8 Top Risotto Tips From Gabriele Ferron

As promised to our Ferron Master Class attendees, here are some of the tips from Gabriele Ferron himself about how to cook great rice.

• Always toast the rice until it is hot to touch, but not brown.
• Don’t use butter to toast the rice, it will burn. Instead use extra virgin olive oil. Only a small amount is needed.
• There is no need to add wine to the rice – in fact adding cold wine will shock the rice, causing it to cook unevenly. Better to add the wine to your condiment (like mushrooms or seafood.)
• When cooking rice the non stir method, always measure how much rice you add to the pot. Add twice the quantity of hot stock (never cold, as again it will shock the rice).
• Once the stock is added, stir gently, cover and simmer on a low heat for 15-18 minutes.
• Once cooked, let the rice sit for a moment then stir vigorously with a slotted wooden spoon to release the starch and air.
• Don’t use cheese and butter with seafood based risottos. Fats on the land should never be mixed with fats of the sea (except extra virgin olive oil).
• To cook the rice for a rice salad or to precook the rice, add 1.5 times the stock to the toasted rice, place in a hot oven (200⁰C) and cook for 13 minutes. Spread the rice out to cool. Either add your rice salad condiments, or heat in a fry pan for risotto.

Any further information you can find at realrisotto.com.