Risotto Rice

Let me tell you about Risotto Rice, my friend, and why it is not just rice.

Look at the grain in your hand. Short, round, almost pearly, with a white chalky dot in the center. Cook it right and bite into it: you should feel a small resistance at the core, a little bite left in the middle. Stir the pot and listen: the liquid around the grains goes from watery to thick; it starts clinging to the spoon instead of running off it, and the whole pot moves slowly and heavily under your wooden spoon.

Choose Risotto Rice by its look: grains short, plump, opaque at the center, not long and glassy like the rice you boil and forget about. Not all Risotto Rice is the same — some holds its shape better and forgives you if you overcook it a little, some turns softer and less patient sooner. Hold the bag, read the name, know which one you bought.

Some people say any white rice will do for risotto. No! Try it with long-grain rice and watch what happens in the pan: the grains slide past each other, the broth around them stays thin and watery, and no matter how long you stir, you never get that creamy pull across the pan. You end up with loose grains in soup, not risotto.