So THAT's Why Restaurant Risotto Tastes So Much Better

RisottoRisotto is one of those creamy Italian dishes that’s oh-so-comforting and a real treat as the weather starts to cool.But if you find the risotto you make at home is lacking a certain something, culinary pros have a word of advice – and the mistake you’re making might actually be very easy to rectify. Recently, a risotto-loving Redditor took to r/AskCulinary to say their risotto smells nice and rich, but “doesn’t taste that way” – and they pondered where they were going wrong.They shared that they typically cook the onions and toast the rice for a minute, before adding white wine. They then cook the rice in mushroom stock (for about 25 minutes) before adding butter and parmesan. Redditor ivaivazovski also said they added some mushrooms, which they’d fried separately and, again, deglazed with white wine.“It tastes alright, but I was expecting it to taste a lot richer based on the smell. What can I do to actually enhance the taste?” they asked.How to make risotto richerIf you’ve been faced with the same dilemma, chances are you’re skimping on salt. Or butter. Or both. As one commenter said: “Richness comes from fat, so more butter and more cheese folded in.”The overwhelming consensus was that the probably dish needed more salt, too.“Risotto, especially mushroom risotto, wants lots of butter, and you’re likely lacking salt as well,” said one respondent.Others suggested you could add salt (“and a little complexity”) with a tablespoon of soy sauce.Chef Ben Kelly said when making restaurant-style mushroom risotto, the key technique is to “slowly and gradually cook a starchy ingredient by adding liquid in small amounts and stirring”.The aim is to “draw starch” from the main ingredient to give the dish its creaminess. The chef said 90% of the creaminess should come from the starch, and the rest should come from butter and parmesan cheese.Any other tips?Just. Keep. Stirring. The chef explained you should be adding a ladle of stock to the rice and then stirring it gently until the liquid has been absorbed – “then add more and repeat”.The process is long – it will take about 20 minutes in total – but it’s worth it.“If you want that creamy, silky risotto texture, this is how you get it. The rice is done when it is plump and tender but not mushy. It should still have a tiny bit of chew to it,” he added. Don’t try to make too much at once, either.As Italian chef Valentina Harris explained for Sous Chef: “In the vast majority of domestic scenarios, cooking any more than 600g of rice for Risotto in a large pot will just spell disappointment.”She also warned against browning your onions – cook them in butter until soft, instead – and to add all the rice to the pan in one go, before stirring and toasting the grains “without browning”. Then, gradually add your stock. Noted. Related...So THAT's How Restaurants Get Salmon Skin So CrispySo THAT's Why Restaurant Pasta Sauce Is So Much BetterSo THAT's Why Restaurant Mushrooms Are So Much Better

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