How-to: reheating risotto
Anyone who has ever tried reheating the little bit of risotto left over the next day can probably say that it failed miserably. It turns into a stodgy, tough and sticky rice porridge that you simply cannot get a bite of down your throat. So what is the right way to do it?
Let’s get straight to the point: technically, you can’t really reheat risotto. Well, of course you can, but keep in mind that it will never be as delicious as it was the first time you ate it. Wondering why? When you leave risotto standing, the rice expands enormously. It continues to soak up liquid, after all. This changes the texture.
Give it a boost with stock
Stock can still save it to some extent. Use approximately 60 millilitres per 200 grams of risotto. Choose the same type you used to prepare the risotto in the first place. Don’t have any left at home? Boiling water is fine too, but bear in mind that it naturally adds no flavour. Stir for a few minutes, add some butter and taste. Is the risotto still too mushy? Then pour a little extra stock into the pan.
Watch out!
Want to try the trick above with frozen risotto? No, wait! That’s not what you should do. When rice freezes, it develops a different, much harder texture that does not change when you thaw the risotto again. You can only give leftover risotto from the fridge a boost.
Make rice balls
Our favourite way to use leftover risotto is to make anancini di riso. These are fried risotto balls. Don’t think that sounds very sophisticated? It is: anancini are incredibly popular in Sicily. FavorFlav’s Emma always puts a small cube of mozzarella in the centre too—everything is better with melted, stringy cheese, after all.
Also read:
- The perfect risotto, step by step
- Leftover risotto? Make a pancake out of it
- Mushroom risotto with an Asian twist
