I think said another way, if the heat is too high, a higher proportion of liquid is boiling off faster than is cooking, i.e., penetrating and hydrating the rice. So you have to add more liquid, and it might take longer to get the rice done.

Older rice, with less moisture in it, will absorb more liquid than fresh rice, too.

I make quite a bit of risotto, and I think you can't slavishly adhere to recipes for it, especially in terms of liquid and timing. It's done when it's done, when the mouthfeel is right, and if that takes more liquid, so be it. sometimes I even add water at the end if I've run out of broth.

I also hardly ever heat the broth that I add, and I can't say I notice any difference. However, my risotto usually takes longer than most recipes say, so maybe that is a factor.

I have made a baked risotto (I want to say it's a recipe from Patricia Wells?). It's very tasty, but it doesn't get as creamy as the stirring in the pot makes it.

rickster wrote:I make quite a bit of risotto, and I think you can't slavishly adhere to recipes for it, especially in terms of liquid and timing. It's done when it's done, when the mouthfeel is right, and if that takes more liquid, so be it. sometimes I even add water at the end if I've run out of broth.

Yeah, I couldn't even tell you how much broth/stock I use for my risotto recipe. I just have a big pot of it simmering on the stovetop as I do my rice, and however much liquid it takes, that's how much it takes.

I admit to using supermarket broth instead of making my own, for the rather embarrassing reason that it drives my dog absolutely nuts to leave it simmering on the stove for a few hours (and unlike when I roast meats, I can't even share). I've been meaning to make pork broth (for ramen) for a while, but just haven't had the time.

On the other hand, I think I saw PQM selling their own broth - I imagine that would work quite well.

I, too, usually use supermarket broth, simmered, and - like Rickster - I usually just cook it til it suits my taste. Different kinds/brands of rice, different days of the week, different pans - they all impact how a risotto will cook. I try to be super patient and just let the broth coax the rice into the ideal texture. The great thing about risotto is it's such a deliberate process you can do a taste-texture test many times along the way to get it the way you like it. I'm not saying recipes aren't helpful, but rice is fickle no matter how you make it and really great risotto requires a willingness to improvise.

Independent George wrote:I admit to using supermarket broth instead of making my own, for the rather embarrassing reason that it drives my dog absolutely nuts to leave it simmering on the stove for a few hours (and unlike when I roast meats, I can't even share).

My solution to that is I make a broth by cooking up a bunch of cheap chicken thighs, and hold the onions, and when done, the doggie gets the meat mixed in with his regular food and/or rice, and I get a bunch of broth I could use for cooking. Win, win!

I use Swanson's Chicken Stock when I don't have anything homemade in the freezer. While I dislike their broth (as well as most other grocery store available broth) I find their stock to be an excellent substitute.

I like the Pacific brand chicken broth (low sodium - I like to add my own truffle salt), but I think this would make a great base for my next batch:

How to make Tonkotsu Ramen Broth at Home

Is it possible to bake arrancini in a mini-popover pan?

I hate dealing with the amount of oil required for even pan frying, let alone deep frying, so I'm trying to figure out a way to make arrancini without ending up with cups of oil afterwards. That got me to thinking - can you use the small cups on a mini-popover pan to effectively fry an arrancini without using heaps of oil? I also thought about adding in some butter with the oil to aid browning.

My big worry is heat retention - the only mini-popover pans I can find are aluminum rather than cast iron, and in my experience they don't work nearly as well. Frozen tater tots taste like they were deep fried if baked on a cast iron pan - you just can't get the same effect with thin aluminum.

ETA: Upon further research, I wonder if this is the correct tool to use. This requires experimentation, but I think about 5 minutes on each side in a pre-heated 450 degree oven could work nicely.

Independent George wrote:I hate dealing with the amount of oil required for even pan frying, let alone deep frying, so I'm trying to figure out a way to make arrancini without ending up with cups of oil afterwards.

Strain the oil and put it in a container for the next time you need to deep fry. That's what I do.

We make risotto a few times a year and there are usually leftovers. A few days ago I decided to reheat as Italians do with pasta, in a skillet. Never thought it would be appropriate for risotto, but it was great. Didn’t really dry out like pasta does, which was probably good, but was still able to get some of it a bit browned.