Like most people I know, I really like risotto. It's just that little bit naughty while still being acceptably nice, and when made right it has the most wonderful flavour and texture. Risotto is prepared by a very traditional method, it's not just a mixture of rice and other ingredients. In Italy, it is never made with leftovers, and most often the added ingredients are cooked together with the rice infusing all of the flavours and textures together. Quite often there are very few ingredients other than the rice and a flavouring. The truly essential ingredients required are a good stock, butter, usually cheese and of course, risotto rice.

Besides being one of our biggest selling products at The Essential Ingredient, risotto is also one the things that we get those most questions about from our customers. We have a good variety of rice on our shelves and hopefully this guide may make choosing one a little easier. (Remember, when choosing rice, as with most other things in life, you get what you pay for!) Once you've experimented with each type you may aspire to having a favorite just like Steve Manfredi or Sean Connolly (our newly one-hatted chef from Astral Restaurant), or Marco Balestrini (our wonderful Italian importer). Each of these experts has been kind enough to share a recipe for their favorite risotto or some new wisdom to help get our risotto just right.

What type of rice should I use?

There are three main varieties of risotto rice readily available - carnaroli, vialone nano and arborio. The most important characteristic of risotto rice is that it swells and absorbs enormous amounts of liquid without breaking up or becoming mushy.

Arborio is probably the most common risotto rice. It is very easily overcooked so you must be extra vigilant and careful or the risotto will end up soggy and fragile. For this reason it is perhaps not the ideal rice for someone who has never made risotto before. It is the cheapest and most readily available in shops and supermarkets, however, and it has a slightly higher 'stickiness' or starch rating, which makes it good for timbales or arancini or very very creamy risottos such as sweet vanilla risottos or puddings.

With Arborio, more than any of the other varieties, the quality of the rice will effect the result. In other words some of the really cheap supermarket brands of 'mediteranean style' risotto rice will make horrible risotto no matter how careful you are.

Carnaroli rice has wonderful absorption properties. It releases enough starch to make the rice creamy but not sticky, and the grains still remain firm (or al dente). It is the most dependable variety, so even if you're not a risotto expert you can still achieve great results.

Nano has a shorter grain than the other risotto varieties. It has a high absorption and is not too sticky, however it has quite a different texture overall when cooked. The grain itself is far harder, so the centre of the grain remains quite al dente. It is generally used to make risottos with slightly soupier texture and is popular for fish based recipes.

Can I use any other rice to make risotto?

No, you cannot use another rice to make risotto. Risotto rice has a 'pearl' in the centre. In fact on inspection of a grain of risotto rice you should be able to clearly see the white pearl in the center of the grain. During cooking the outside starch dissolves into the liquid and the interior absorbs liquid and swells. Other rices do not behave like this and quickly get gluggy and sticky. Risotto should never be gluey; it is always moist and creamy.