Burning kitchen question answered: should you stir risotto or not?
The perfect risotto is creamy, not boiled dry and evenly cooked al dente because it has been gently simmering on the stove. To make that ultimate risotto at home, one recipe says you should stir the risotto, while another tells you to put the lid on the pan and cook the rice without stirring. Pretty confusing, right? So should you stir or not when making risotto?
Here’s the thing: first I see a chef on TV who learned from an Italian chef not to stir risotto, and then in Janny van der Heijden’s new program I see an Italian chef stirring the risotto. And then there are also people who swear by oven-baked risotto. So there is plenty to discuss when it comes to this Italian classic—time for some clarification.
Stirring
Constantly stirring the risotto until every ladleful of stock has been absorbed is not a good idea. In fact, by continuously stirring the rice, you are essentially ‘over-stirring’ it. This means you damage the grains of rice, causing your risotto to become mushy and sticky rather than creamy. And that last one is the risotto you want.
Not stirring
Furiously stirring the pan is therefore a no-go. But pouring in the stock and then ignoring it completely is not the intention either. This way, you are simply cooking rice and will never achieve that creamy texture. What’s more, the chance of rice sticking to the bottom is also many times greater this way (I speak from experience; it is extremely irritating).
Stir occasionally
So constantly stirring and not stirring at all are both not done. What should you do, then? The answer is actually very simple: stir the pan occasionally (gently!). The creaminess of risotto comes about because the grains of rice rub against each other when you turn them over. This releases starch, and starch means: silky, perfectly cooked risotto (with red wine and onion, mmm!). Our advice: after adding the stock, stir 2 or 3 times, give yourself and the rice a moment’s rest, stir once in between, and only then add the next batch of stock. Good luck!
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