I Tried Ina Garten’s Recipe for One-Pot Oven Risotto and It Just Might Be the Best Rice Dish I’ve Ever Tasted (2024)

FAQs

Can you make risotto ahead and reheat? ›

Pro tip: You can make your risotto ahead of time!

If you want to make your risotto ahead and serve it later, follow the recipe up to the final addition of stock, and then STOP. The risotto will be slightly undercooked. To re-warm, you just add the last ladle of stock, then the cream and cheese.

Oven-baked risotto requires a Dutch oven for fluid movement between stovetop and oven. Dutch ovens have a heavy bottom that delivers even, constant heat.

Cook risotto, sear meat and deep-fry chips, all with a single appliance: the Rational VarioCookingCenter®.

The key, instead, is to undercook the risotto and cool it rapidly to prevent that rice from overcooking, so you can easily finish cooking it later.

Yes, the foundational creaminess of well-made risotto should come from the starches that the grains release slowly over the cooking process—but a bit of actual cream doesn't hurt, either. Make sure to season the risotto with salt after you've added the whipped cream.

Because risotto is cooked uncovered on the stovetop, a lot of liquid evaporates. Plan on about three times as much liquid as rice. And that liquid should be stock of some sort. Chicken stock is the staple, but use whatever stock you prefer — beef, vegetable, seafood.

Some common substitutes include using a slow cooker, a casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid, or even a heavy-bottomed pot with aluminum foil as a makeshift lid. Some substitute techniques may require a longer cooking time (like a slow cooker) but may be more convenient to dump and go.

When cooking risotto on a stovetop, you're required to periodically stir it to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Some people, however, stir it too frequently. This adds air into the risotto, cooling it down and making it gluey.

We par cook it. We make the recipe without finishing it with cream or butter or cheese. We pour the hot risotto onto a sheet tray to cool quickly and then store it in a container. Once we are ready to serve, we reheat the risotto with a little chicken stock, and finish with cream, butter, and some parmesan cheese.

Can risotto be prepared ahead of time? ›

Generally, risotto isn't prepared ahead of time – because the best risotto is served fresh – but if you want to make it in advance, proceed as explained above, but stop cooking a few minutes before (when the grain is chewy but still crunchy in the middle).

Yes, reheating risotto is perfectly safe. You just have to be careful about how you store your leftovers, as risotto left on the counter overnight isn't good for anyone.

Never reheat risotto or any other rice dish twice. It increased the risk of possible Bacillus cereus bacteria growth that can cause food poisoning. Place the risotto leftovers in the fridge as soon as possible. Through it out if the risotto doesn't look or smell right or if it has been left out for more than 2 hours.

Reheated risotto won't taste exactly like its former self, since the rice will cook a little more as it warms up and become less al dente, so transforming risotto into something completely new is a winning solution.