Finally nailed my risotto after 3 failed attempts at the French Laundry

I was staging at a small bistro in Portland last week and the sous chef there showed me a trick where you toast the rice in butter for 2 extra minutes before adding wine. Never thought that little detail would make the grain absorb so evenly. Has anyone else found one tiny change that suddenly made a dish click?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles79817d ago

Toast that rice an extra minute or two. It makes all the difference.

benwilliams17d ago

I saw this thing online from some food scientist once, and they said the extra browning on the rice really changes the smell and taste because of the Maillard reaction. Same thing that happens when you toast bread or sear meat, it just brings out this nutty flavor that plain steamed rice doesn't have. I tried it with my last batch of jasmine rice and the whole kitchen smelled like popcorn almost. Makes a big difference for fried rice too since the grains stay firmer.