soup.  6 minutes for me in the pressure cooker are more than enough.

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Jo, next time, I'll take pictures, no soup.  6 minutes for me in the pressure cooker are more than enough.

 

Franci, are you using the MC@H method of placing the rice and water in a canning jar?

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Franci, are you using the MC@H method of placing the rice and water in a canning jar?

 

Without the canning jar. I toast the rice first in the pressure cooker in a little bit of fat (butter or oil, depending on the kind of risotto), sometimes with some softened onion or not. For a cup of rice I use 2 cups stock. 6 minutes (or 5 depending on the brand or quality of rice) from when it goes into pressure. I release the pressure putting the lid under lukewarm water, I don't want to overcook my risotto. I add a touch more stock if it looks too dry, adjust salt,  and beat well with a wooden spoon with butter and some grated parmigiano over the sink. I let rest, covered with a towel for a couple minutes.

I would imagine that if you do in a canning jar you need to cut down on the liquid a lot as it will not evaporate as much. But I wouldn't want my risotto in a bainmarie...congee taste? not for me.

Edited by Franci (log)
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We also like pressure-cooker risotto. Just as Franci does, we cook it directly in the pressure cooker pot. No muss, no fuss, quick dinner. Definitely not soup.

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

Chemist, writer, hired gun

Say this five times fast: "A big blue bucket of blue blueberries."

foodblog1 | kitchen reno | foodblog2

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You can get whatever result you want with pressure cooked risotto. Just like with traditional risotto, the main variables are rice variety, liquid ratio, and cooking time.

 

The tricky part is that you can't see what's going on in the pot. It's not quite as simple to compensate as you go.

 

Unless I've really nailed a recipe for a particular rice type, I'll usually pressure cook for a couple of minutes less than my best estimate. This gets the risotto most of the way there, and I can finish conventionally after depressurizing. A couple of minutes of cooking/stirring softens the rice some more and make it less soupy; doing so while adding liquid makes it more soupy. 

 

Then correct the seasonings, stir in cheese, butter etc. at the end.

Edited by paulraphael (log)

Notes from the underbelly

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