dear mariobrega (ask an italian living in asia)

[caribougrrl]

should risotto be thick/firm enough to hold a shape if you press it together, or should it be a bit on the soupy side?


Gordon Ramsay is always making his a bit soupy, but he's Scottish and abrasive so I don't know whether to trust him.  When I make risotto, I can mold it and it holds together.  Am I doing it wrong? Does it matter?

soupy-Gordon-Ramsay-esque risotto:


my risotto:

[diablita]

'bou, I'm not Mario so take this with a grain of salt (or arborio rice) but I think it is supposed to be a bit soupy (though not tremendously so).

[Run Amok]

I agree. The second one looks undercooked to me. But, I'd go with what you prefer.

[merigayle]

While watching Hells Kitchen, it is not as soupy as that picture. Trying to find something online.

hmmmm found two different F word videos, one looked like your top one, the other did not (F Word is his great BBC show):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm6Tclz_-J8

[radial]

That top picture looks like what happens of you put too much cheese in the risotto and turn it into a gooey mess.  I'm sure some people like it that way, but to me, risotto that comes out looking like mac 'n' cheese is messed up. 

[onawhim]

a bit soupy

[caribougrrl]

That top picture looks like what happens of you put too much cheese in the risotto and turn it into a gooey mess.  I'm sure some people like it that way, but to me, risotto that comes out looking like mac 'n' cheese is messed up. 

too much cheese and possibly too much broth, IMO... but I'm willing to be wrong about how it should be, it doesn't mean I'll start making it that way.

[merigayle]

I think I would like something in between the two in the pictures.

[diablita]

dove sta mariobrega? 

[Kumbaya]

Yours certainly looks more appetizing.

[onawhim]

Yours certainly looks more appetizing.

But it does not look like risotto    It should be creamy. 

[caribougrrl]

this one looks soupy, but not creamy


where this one looks creamy without being soupy





but most importantly, how do you ever make arancini if you start with Gordon-Ramsay-esque wet risotto?

[Dagstag v 2.0]

This is IMHO the way it should be:



Not too dry, but not too soupy.  Gooey enough to hold together in a sort of pile, but wouldn't hold a shape if put into a ring.

[onawhim]

yes

[Run Amok]

Yes. In cgirl's post, the second one looks more like the way I was taught than the first.

Why is Gordon Ramsey (a Scottish guy) the authority on risotto? His deal is french food.

That said, I've never been to Italy, nor eaten GR's risotto. So, I'm not sure I'm really qualified to play in this thread. (I *am* an enthusiastic risotto eater though!!!)

[Run Amok]

(i find this whole thread befuddling)

[caribougrrl]

(i find this whole thread befuddling)

I don't think Gordon Ramsay is an authority on risotto, but he thinks he is.  And I guess he has had Michelin stars and shit like that.  My MIL has spent years and years requesting my risotto for her birthday, but a couple weeks ago she saw Gordo make risotto on TV and gave me a long explanation about how I'm doing it wrong. 

mariobrega outed himself as Italian in the wine thread, so I'm fishing for an genuine-Italian-but-no-guarantee-of-authority opinion. 

(that may or may not mitigate the befuddling... )

[Run Amok]

I don't think Gordon Ramsay is an authority on risotto, but he thinks he is.  And I guess he has had Michelin stars and shit like that.  My MIL has spent years and years requesting my risotto for her birthday, but a couple weeks ago she saw Gordo make risotto on TV and gave me a long explanation about how I'm doing it wrong. 

mariobrega outed himself as Italian in the wine thread, so I'm fishing for an genuine-Italian-but-no-guarantee-of-authority opinion. 

(that may or may not mitigate the befuddling... )

Ah! I didn't know we had a user named mariobrega! I was confused!

[witchypoo]

This is IMHO the way it should be:



Not too dry, but not too soupy.  Gooey enough to hold together in a sort of pile, but wouldn't hold a shape if put into a ring.

this was the consistency of the risotto my auntie deb (sicilian) used to make (she's dead) (it wasn't the risotto).

[all-smiles]

Love this thread as I remember watching Top Chef where all of the judges were adament that good risotto should spread and run when placed on a plate And mine was never like that so I was confused!