Cooking Risotto - A followup to the CI Saucier Review

[Porthos]

It never crossed my mind to cook risotto in a saucier until it was mentioned in their review. I was not pleased with using my saucier when I tried it and will be going back to my large saute pan.

 

What do you cook your risotto in?

[Kerry Beal]

My thermomix.

[gfweb]

saute pan

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Has anyone tried the MC method of cooking risotto in a canning jar?  I have and experienced very poor results.  But it must work for someone.

 

[sartoric]

A large sauté pan. I learnt risotto at the elbow of my northern Italian mother in law.

I'd like to try the baked in the oven/no stir version, but that would be sacrilege - says fiercely defensive son/husband.

[Shel_B]

2 hours ago, Porthos said:

It never crossed my mind to cook risotto in a saucier until it was mentioned in their review. I was not pleased with using my saucier when I tried it and will be going back to my large saute pan.

 

Just curious ... what displeased you?

[Porthos]

 

Above is the original thread.

 

This was my followup in that thread:

 

So my DW and I went over to my FIL's home and cooked him dinner this evening. I brought my saucier along and made risotto in it. I found it a bit troublesome. Particularly when sweating the onions I had a hard time with them wanting to move up the sides of the pan and I had to keep pushing them back down in the main flat area of the pan where I wanted them.  The rice did this to a lesser extent. The risotto turned out fine but I will defer to my large saute pan in the future.

[FrogPrincesse]

I use an All Clad 3-quart saucier pan, or a pressure cooker if time is limited.

[Mjx]

I use the thickest pan available, which usually is my sauté pan (but I've used pretty much every sort of cooking vessel when making risotto at friends' places). I've found the thickness of the pan to be the most important thing.

[rotuts]

I cook risotto in a fuzzy rice cooker.

 

if you pick the correct rice , and get your liquid volume to appropriately match

 

that's really all there is too it.

 

consider this older book from your library :

 

The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook: 250 No-Fail Recipes for Pilaf, Risotto, ...(title shortened)

 

and

 

https://www.google.com/?client=safari#q=risotto+in+a+fuzzy+logic+rice+cooker

Edited February 26, 2016 by Smithy
Adjusted Amazon Link format (log)

[Alex]

8 minutes ago, rotuts said:

I cook risotto in a fuzzy rice cooker.

 

Wouldn't fuzzy rice feel weird in your mouth?

-----------

I've always used a saute pan, but I do have this cooker, so I'll have to try it.

[rotuts]

you get used to it.  then nothing else will do

 

[hathor]

I'm with Mjx... the pan to use is the one you have available. Preferably a saute pan with a thick bottom. It's more about timing, technique & flavorful stock than it is about the pan. 

I'm a dead-on purist. You can make rice in all sorts of pots, pans and even canning jars; but you've made a rice dish, not risotto. 

Nothing wrong with that at all. Nothing un-delicious. It's just not a risotto. 

[paulraphael]

I used to cook risotto in any old pan. If you're doing it traditionally, the pan makes virtually no difference, because you never stop stirring. I've used heavy aluminum, which heats very evenly, and enameled cast iron, which does not. Same results. And you don't need fast temperature response for risotto. Just the occasional small adjustment to keep things simmering at about the right rate. A fairly wide pan might help things go faster, since it speeds evaporation.

 

Nowadays I always do risotto in a pressure cooker. So much faster than the traditional method, and no tradeoffs. 

 

I haven't tried using the fuzzy rice cooker. Not sure what the workflow would be, or the settings on the machine. With a pressure cooker, you use it as a stockpot when sweating the arromatics, cooking down mushrooms, etc., and then pressurize to cook the rice. I usually undercook slightly under pressure, so I can finish to the exact right consistency while stirring. This finishing step just adds a couple of minutes.

Edited February 26, 2016 by paulraphael (log)

[Deryn]

I usually use my Thermomix - it does the stirring for me. I have however made quite acceptable risotto recently in my IP with nothing doing the stirring. Prior to owning those handy appliances, I have used a wok, a saucier, a sauté pan, and even a dutch oven in a pinch.

[MelissaH]

Anymore, we use the pressure cooker.